Natural Moral Law Flashcards
Natural Law
The natural world is governed by law, these laws are part of the universe and we work them out by observation and reasoning.
Natural law is a set of general consistencies which govern nature.
Some believe God put these rules in place, others claim these rules exist without reason.
Some argue that the way we act is governed by natural law. This can also only be discovered through observation and reason.
This would imply that everybody should act the same way because there is a universal law.
Thomas Aquinas
1224-1275:
• priest/religious writer
• advocated existence of natural law and believed that God put it there
• humans should act in a certain way
• learnt from Aristotle, combining his ideas with Christian belief. He wanted to show that people’s actions were to be guided by commands of God and human reason
Aristotle
everything in creation has:
• an efficient cause- the event which occurred to bring about certain results
• a final cause- the ultimate reason for existence
Potentiality and actuality:
• something was good if it fitted its purpose, (a good knife cuts well)
• the essence of goodness was turning potentiality into actuality
• that is to say, if something has a potential, it must fulfil its potential and goodness is brought about as a result (e.g. a tadpole has the potential to become a frog)
Aquinas and Natural Law
-the basis of natural law theory is that there is a moral code which is:
• universal
• unchanging
• for all time
• relevant to all circumstances
• given by God
Criticisms of Aquinas’ Natural Law
• arguably outdated, times have changed at unprecedented rates
• assumption that there is a God/the God of classical theism
• God’s laws did change, the various covenants
• problematic for non-Christians
Presuppositions of Natural Law
• God made the universe and everything in it for a reason
• Goodness involves being fit for a purpose
• people, by nature, want to be good
• the purpose of human existence is self-evident by observing creation and the use of human reason
Efficient and Final causes of Natural Law
• Aquinas claimed God is the efficient cause of creation
• the reason for creation is self-evident
• the goodness of creation is to be found by following God’s purpose for us
• God has created everything for a reason
How does Aquinas define goodness and where can the purpose of one’s existence be found?
• Aquinas argued goodness came from things fulfilling their potential because this fulfilled the purpose given by God
• distinguishes between real and apparent good- what is God’s intention and what seems to be good
• Child thinks watching TV is good but it takes them away from fulfilling their academic purpose
-Aquinas wrote that the purpose of existence could be found by:
• reading the Bible
• looking to Church teachings
• looking at design in creation
Exterior and Interior acts
• both intention and act are important. to act isn a good way for the wrong reason is a good exterior act but bad interior act. This is wrong
• Aquinas believed that acts are intrinsically good or bad because if humans act in accordance with their ultimate purpose God is glorified
What we are designed to do, according to Aquinas
-we are designed to
• grow, reproduce, think, eat
• believed it is the natural instinct of humans to seek goodness
• to seek the good was to fulfil our potential
• in order to fulfil our potential we must use creation in the way God intended
Primary precepts and their corresponding secondary precepts
Preservation of life:
-do not commit suicide
-do not switch off life-support machines
Human procreation:
-permit IVF and surrogacy
-contraception is wrong
The advancement of knowledge and learning:
-education is free
-school is compulsory
Living in a peaceful and harmonious community:
-build more homes
-encourage community activities
The worship of God:
-set aside one day a week for worship
-hold school assemblies
Human Sexuality
the Natural Law Theory is often used in discussion surrounding human sexuality
• Aquinas believed it was self evident that men and women’s bodies are created for each other with the potential for procreation
• this implies that, because humans naturally seek the good in order to fulfil their potential, the sexual act is only to be used between a man and a woman because of God’s design for the bodies
Applying natural law (some examples)
• homosexual relationships: not ok, procreation
• contraception: not ok, procreation
• fertility treatment: ok, procreation
• sexual relationships where there is no potential for procreation: not ok, procreation
• a celibate priesthood: ok, worship of God
• rape: not ok, peaceful and harmonious community
• adultery: not ok, peaceful and harmonious communiy
Strengths of Natural Law
• absolutist moral law
• follows the will of God, the Bible and reason
• right and wrong depend upon a self-evident law
• clear cut
• suitable for religious believers
Weaknesses of Natural Law
• some argue purposes in world are not self-evident
• there is debate as to what is ‘natural’ e.g. many feel ‘naturally’ attracted to people of the same sex
• Aquinas assumes that God created the world whereas others argue the world came about by chance
• Charles Darwin’s theory claimed animal species exist only through chance and in seeking their own survival act only out of self-interest, not to seek the good
Summary Evaluation of Natural Moral Law
• very influential in ethics
• many still try to develop an understanding of right and wrong from what is natural
• but difficulties arise when defining what exactly is meant by ‘natural’ (especially with developments in medical technology)
Aristotle’s four causes
A material cause (what something is made of)
A formal cause (the form something takes)
An efficient cause (that which made it)
A final cause (the purpose of its creation)
Hoose
“it is never right to go against a principle unless there is a proportionate reason which would justify it”
• we should follow natural moral law unless there is a good enough reason to do otherwise
• however, it is difficult for proportionalists to decide what justifies abandoning natural moral laws
• in most situations though, most people would agree on what the right thing would be
Boyle
“communal well-being and flourishing”
• reason should direct us towards what benefits the community
Finnis
adapted Natural Moral law so that it doesn’t presuppose God’s existence
• suggested basic goods, like Aquinas did: life, knowledge, play/skilled performance, aesthetic appreciation, sociability, practical reasonableness
• acceptance of good coming from a higher power
Griesz
goods are either practical or moral
• Practical: what helps or hinders a person’s ability to do the moral thing
• Moral: what Aquinas called ‘virtues’: justice, temperance, wisdom etc
Fletcher
Jesus rejected the Pharisees’ legalistic morality so Christians shouldn’t adopt anything similar, such as Natural Moral law
Nelson
“The concept of human nature is a rather vague cultural concept”
• points out the differences between cultures and the others ways in which human natures vary (homosexuality)
Vardy and Grosh
Aquinas hold a reductionist view of sex in claiming that it is only reproductive
