Natural Moral Law

Absolutism

A moral judgement that relies on a fixed truth

• Says that some things are basically right no matter the circumstances

Relativism

A moral judgement that takes circumstances into consideration

• No action is good or bad in itself, a judgement can only be made after weighing up the arguments

Legalism

Making a moral decision based on previously established laws

Aristotle

• Everything has purpose or goal that is aimed e.g. a knife’s purpose is to cut things

• Everything we do has a purpose

• Fulfilment of purpose (telos) is the ultimate good and what we are inclined to do

• Morality is based on reason, not emotion

Cicero

• Laws cannot begin with humans

• Human laws can be good or bad depending on if they match up with eternal, natural law

• Natural law needs no encoding/enforcement

Aquinas

• All humans have a natural purpose that God wants them to fulfil

• By nature, we are naturally inclined towards the good

• The ultimate purpose of humankind is to live in fellowship with God

• Humans were given reason + freedom by God to discover and fulfil our natural purpose

Aquinas quote

“The moral life is the life according to reason.”

Eudaimonia

To live in fellowship/happiness with God

Aquinas’ 4 types of laws

1. Eternal Law = God creates everything and His will and wisdom is revealed to us through…

2. Divine Law = the sacred text and teachings of the church, which are made known through…

3. Natural Law = the innate human ability to know what is naturally right. From which…

4. Human Law = is derived e.g. laws found in the legal system.

Aquinas’ primary precepts

• Preservation of life

• Order in society

• Worship

• Educate your offspring

• Reproduction

  • Self-evident principles that are universal & absolute as they are part of our natural inclinations as human beings to guide us towards our final purpose (telos), eudaimonia with God

Strengths of Primary Precepts

• Absolute universal rules - same principle applies to everyone

• Easy to understand - should be accessible to everyone

• Should be simple to find answers to ethical dilemmas as based on something more concrete than personal opinion

• Timeless - still relevant today

Secondary Precepts

• Rules needed to achieve the primary precepts e.g. the 10 commandments. Upholds the primary precepts

• Not absolute + can change based on the situation

• Secondary precepts do not apply if they go against the secondary precepts

Strengths of Secondary Precepts

• Allows for flexibility

• Applies to modern day examples

• Realistic and practical rules for everyday life

Weakness of Natural Moral Law

• Principles of NML when applied can lead to absurd conclusions

• Nature changes (evolution) → does natural law change too? If so how can the laws be absolute?

• Ignores human emotion

• No room for NML in situationalism, relativism, consequentialism or individualism

Proportionalism

• Certain acts are wrong or evil acts in themselves but the act may be the right thing to do if there is a proportionate reason

• Doing a ‘bad’ action out of love makes the action morally good but not morally right

Bernard Hoose

“It is never right to go against a principle unless there is a proportionate reason which would justify it.”

• Natural moral law should be followed unless there is a significant reason to temporarily set it aside.

• Acts are not always evil.

• For example, telling an adult the truth about a violent death may be right, but telling a child may not be appropriate.

Humanae Vitae

Pope Saint Paul VI - condemned the use of hormonal/unnatural contraception, sterilisation and abortion & promoted the use of natural birth regulation

Doctrine of double effect

A bad consequence does not make an act morally wrong so long as that bad consequence is not intentional e.g. killing an attacker in self defence

Law of double effect

Doing an action with a good intention but it has another consequence The intention of the action determines the morality of the action