July 28, 2016

RELATION OF NATURAL LAW, ETHICS AND RELIGION

NATURAL LAW – a body of moral norms and other practical principles which provide reasons (including
moral reasons) for action and restraint

NORMS – standards or ways of behaving

MORAL NORMS – standards of right or wrong behavior

Basic Precept: a general will that helps you decide how you should behave

 The purpose of the natural law is to direct people how to choose and act for intelligible ends and
purposes. [intelligible: can be understood]
 For Aquinas, these precepts are called “the first principles of practical reason” [human reason]
 Natural Law is basically grounded on reason

TRADITIONAL NOTIONS OF NATURAL LAW

1. Morality is objective
2. Morality is grounded on human nature
 This human nature is used to examine if our life is a happy life.
3. In examining natural law, we use reason

 The order is on knowledge produced through reason

 According to Plato, we can discover gladness through the application of reason
 According to Cicero, true law is right reason to agreement with nature
 True law is universal; it is applicable to all human beings
 True law is unchanging and everlasting
 According to Aquinas, natural law is objective, grounded on human nature, dependent
ultimately on God, and understood through reason
 Aquinas outlawed these because they are contrary to natural law:
1. Masturbation
2. Non-coital sex
3. Homosexual intercourse
 Aquinas: the precepts refer to basic human goods [love, empathy, care] for the sake of which
people can intelligently act.
 But sometimes, we tend to immorally choose:
 Because there are sub rational factors that motivate people to act contrary to the
prescription of practical reason
 Sub rational factors refer to those emotional or moral EG. Your being brother to this
person brings out a bias against others
 Immoral choosing is not justified because we have free will
 Dale Carnegie: people are not rational; people are emotional
 Sometimes, we act contrary to the prescriptions of practical reason because we have free
choices.
EXAMPLES OF MORAL NORM:

1. Golden Rule of Fairness: do unto others what you want others do unto you
2. Pauline Principle: Evil should not be done even for the sake of the good

 Moral norms provide reasons to choose or not to choose certain norms (principles)
 Moral norms are needed in addition to the basic practical principles because moral norms are
objects of emotional motivation while basic practical principles are objects of rational
motivation
 Moral norms guide our choices between possibilities which provide reasons for action

OTHER SUB RATIONAL FACTORS:

 Desires, wants: powerful, emotional motives that prompt us to make immoral choices

 Aquinas: emotion is not always the enemy of reason

Ex. Buying an iPhone is impractical if you are poor

 A theory of natural law is a critical, reflective account of the principles which guide practical
reasoning of moral judgment

August 2, 2016

NATURAL LAW –

The Precepts of Natural Law

- The first principle of natural reason; understood by human reason

- BASIC HUMAN GOODS
- Immoral Choosing is possible but can never be justified because we have free will that make us
know what we are choosing, so why choose the bad? We choose to do evil because we are
prompted by powerful motivating factors. [capitalism] [social status gadgets] [personal
interests]
- This is why reason should dominate our instincts
- NL is the function of rational human nature from God (St. Thomas)
- God has a purpose in His creation and part of that purpose is giving him that rationality and
having that purpose defines how we live our lives
- Aquinas: Human life can be understood by freedom and reason
- Material objects and animals don’t have free will on their own, for Aquinas
- Aquinas: God determines what happens to those entities without freewill
 - Humans have freewill and with this free will, we can either choose to or not to participate in
God’s will
- Free will + responsibility. If you have freedom, be sure that you know your responsibility and
limits. Accountability of actions

BASIC HUMAN GOODS

- Aquinas: Life, procreation, social life, knowledge rational conduct

- John Finnis 1980: life Knowledge, aesthetic appreciation, play, friendship, practical
reasonableness and Religion [a product of human reason, and human reason is from God]
(Natural Law and Natural Rights, Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, pp 86-90
- Grisez: justice [giving what is right or due], knowledge of truth [who defines truth], authenticity
[freedom and reason that defines your life]
- Aquinas; you have rationality but God is there to help you.
- What is consistent with natural law is right, otherwise is wrong.
- These are not instincts but done by reason

Natural Laws are discernible but human reason; thus we are obliged to follow it. We should act in
conformity with natural laws.

Immoral choosing is never justified because we have freedom and reason

Everything natural is morally good but it is should be done moderately, that is with the help of
rationality.

We should be governed by reason.

Maiming someone is immoral but operating on someone is justified.

There are laws that are unjust; the injustice of some laws does not invalidate them because the
presence of that law is needed for the social order. Some unjust laws are not invalid because they are
there to sustain social order.

Every law is not necessarily unjust.