Natural Moral Law

Natural Moral Law

1. Telos

   • End or purpose
   • Aristotle
     • We should aim to reach eudamoinia (happiness and flourishing)
     • We can acheive our end on this earth
     • ''Reason is, in the highest sense, a man's self' - Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics
   • Something which fulfils its telos is morally good
   • We acheive our telos through using reason, as it is the highest of human activities
   • Aquinas
     • Our telos is to grow closer to God by following his Natural Law
     • God instills our reason
     • Our ultimate telos is not in this world (heaven)
   • For something to have purpose, it must have a reason why it exists, was done, or created.

2. A deontological theory based on behaviour which provides us with given laws or moral rules that exist independently of human societies and systems

3. Four Tiers of Law

   • Eternal Law
     • The unchanging reason of God (it is immutable as everything in God's mind is perfect)
     • Absolute for all people and all times
     • The highest form of law
   • Divine Law
     • The commandments given by God, usually found in the Bible
     • Teaches people how to live
   • Natural Law
     • Universal (does not require belief in God)
     • Perceived by using our reason
     • Allows us to reflect on the world and work out how to behave and think
     • God uses natural law to make eternal law accessible to people
   • Human Law
     • The laws people come up with in response to the higher tiers of law or the needs of their society and the way it is organised
     • The lowest tier of law
     • Can be broken if it conflicts with higher tiers of law
   • Law is 'a certain rule and measure of acts whereby man is induced to act or is restrained from acting' - Aquinas

4. Synderesis Rule

   • The innate principle
   • What all other precepts are based on
   • 'Good is to be done and pursued, and evil is to be avoided' - Aquinas, Summa Theologica
   • 'Do good and avoid evil'
   • To act on it, you must use your God-given reason and follow the primary precepts
   • Humans are naturally orientated towards the good

5. Primary and Secondary Precepts

   • When we reflect on our telos and understand the key precept, there are five primary precepts or rules that follow from this
   • The precepts fit the purpose that humans were made for
   • A truly moral act brings us closer to God
   • Primary Precepts
     • These precepts are absolute, eternal, and promote goodness (therefore upholding the synderesis rule)
     • Preserve life
     • Live in an ordered society
     • Worship God
     • Educate Others
     • Reproduce
     • Acts that do not follow the primary precepts do not fit the purpose humans were made for, so are bad.
   • Secondary Precepts
     • Come from the primary precepts
     • Govern how we should act in specific situations
     • Contextual (not absolute)
     • Allow the practical application of primary precepts
     • Do not murder
     • Do not use contraception
     • Read the Bible

6. Real and apparent goods

   • 'No evil can be desirable, either by natural appetite or conscious will. It is sought indirectly, namely because it is the consequence of some good' - Aquinas
   • Aquinas saw that despite bad acts being committed, people are still orientated towards the good
   • People do evil due to misguided reason
   • Real goods are those which are in accordance with the primary precepts and God's wishes for humanity
   • Apparent goods are things which tempt us because they seem enjoyable or good but which do not promote human flourishing
   • Anders Breivik
     • Thought that by killing 77 Norwegian people, he was saving Norway from 'a Muslim invasion' and multiculturalism
     • Saw the attack as a wake up call
     • At his trial, he said he regretted not killing more people, and apologised to other militant nationalists
     • This is an apparent good, as Breivik thought that he was actually helping others
   • 'To scorn the dictate of reason is to scorn the commandment of God' - Aquinas

7. Doctrine of Double Effect

   • 'Nothing hinders one act from having two effects, only one of which is intended' - Aquinas
   • Doctrine means teaching
   • For Aquinas, what matters is which effect is intended
   • One example would be going to war after being invaded by another country. An intended effect is protecting people and preserving life, however, the unintended effect is a loss of life
   • If you intend the good effect, you are not to be held responsible for the secondary bad effect
   • Interior acts - motive, invisible
   • Exterior acts - action, visible
   • The interior and exterior acts must both be good. Giving to charity because someone is watching, or stealing for someone in poverty is not truly good
   • Aquinas would say that this act is good as long as the intention is to preserve life