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…