Natural Law:

Aquinas: Absolute, deontological

Purpose: good acts enable humans to fulfill their purpose in accordance with the primary precepts

♥Primary Precepts♥

1.Preserve Life and Protection of the Innocent

2.Reproduction for continuation of the species

3.Live in society

4.Educate the young

5.Worship God

♥Secondary Precepts♥ Use REASON to establish rules that will fulfill the requirements of the primary precepts. For example Do not abort the unborn from the Primary precepts: reproduction and protection of innocent/preserving life

Humans may be led by "apparent goods".Everyone tries to do good. Some people follow apparent goods (such as a person who has an affair – they seek pleasure, but it diminishes human nature). Real good is reached by using reason to determine our true purpose. We must also examine both the motive and action (interior/exterior motive acts)

Strengths:

♥Allows clear-cut approach to morality and establishes common rules

♥Basic principles are common in all cultures (reasonable)

♥Doesn't dictate individual cases- they are general moral principles

♥Concentrates on human character and its potential for goodness and flourishing rather than rightness/wrongness of an action (Humans at the centre of approach, not ethical rules)

♥Exhibits some flexibility with secondary precepts

♥Moral decisions are not done by reason alone it also allows practical wisdom from the body, passions and emotions

♥All things required for happiness are morally good- health and friends, so it is fulfilling our natures

♥Morality is straightforward and uncomplicated

♥Universal

♥Gives good bases for society as it gives clear wrongs

Weaknesses:

♥Based on assumption we all share a common human nature

♥Legalistic whereas Jesus broke rules

♥Natural instincts are from natural selection, not a God

♥Differing moral standards and cultural relativism (changeable natures, e.g. Homosexuals and heterosexuals. Is sexuality about reproduction??

♥Based on assumptions about the world and inbuilt purpose- questioned by science

♥Difficult to relate to complex decisions to basic principles in practice

♥Relies too much on reason- human nature is too corrupted to be trusted

♥Unholistic and too similistic

♥Ideas reflect a medieval mind (Feudal system, place, order)

e.g. Do not have an abortion, Do not commit suicide It is unclear how Natural Law should deal with conflicting rules– where there is overpopulation and limited resources, reproducing seems to conflict with living in society and protecting the innocent. Many people believe that Natural Law leads to wrong decisions, not taking into account the human suffering that, for example, not using condoms might cause. Natural Law, War, Peace and Justice Natural Law moves from an ‘is’ (a statement of how the world is) to an ‘ought’ (statements about what should or shouldn't happen) – the naturalistic fallacy.

Aquinas believes the real goods are virtues such as prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance – sometimes suffering can lead to these goods; pleasure is clearly only an apparent good. Interior and Exterior Acts – Your intention (e.g. to help someone who’s starving) might be good, but your action (stealing bread) might be wrong. Both interior and exterior are important. This is a useful distinction, as it is possible to do good things (e.g. give to charity) for bad reasons (to look good).

God is the goal of all human desires. He might argue that someone suffering greatly should not kill themselves – their life continues eternally, and they must not go against God’s design or purpose for them.

Double Effect – It is wrong to do bad acts (e.g. abortion). However, you can do a good act (removing the uterus of a woman with cancer) that may have a ‘double effect’ of resulting in an abortion. The ‘good’ act has to have a good intent (to save the woman’s life) and must be a good exterior act(removing the cancer).