Summary
Summary Ethics - Natural Law
- Module
- G582 - A2 Religious Ethics
- Institution
- OCR
Natural Law knowledge sheet with essay planning
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Normative Ethical Theories:Religious Approaches
Natural Law
What is Natural law
Aristotle Natural Law Aquinas
Aristotle believed that people utilise reason Deontological theory where human conduct Aquinas expanded upon Aristotle's Natural
to determine natural law, which is universal must follow certain principles found in Law and the concept that the universe has a
and unchanging. nature. natural order that strives to fulfil a purpose
(telos). We only reach Eudaimonia when we
Everyone has a telos (a purpose), and These principles are universal and fixed. do this. In contrast to Aristotle, Aquinas
humans have the unique ability to think and That is, they apply to everyone, everywhere, believed that this Telos is to be unified with
reflect. We acquire Eudaimonia (flourishing) all of the time. As humans, we have the the Christian God and called this the Beatific
and our telos by using our reason. ability to reason and work out what these Vision.
principles are.
People can utilise the reason they were given
to understand God's purposes for the natural
world and behave accordingly.
The Synderesis rule To do good and avoid
evil, according to Aquinas, is the most
important moral principle.
, Primary Precepts
These are the five underlying principles that govern how people behave. These fundamental principles are universal, permanent, and absolute.
They are statements regarding what is beneficial for people. The Primary Precepts do not serve as moral guidelines or directives for behaviour. The
behaviours in life that are "good" and consistent with our inherent purpose are identified by these Primary Precepts.
Preservation of Life - to defend and protect human life.
Ordered Society - to live in a lawful society following the primary precepts.
Worship God - to pray to God who gives the eternal law.
Education - to learn and teach others about God and his law.
Reproduce - to continue God's creation.
Four Tiers of Law Secondary Precepts
The Eternal Law - According to Aquinas, God includes the Eternal Law. It When presented with a moral decision, humans must utilise reasoning
is constant and applies to everyone, everywhere, all the time since it is to determine whether or not their actions would maintain the primary
both universal and absolute. precept.
The Divine Law - The Bible's commandments and regulations. Eg, Jesus' This results in the formation of a secondary precept. This is an
parables on the Ten Commandments. God has made the Divine Law embodiment of Natural Law being applied to a specific scenario.
known to mankind. demonstrates to them the proper way to live. The secondary principles differ according to the situation and therefore
The Human Law - Human-made laws for their societies that are based on are flexible. They will, however, always support the fundamental
natural and divine law. Many civilizations have adopted equivalent rules, principles.
for example, to protect life or to care for the ill. For instance, any kind of "killing"—murder, euthanasia, or abortion—is
Natural Law - NL makes God's eternal law understandable to all people. sinful because it violates the primary precept of life preservation. As a
Since humans possess reason, they may determine whether behaviours result, the Catholic Church still holds that homosexual actions are wrong
adhere to this Natural Law by watching the outside world. since it cannot result in reproduction. Artificial contraception can be
Even if a person hasn't read the Bible, they could still be aware of God's used with the same justification.
Eternal Law through natural law.
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