Natural moral law

Question 1

what is natural moral law

Answer 1

a theory that suggests that there is order in the universe and so all things are better when they act according to this order/purpose.

Question 2

Origins of NML

Answer 2

• aquinas got his ideas from aristotle, existed in the 13th century
  beleived the world all had purpose/telos
  telos of humans is eudemonia - happiness fulfilled through fulfillment.
• its also derived from stoicism
  stoics viewed the world as an ordered place arranged by nature/gods to be the best way possible
  divine spark is what allos us to reason and defines us
  so more rational compared to aquinas which is more emotional

Question 3

Aquinas’ four tiers of law

Answer 3

eternal law
- knoweldge of whats right and wrong whihc is not understandable simply through human knowledge
- god gave us this ability to reason so we could attempt NML

divine law
- law revealed by god through the teachings of revelation
like the 10 commandments and Jesus in Sermon on the mount

Natural law
- the human ability to decide for ourselves the moral rules necessary for achieving our purpose

human law
- customs devised by governments and society

Question 4

aquinas’ primary and secondary precepts

Answer 4

preserve life, reproduce, learn, live in an ordered society and worship god.

Question 5

Aquinas’ secondary precepts

Answer 5

the primary precepts are general statements such as ‘you must preserve life’. Therefore, the secondary precepts are just more detailed versions of this ie. if we must preserve life then killing is wrong.

so they are much more flexible and apply circumstantially

Question 6

synderesis definition

Answer 6

main moral maxim for aquinas meaning to ‘do good and avoid evil’

Question 7

Doctrine of Double effect

Answer 7

According to the principle of double effect, sometimes it is permissible to cause a harm as an unintended and merely foreseen side effect (or “double effect”) of bringing about a good result even though it would not be permissible to cause such a harm as a means to bringing about the same good end.

Question 8

apparent and real good

Answer 8

• sexual ethics
  ie. married man having an affair with a married women
• euthanasia
• abortion

Question 9

strengths of Natural Law x5

Answer 9

• straight forward, clear moral rules
• primary precepts agreed with; most people actively pursue them
• not as rigid and absolutist as the others ie. secondary precepts are very flexible to time/place
• it values life and rights and doesn’t support consequentialism - right and wrong aren’t based on outcome. stating instead that life is intrisnically valuable regardless of our usefullness.

Question 10

Issues with NML x5

Answer 10

• NML shouldn’t assume everthying has a purpose ie. humans having a universal telos as we all have differant aims in our lives ie. some dont want kids due to career goals but this goes agasint the primary precepts.
• homo and hetero sexuality cant both co exist as if both claim that this is their true nature then we have 2 natures and so cannot all have the same purpose
• NML commits the naturalistic fallacy - observes what commonly happens then arguing that this is what must happen ie. if the sun has rised every day so far in this universe, doesnt mean that it will tommorrow
• there may be no telos/purpose at all. exsistentialists argue that there is no ultimate purpose, we simly ecist (what bertrand russel said), argues agaisnt teleologival arguement
• telos requires a higher power to give us this universla purpose so this concept relies on a godso if theres no god then there is no telos
• relys on reasoning but we can’t distinguish apparent from real good. Augustine backed this by saying we are fallen and so incapable from reasoning clearly
• can’t know someone’s intention so you cannot apply doctrine of double effect