Natural Moral Law
- Created by: freya241
- Created on: 20-04-16 22:41
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- Aquinas' Natural Moral Law
- Origins
- Stoics
- God is everywhere and in everyone
- Humans have a 'divine spark' which helps them discover how to live according to God/nature
- Humans have a choice to decide whether to obey these cosmic laws
- Aristotle
- Every natural object has a specific nature, purpose and function
- Supreme good can be found when something fulfils it purpose
- The supreme good for humans is eudaimonia - happiness
- Reason is the highest of all human activity
- The supreme good for humans is eudaimonia - happiness
- Stoics
- The Purpose of Human Beings
- Humans are made 'in the image of God', so the supreme good must be the development of this image (perfection)
- This perfection is not achievable in this life, happiness begins now and continues into the next life
- Eternal Law
- The principles by which God made and controls the universe - only fully known to God
- Divine Law
- The Bible - which reflects eternal law but can only be seen to those who believe in God
- Natural Law
- The theory that an inate eternal absolute moral law can be discovered in everyone by reason
- Humans are made 'in the image of God', so the supreme good must be the development of this image (perfection)
- Natural Inclanation
- God has instilled in all humans inclinations to behave in certain ways which lead us to the highest good and discover the precepts which reflect God's Natural Law
- Apparent Good
- Something which seems to be the right thing to do but does not fit the perfect human ideal
- Real Good
- The right thing to do - fits the human ideal
- We can distinguish between real and apparent goods by using our reason correctly
- Acts are right or wrong in themselves
- Precepts
- Primary Precepts
- Always true and apply to everyone without exception
- 'Reflections' of God's eternal law
- Preservation of Life
- Reproduction
- Education of children
- Peaceful Society
- Worship of God
- Always true and apply to everyone without exception
- Secondary Precepts
- Dependant on our our own judgment in different siutations
- Open to making wrong choices
- Require experience, use of reasoning and the exercise of wisdom
- Makes natural law flexible and realistic
- Dependant on our our own judgment in different siutations
- Primary Precepts
- The Doctrine of Double Effect
- There are times when we have moral dilemmas in which we cannot do good without bad consequences
- It is always wrong to do a bad act intentionally in order to bring about good
- It is acceptable to do a good act despite having unintended bad consequences
- A pregnant woman requires a hysterectomy, the death of the foetus is an unintended consequence of saving her life
- Strengths
- A clear cut approach to morality
- Reasonable primary precepts
- Focuses on human character rather than intrinsic moral values, allows for a level of flexability
- Doesn't require a belief in God
- Values human life
- Weaknesses
- Difficult to relate complex decisions to basic principles
- Doesn't consider consequences
- Double Effect allows to make any action moral if consequences are 'unintended'
- Human nature is constantly changing and not as simplistic as the Primary Precepts suggest
- Origins
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