OCR A level Natural Law

Absolute

Rules that we should all follow regardless of situation.

Deontological

The action itself merits morality or not, not the consequence of it.

Material Cause

What an object is made of

Efficient Cause

The way the object was made

Formal Cause

The shape or form of the object

Final Cause

The purpose or ultimate reason an object was made.

Eternal Law

God's knowledge of what is right and wrong, seen through the rational ordering of the universe.

Divine Law

Law revealed by God through commands and teachings i.e Church and the Bible.

Natural Law

Moral thinking that we all do. Natural sense that everyone has to "do good and avoid evil."

Human Law

Human laws, devised by governments and societies. Aquinas sees the four laws as hierarchal with others laws relying on the eternal law.

What are the 5 primary precepts for?

Guidance on what our laws should focus on.

Primary precepts

Preserve life

Ordered society

Worship God

Educate youth

Reproduce

What are secondary precepts?

Ways we can follow or implement the primary precepts.

Secondary precepts for worship God

Go to church

Read the Bible

Follow 10 commandments

Secondary precepts for ordered society

Don't cause unnecessary conflict

Don't break laws

Do not murder

Secondary precepts for reproduction

Contraception is wrong

Male masturbation is wrong

IVF is allowed

Secondary precepts for educate youth

Go to school

Bring children up in a good christian home

Evangalise (convert to christian faith)

Secondary precepts for preserve life

Do not abort

No euthanasia

Do not commit suicide

Doctrine of Double effect

The idea that if doing something good also produces a bad side effect, it is still ethically permissible as the bad effect was not intended.

Aquinas' view on double effect

What matters is the effect that was intended. He argued that it is the intention that matters, if you intend the good effect then you are not responsible for the bad effect.

How does God and the afterlife affect Natural Law

Aquinas believed that God created the universe so that everyone has a design and purpose and humans were given free will and reason to choose. When we reach our purpose as the end of our life we reach good and spend the afterlife with him. This is eudaemonia, a state of perfection and union with God- the ultimate goal of humans (human flourishing).

Real good

A good that leads a human to reach their purpose and fulfil Eudaimonia.

Apparent good

A good that we believe is fulfilling our purpose but it is not. A pleasurable good that is not reaching our purpose i.e. drinking.

"Good is to be done, evil is to be avoided"

Something good is anything that leads to us fulfilling our purpose. This is the only good and anything that is not to do with reaching our purpose is evil.