Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Natural Law (Telos (Aquinas used the thinking of Arsitotle to develop his…
Natural Law
Telos
-
Aristotle argued that something was good if it fulfilled its purpose, he argued that people should aim to achieve Eudaimonia (happiness and flourishing).
Moral acts come from free, rational beings. We have to be genuinely free to make moral decisions and we have to make them using our reason.
According to Aquinas, God should be the ultimate 'end' or purpose of human life. Being in the presence of God is the human 'telos'.
Aquinas thought that people need help from God in order to direct their motives and their actions, making sure they do the right thing for the right reasons.
The Precepts
The key precept of natural law is the rule of synderesis, do good and avoid evil.
Aquinas argued that God gave us reason so that we can work out for ourselves what to do to fulfil our telos.
-
-
Secondary Precepts build on the Primary Precepts and illustrate the practical application of the primary precepts.
Strengths of Natural Law
The way Natural Law is applied can vary widely, this can be seen as a strength as it allows for consideration of different circumstances.
-
It offers a way of looking at the world which is absolute and applies to all times and cultures, the idea of universal moral law is appealing to many.
It combines religious ideas with reason, allowing people to exercise some autonomy in decisions about right and wrong.
It is easy to work out what is right and wrong using natural law, making it a helpful system of ethics.
The Four Tiers of Law
ETERNAL LAW: the unchanging reason of God, absolute for all people and all times. This is the highest form of law.
DIVINE LAW: the commandments given by God, usually found in the Bible, teaching people how to live.
NATURAL LAW: people can perceive eternal law by using their reason to reflect on the world and work out how they should behave and think. God uses natural law to make eternal law accessible to people. Its universal.
HUMAN LAW: the laws people come up with in response to the higher tiers of law, or in response to the needs of their society and the way it is organised. Human law is the lowest tier of law and can be broken it higher forms of law conflict with it.
-
Recap
Natural Law is a system of ethics that argues that all human being have a nature and that we should work to achieve our purpose.
Natural Law is DEONTOLOGICAL, so it has an absolute system of rules based on actions and duties.
Human nature is fundamentally good and that all rational people seek goodness, which can be found in the vision of God.
-
Real and Apparent Goods
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 but which do not further the aim of promoting human flourishing.