Natural Law
- Created by: taveburnett
- Created on: 11-04-15 15:40
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- Natural Law
- first put forward by ARISTOTLE (384-322 BC)
- teleological view of the world
- everything has a telos (end/purpose)
- the supreme/ highest good for all things, including humans, is to fullfil this telos, e.g. a kife's telos is to cut
- the task of ethics is to answer the question- how should we live?
- The purpose of human beings according to Aristotle? To FLOURISH
- he called this 'eudaimonia'
- not just about personal pleasure
- about a whole life, well lived, not just for your own benefit but also that of others
- not just about personal pleasure
- he called this 'eudaimonia'
- The purpose of human beings according to Aristotle? To FLOURISH
- humans are rational creatures, so by using reason we can work out the right way to behave
- "the law is reason in agreement with nature" - Cicero
- championed by ST THOMAS AQUINAS (1224-1274)
- a monk-turned scholar
- absolute deontological view
- believes in God
- "do good and avoid evil"
- his beliefs
- God- creator of the world
- humans are made 'imago dei'
- God knew what humans would be like before he created them; "essence before existance"
- humans are rational- they have the ability to reason
- humans are created out of nothing - 'ex nihilo'
- how do humans know what God intends?
- 1. Eternal Law
- The principles by which God made and controls the universe which are only fully known by God.
- We only know these as 'reflections'; in other words, we have only a partial and approximate understanding of the laws which govern the universe
- The principles by which God made and controls the universe which are only fully known by God.
- 2. Divine Law
- this is the Bible, which Aquinas believes 'reflects' the Eternal Law of God
- 3. Natural Law
- the theory that an eternal, absolute moral law can be discovered by reason
- 4. Human Law
- the laws set by humans, e.g. it's illegal to have multiple wives or incite racial hatre
- 1. Eternal Law
- PRIMARY PRECEPTS
- Preserve Life
- abortions are wrong
- murder is wrong
- Ordered Society
- having laws and rules (e.g. fraud is illegal)
- having a punishment system to enforce the rules
- Worship God
- go to Church regularly
- pray God regularly
- Education
- free education
- scholarships
- Reproduction
- contraception is wrong
- abortion is wrong
- Primary Precepst are absolute; they never change. If we live following these precepts, we will flourish (eudaimonia) as we have lived as God intended
- Preserve Life
- The Secondary Precepts change and adapt
- first put forward by ARISTOTLE (384-322 BC)
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