Natural Law Flashcards
(19 cards)
Deontological theory
An ethical theory that argued that the goodness of an action lies in itself regardless of the consequences
Eternal Law
God’s will for how the universe is to be
Eudaimonia
Living well as an ultimate end in life in which all other actions should lead towards. Human flourishing (happiness)
Telos
The end or purpose - for Aquinas the purpose of humans is to have union with God
Divine law
That which is revealed by God, e.g. the Ten Commandments (Bible)
Natural Law
‘Right reason in accordance with human nature’
Human Law
Rules made by humans for society to allow them to flourish
Synderesis
Our rational capacity to follow good and avoid evil, the rule which all precepts follow.
Primary Precepts
The most important rules in life – absolute and unchanging
WORLD
Secondary Precepts
The rules which follow from primary precepts
Doctrine of Double Effect
An act which may have more than one effect e.g you aim to save a life but in so doing
harm another
Casuistry
Case or rule based reasoning in applied ethics.
Real goods
Doing the right thing for the right reasons
Apparent goods
The mistakes/errors people make when they think they are doing good
Practical reason
The tool which makes moral decisions
Phronesis
Practical wisdom learnt by experience
Four tiers of law
Eternal, Divine, Natural, Human
Strengths of Natural Law
There is a fair set of rules for everyone.
However, it is not just a large number of rules dictating what we should do.
All the things that are good for us are celebrated, rather than focusing on negative things.
Humans are at the centre of this ethical approach, not rules.
It allows us to use our reason and so feel in control of the secondary precepts.
It allows people to establish common rules in order to structure communities.
Weaknesses of Natural Law
In modern forms Natural Law does not allow for negotiation because the Church has made the secondary precepts into absolute rules.
It is based on very complicated notions and doesn’t ask everyday questions such as ‘should hospitals get more money than schools’?
It could be argued that we have gained our natural instincts through evolution, not through God and so we do not need a God-based theory.
We can observe differences between cultures, which rejects the notion of a single natural purpose for all humans.
Natural Law could even be seen as a relativist theory - because the secondary precepts might change as we use our reason differently, perhaps because of the different circumstances we find ourselves in. This could be seen as an advantage or a disadvantage! Indeed, some say that we should not rely on our reason but on teachings from the Bible, the Church or from God’s revelation.
Vardy and Grosch in The Puzzle of Ethics said that Aquinas gives too simple a view of human nature. (E.g. is sexuality just about reproduction?)
