Natural law

NL

‘do good and avoid evil’

telos

‘attain their last end by knowing and loving good’

cardinal and theological virtues

every action has purpose

beatific vision

Examples of D of DE

• ectopic pregnancy

  • surgeon removes fallopian tube and embryo dies

• Jodie and Mary (kill mary)

Karl Barth

‘finite has no capacity for infite’

Peter Vardy and Paul Grosch

Aquinas’ view of human nature = unholistic and over-simplified

• limits freedom

• diff hard-wiring → genetics e.g. homosexuality

• modern science rejects function and purpose

Francis Bacon

‘Telos’ = unscientific concept

Physicist Sean Caroll

Purpose not built into “architecture” of universe

JS Mill

Bible only relevant in ancient, more barbaric time

• e.g. adultery punished by death sentence

• many children died

• reproduction needed → now contraceptive

• created in socio-economic time

Nielson

• human nature = cultural =/= scientific

• e.g. Inuit families killed members of family who would not make through winter

B Hoose

Proportionalism

Pope John Paul II

God’s laws should absolute

5 primary precepts

1. preservation of life

2. ordered society

3. worship god

4. edu of children to live in society

5. continuation of species thru reproduction

how to make moral decision

• prudence

• > descends into particulars = > conc open to exception

• e.g. debts ought to be paid

  • true for most cases

  • unless harmful and irrational for individual

  • e.g. returning a borrowed weapon to a traitor to your country

• e.g. lawful for starving man to steal to save life

• not lawful to tell lie to get other person out of danger

  • lawful to hide truth prudently

real and apparent goods

oriented to achievement of perfection

never knowingly pursue evil

e.g. gluttony

4 tiers of law

1. eternal - God

2. divine - revelation in scriptures e.g. OT and NT

3. natural

4. human