NATURAL LAW ETHICS

Objectives
• Recognize how Thomas Aquinas made use of
Ancient Greek concepts to provide a rational
grounding to an ethical theory based on Christian
faith
• Identify the natural law in distinction from, but
also in relation to, the other type of law
mentioned by Aquinas: eternal law, human law
and divine law
• Apply the precepts of the natural law to
contemporary moral concern
• In October 2016, newspapers reported that Pantaleon
Alvarez, Speaker of the House of Representatives, was
intending to draft a bill which would amend the
country’s Family Code, thereby allowing for legalization
of same-sex unions. This would result in the possibility
of two men together or two women together being
identified as a couple with rights guaranteed and
protected by law. However, as one newspaper report
revealed even before anything could be formally
proposed, other fellow legislators had already
expressed to the media their refusal to support any
such initiative.
• The reasons given in the news article vary,
ranging from the opinion that seeing two men
kisses is unsightly, to the statement that there
is something “irregular” about belonging to
the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT)
community, and to the judgment that two
people of the same sex being together is
unnatural
 Natural or unnatural
•eating insects
•picking one’s nose (pangungulangot)
•mixed martial arts (combat sports)
•plastic surgery
•eating raw beef
 Natural or unnatural
•cross-dressing
•IUD (intra-uterine device)
•incest
•male on male sex
•male infidelity (pambababae)
• Note: prevalence of common notions of
what is “natural” or “unnatural”
• Consider: how might one commonly define
what is “natural” or “unnatural”?
Natural law theory
of
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas biographical sketch
• Hailed as doctor of the Roman catholic Church
• Dominican friar preeminent intellectual figure
of the scholastic period of the Middle Ages
• Contributing to the doctrine of the faith
• Summa Theologiae – a voluminous work that
comprehensively discusses many significant
points in Christian Theology
 Christian Story
• First Part – We acknowledge that our limited human
intellect cannot fully grasp God, we nevertheless are
able to say something concerning His goodness, His
might and His creative power
• Second part – deals with man or the dynamic of human
life. This is characterized by our pursuit of happiness.
We should realize happiness does not rests ultimately
not on particular good things that is created by God,
but in the highest good which is God Himself
• Third part – focuses in Jesus as our Savior
 Context of Aquinas’s Ethics
• Aquinas’s ethics would require us to explore
his discussion of other matter
• In our pursuit in happiness, we direct our
action toward specific ends
• Explore how are actions are related to certain
dispositions in a dynamic way since our
actions both arise from our habits and at the
same time reinforce them
 Context of Aquinas’s Ethics
• Christian life is about developing the
capacities given to us by God into a disposition
of virtue inclined toward the good
 Metaphysical Grounding
•Plato and the Neoplatonic tradition
–the Idea of the Good
–the Good, the One, the Beautiful

•Aristotle
–Being: having a certain form
–Becoming: actualizing inherent potentials
• Thomas Aquinas’ ethics

•Thomas Aquinas’ natural

law theory
 Summa Theologica Prima
Secundæ Partis Questions 90-95

90. The essence of law

91. The various kinds of law
92. The effects of law
93. The eternal law
94. The natural law
95. Human law
 Q. 90 The Essence of Law

• Thus … the definition of law may be

gathered; and it is nothing else than an
ordinance of reason for the common good,
made by him who has care of the
community,and promulgated.
Q. 91 The Various Kinds of Law

Eternal
Natural
Human
Divine
 Q. 94

• Wherefore according to the order of

natural inclinations, is the order of the
precepts of the natural law.
 Q. 94

• Because in man there is first of all an

inclination to good in accordance with
the nature which he has in common with
all substances: inasmuch as every
substance seeks the preservation of its
own being, according to its nature: and
by reason of this inclination, whatever is a
means of preserving human life, and of
warding off its obstacles, belongs to the
natural law.
 Q. 94

• Secondly, there is in man an inclination to

things that pertain to him more specially,
according to that nature which he has in
common with other animals: and in virtue
of this inclination, those things are said to
belong to the natural law, "which nature
has taught to all animals“ … such as
sexual intercourse, education of offspring
and so forth.
 Q. 94
• Thirdly, there is in man an inclination to good,
according to the nature of his reason, which
nature is proper to him: thus man has a
natural inclination to know the truth about
God, and to live in society: and in this
respect, whatever pertains to this
inclination belongs to the natural law; for
instance, to shun ignorance, to avoid
offending those among whom one has to
live, and other such things regarding the
above inclination
 Q. 94
• Consequently we must say that the natural
law, as to general principles, is the same
for all, both as to rectitude and as to
knowledge. But as to certain matters of
detail…of those general principles, it is
the same foe all in the majority of
cases…and yet in some few cases it may
fail…