Natural Law

Question 1

what is the syneresis rule?

Answer 1

“incline towards good and away from evil”
- is the main moral rule/ precept according to Aquinas and all other moral rules are derived from this

Question 2

what are the 4 tiers of law? (in order)

Answer 2

1. Eternal Law - law as known to the mind of God, only God knows this completely
2. Divine law - law revealed to god through the commands and teaching in revelation
3. Natural law - is the moral thinking that all humans are able to do
4. Human law - customs and practices of society; secular laws around us

Question 3

What are primary precepts and name them

Answer 3

• The Primary Precepts are the basic principles of moral behaviour in Natural Law theory, as developed by Thomas Aquinas. They are based on the idea that human beings have a purpose (telos) given by God, and by using reason, we can discover how to live in line with that purpose.
• POWER: Protect the innocent, Ordered society, Worship god, Education, Reproduction

Question 4

what are secondary precepts

Answer 4

• secondary precepts are derived from primary precepts to make them more specific to the situation. Eg preserving life —> do not kill.