Natural Law
- Created by: Bigboi_Butterz
- Created on: 02-04-18 19:03
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- Natural Law
- Telos
- Through God given reason I can determinethe telos of an action.
- E.g. The telos of sex is procreation. Any action which prevents this telos is wrong, e.g. contraception
- Aristotle – everything has an end/purpose (telos)and an efficient cause (how to achieve the telos).
- Aquinas – the telos is God’s intention so the rightthing is to achieve the telos.
- E.g. The telos of sex is procreation. Any action which prevents this telos is wrong, e.g. contraception
- Through God given reason I can determinethe telos of an action.
- The Four Tiers of Law
- Natural law – how the rational creature participates in the eternal law of God.(Conscience – reasoning and observing nature we can know what is right).
- Divine law – the Scriptures. Knowable to reason but to teach us with certainty on matters.
- Civil law – put in place to order society – if reasoned properly they will be in keeping with Natural law.
- Eternal law – the mind of God, ‘God’s plan (only partially knowable to humans).
- The Precepts
- Primary Precepts: (POWER)
- - Preserve life - Ordered society - Worship God - Educate children - Reproduce
- Secondary Precepts:
- Rules that help fulfil the primary precepts E.g. Murder is wrong because it breaks ‘preserve life’.
- Primary Precepts: (POWER)
- Doctrine of Double Effect:
- Sometimes an action can be performed even if it has secondary negative consequences.
- This is because the intention of the act is something positive. E.g.morphine to reduce pain but a secondary result is death is hastened.
- Sometimes an action can be performed even if it has secondary negative consequences.
- Real and Apparent Good
- Sometimes we do the wrong thing because weconfuse real goods and apparent goods.
- Real goods > unity with God.
- We are misguided by sin or by emotions and choose the wrong thing. Real goods are the only acts we should aim to do.
- Sometimes we do the wrong thing because weconfuse real goods and apparent goods.
- Reason
- ? Know the right thing to do ? Determine the telos.
- Everyone has practical reason. This means I can:
- Aquinas placed emphasis on reason:“To disparage the dictate of reason is to condemnthe command of God”.
- We can use our reason to know the right thing because we are naturally inclined towards good.
- Synderesis ruleHumans naturally aim towards good and avoidevil. This is natural law.
- Telos
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