Natural Moral Law

Question 1

6 features

Answer 1

For all time
Relevant to all circumstances
Universal
Unchanging
Given by God
Accessible through the natural order

Question 2

5 Primary precepts

Answer 2

Worship God
Order society
Reproduce
Live/self-preservation of the innocent
Learn

Question 3

Who? Reconciles?

Answer 3

Developed by Thomas Aquinas as an attempt to reconcile Christian theology with ancient Greek philosophy

Question 4

Teleological view
Good/bad examples

Answer 4

The world and its elements have a purpose
What is good is natural and what is bad is unnatural
e.g. heterosexual intercourse is good as it leads to intercourse and homosexual intercourse is bad ad it does not

Question 5

4 cardinal virtues

Answer 5

Prudence- intellectual virtue to recognise right from wrong
Justice- helps to see what is fair
Fortitude- courage to face challenges
Temperence- regulating emotions

Question 6

3 theological virtues

Answer 6

Faith
Hope
Charity(love)

Question 7

7 deadly sins

Answer 7

lust
pride
wrath
sloth
envy
greed
gluttony

Question 8

Secondary precepts

Answer 8

Developed from primary precepts
e.g. ant- abortion (self preservation)
anti-homosexuality (reproduce)

Question 9

Proportionalism

Answer 9

20th century adaptation of natural moral law by Hoose
Non-absolutist meaning no absolute right or wrong
Consequentialist meaning it has real term effects
Proportionalism argues “it is never right to go against a principle unless a Proportionate reason would justify it”

Question 10

ontic goods and evils

Answer 10

ontic good are those that alleviate pain or suffering
ontic evils are those that are not immoral but merely cause pain

Question 11

Example of axe murderer and starving family

Answer 11

When asked by an axe murderer where his victim is when he asks you “where is he?” telling the truth is an ontic evil because while telling the truth is moral it causes suffering and lieing is an ontic good because you save the victims life
An example of lesser evil would be preferably letting a starving family steal

Question 12

Hume: is ought criticism

Answer 12

Argues natural law confuses an ‘is’ with an ‘ought”
They argue as it ‘is’ the case that things are a certain way in the natural world that they ‘ought’ to be that way
For example it is the case in the world that sex leads to reproduction however this does not mean it ought ONLY to be for this as natural law theorists argue it could be for something else e.g. pleasure

Question 13

Hume: inconsistency e.g. slate from roof

Answer 13

Hypocritical to attack some things for being against order in nature yet not others
E.g. they oppose homosexuality but they would alert a man to a slate being blown from a roof by a gust on wind aiming for him

Question 14

Liberalisation weakness

Answer 14

Absolute ethics(NML) are opposed to a liberal society in the quality of life vs sanctity of life debate
In modern society flexibility and compassion is favoured over absolute values
e.g. pregnancy from rape/ euthanasia

Question 15

Nietzsche weakness

Answer 15

sees NML as a herd mentality
“transvaluing values” by creating a new sense of right and wrong
given their own “meaning to the earth”

Question 16

Unverifiable metaphysical concepts weakness

Answer 16

God is not empirically verifiable and is rejected by a secular society

Question 17

Objectivist strength

Answer 17

objectivist approach is straightforward and easy to use as it does not change with each new scenario e.g. cases of abortion

Question 18

Non- consequenalist strength

Answer 18

non- consequenalist approaches ignore lengthy considerations of future outcomes in an unpredictable future e.g. daniel dennets 3 mile island disaster

Question 19

Unifies Abrahamic monotheists

Answer 19

Unifies Abrahamic monotheists (Jews, muslims, Christians) as all identify and worship one God and see Bible as authoritative