NATURAL LAW

CHAPTER 3
INTRODUCTION
 WHAT DOES THE WORDS NATURAL AND
UNNATURAL MEANS?

NATURAL UNNATURAL
• Accept of many • Judgement (eg: samesex,

• True to him that are not being together in unnatural)

questionable
THOMAS AQUINAS
• There have been various
and system of thought
emerging throughout
history that could be
said to present a natural
law theory. Among them,
the one we will be
focusing on is the
“MEDIEVAL THINKER.”
 THE CONTEXT OF THE CHRISTIAN STORY

1. Recognizing that we are created by God

2. Persue the ultimate happiness
- which is God himself
- salvation (presence of God's grace are become perfect
incarnate in the person of Jesus.)
 THE CONTEXT OF AQUINAS'S
ETHICS
1. Discussion how we persue our happiness
(action and end)
2. How emotion (passion involve in this process)
3. How action related to certain desposition
(habits)
4. How we develop good/bad habits
 THE GREEK HERITAGE
NEOPLATONIC GOOD
- Not just pertaining about BEINGS but also the
CARE for the activity of Universe and every creature.

The Idea of the Good (PLATO)

- Science and truth
The Good and the One (PLOTINUS)
- Plotinus is the father of Neoplatonisim
- The Good (cause by intellegent and
intellective life)
- The source as being One (Soul)
 ARISTOTELIAN BEING AND
BECOMING

FOUR CAUSES
• Material Cause
• Formal Cause
• Efficient Cause
• Final Cause
 SYNTHESIS
• Transcendent good
• God is that which essientially is and is essientially
good
• God's act
• Emanation of light
• Creation of beings
• Divine goodness is the end of all actions
• The unique way that we have been created can
called our “NATURE”
• All beings are created by God in order to return to
him
• Our way of reaching God is by knowing and loving
him
THE ESSENCE AND
VARIETIES OF LAW
 ESSENCE

• Common Good
• Will
• Freedom
• Choice
• Good that we desire
 VARIETIES

• Divine Wisdom
• Eternal Law
• Human Law
• Divine Law
• Christian Vision
 NATURAL LAW
• Nature
• Animals
• Sexual Intercourse
• Education of offspring
• Truth about God
• For Instance
• To shun ignorance
• To avoid offending those among whom has
to live
 In Common with Others Beings
• Considering how we human being, are both
unique
• Shares in the nature of other beings
• In our Nature, common with all other
beings, a desire to preserve one's own
being.
Eg. A makahiya leaf folds inward to
protect itself when it touched. Similarly,
human being have the natural inclination to
preserve their being.
 In Common with Other Animals
• Sexual Intercourse
• Care of one's offspring
• Animals are engaged in Sexual
Intercourse at a specific time of “HEAT”
• Sexual act and fecundity
• Acceptable and Unacceptable in
varying degrees of e contentiousness
• Abortion is acceptable (Some parts of
the world)
• Sexual Intercourse and Procreation
 Uniquely Human
• Natural inclination to know the truth about
God
• To live in the society
• Shun ignorance
• Avoid offending people
• Persue the truth
• Social concern
• Sexual inclination and sexual act are
considered good things
• Being rational
• Common Good