Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Natural Moral Law
- ORIGINS
- Aristotle
- Final cause - everything
has a purpose.
- Eudaimonia
(supreme good) is
found when purpose
is fulfilled.
- Achieved
by living a
life of
reason.
- Reason = ability to
think, understand and
act
- Aquinas
- Also believed humans have a
rational nature, given by God to live
and flourish.
- Even without knowledge of
God reason can discover
laws that lead to human
flourishing.
- Natural Laws are universal and
unchangeable, should be used to
judge laws.
- Humans made in the image of
God so supreme good is
perfection.
- PRECEPTS
- Precepts = laws discovered
using reason.
- Primary = fundamental
principles of NML
- WORSHIP GOD
- ORDERED SOCIETY
- LEARN
- DEFEND THE
INNOCENT/PRESERVATION OF
LIFE
- REPRODUCE
- Secondary = derived from primary
precepts
- e.g from the primary precept preservation of life,
we can derive the secondary precept do not kill.
- STRENGTHS
- Clear approach to morality.
- Establishes
rules/creates laws.
- Concentrates on human
potential, values human life.
- Secondary precepts are
easy to work out - can be
applied to all situations.
- Helps us achieve things we
'naturally' want.
- DOCTRINE OF
DOUBLE EFFECT
- Used in 'moral dilemmas' - can't do
good without a bad consequence.
- Is sometimes right to do a good act despite
knowing it will bring about bad consequences.
- Is wrong to do a bad act intentionally to bring
about good consequences.
- APPARENT & REAL GOOD
- Apparent = something
which seems to be
good/right thing to do
but isn't.
- Real = the
right thing
to do, fits
the human
ideal.
- WEAKNESSES
- KARL BARTH - relies too much on
reason, human nature too corrupt to
be trusted.
- KAI NEILSEN - differing moral standards
challenge idea of common natural law.
- G.E.MOORE - commits naturalistic fallacy,
goodness cant be defined by reference to
nature.