Natural Law

quotes and evaluation - supports and critics

Aristotles support for the Primary Precepts

• eudaemonia and telos → flourishing influences and supports Aquinas’ theory of ‘purpose’ in ethical decision making

• ratio → humans abilities to reason logically (come up with primary precepts)

Stoic support for primary precepts

• believe that the ‘natural law’ is integrated into the world by God and humans have been given the capacity to discern it

Biblical support for Primary Precepts

• Genesis 1 → ‘imago dei’ humans have God given ability to discern his laws

• Genesis 2 → ‘be fruitful and multiply’ God has given laws that should be included and influence the precepts

• Romans 2 → the law is 'written on your hearts’ supports idea of synderesis

• Micah → ‘walk humbly with your God’

• The beautides → emphasise the importance of moral virtues

Cicero support for Primary Precepts

• true law → should be universal and unchanging from a divine source

Scientific support for synderesis

Paul Bloom experiment → demonstrates innate moral understanding of good and evil

Saint Augustine → ‘vox dei’ God speaks to us through our conscience therefore human reason should be used to discern moral laws as comes directly from God

scientific critique on synderesis

• Freud → no innate moral understanding humans are entirely irrational and the conscience is all external influence

biblical critique of Syndersis

• Richard Snell → the fall in genesis 2 means that humans are innately sinful and therefore invalidates synderesis

• Karl Barth → scripture should be used solely to guide moral decisions not human reason

critique of subjectivity of the Primary Precepts

• Finnis and Grisez → update the Primary Precepts adding their own (marital good, playfulness, appreciation of beauty, self integration, authenticity)

• Keith ward → there is no fixed human nature as opinions and values change consistently there can be no objective moral laws

critique of ratio

• Mcgrath → we are conditioned by preconceptions therefore only see what we want/are taught to see - no capability of reason

• Hume → ‘reason is the slave of passions’

• Hait → post-hoc realisation

critique of rigid/unflexibility

• Copleston → approach drives a wedge between emotion and moral laws

• Alasdair Macyntire → virtue ethics - shouldn’t be moral laws but should integrate virtues with moral understanding

• Fletcher → situation ethics