Chapter 6 - Natural Law (Lecture Video)

These flashcards provide key terms and definitions related to the concepts discussed in Natural Law Theory.

Natural Law Theory

A category of normative theories that states actions are right insofar as they are natural and wrong insofar as they are unnatural.

Objective morality

The belief that moral truths exist independently of individual beliefs or perceptions.

Conceptual truths

Truths that can be known without observation, such as definitions or mathematical facts.

Empirical truths

Truths that can only be known through observation and experience.

Hume's argument

An argument asserting that all knowledge must come from either reflecting on meanings (conceptual truths) or making observations (empirical truths).

Fitness model of Natural Law Theory

The belief that actions are right if they promote survival and wrong if they hinder survival.

Moral knowledge

The idea that one can know what is morally right or wrong.

Purpose or function of a thing

The specific role something is designed to fulfill, which helps determine its moral status according to Natural Law Theory.

Catholic Church

A prominent purveyor of Natural Law Theory, especially related to moral issues such as capital punishment and sexual ethics.

Moral nihilism

The philosophical belief that moral values are baseless and that nothing is inherently moral or immoral.