NATURAL LAW THEORY

Doctrine of Double Effect:

The principle that a good action may be
permissible even with bad side effects, but a bad action for the sake of good effects is never permissible; bad effects must be unintended.

2. Four Natural Inclinations:

Life – preserve life and health;

Procreation – produce and raise children;

Knowledge – seek truth, especially about God and the world;

Sociability – form community, obey just laws, avoid lies and slander.

3. Intrinsically Evil Actions:

Actions that violate fundamental natural inclinations—e.g., murder, lying, and suicide—and for that reason are regarded within Natural Law Theory to be absolutely impermissible, regardless of consequences. One may never do evil that good may come!

4. Natural Law Theory:

The morally right action is one that follows the
dictates of nature and promotes human flourishing.

5. Self-Defense Puzzle:

A moral dilemma where defending oneself may
require lethal force. The good effect is the preservation of one’s own life; the bad effect is the death of the aggressor. According to the Doctrine of Double Effect, this can be morally permissible if the death is not intended but merely foreseen. The person acts to protect their life, not to kill—the
death occurs as a side effect of an otherwise legitimate act of self- preservation. The act must be proportionate, and the bad effect must not
be the means to achieving the good.