Natural Law PDF

NATURAL LAW JES AMTAR Between antiquity and modernity stands Thomas Aquinas (ca. 1225–1274). The greatest figure of thirteenth-century Europe in the two preeminent sciences of the era, philosophy and theology, he epitomizes the scholastic method of the newly founded universities. Aquinas...

NATURAL LAW JES AMTAR Between antiquity and modernity stands Thomas Aquinas (ca. 1225–1274). The greatest figure of thirteenth-century Europe in the two preeminent sciences of the era, philosophy and theology, he epitomizes the scholastic method of the newly founded universities. Aquinas takes inspiration from antiquity, especially Aristotle, and builds something entirely new. Viewed as a philosopher, he is a foundational figure of modern thought. 5 Types of Law: 1. Eternal Law God's perfect plan, not fully knowable to humans. It determined the way things such as animals and planets behaved and how people should behave. Divine law, primarily from the Bible, guided individuals beyond the world to "eternal happiness" in what St. Augustine had called the "City of God." 2. Revealed Law The law of God revealed to man. Ex. The 10 Commandments 3. Natural Law A philosophical principle that says human beings possess intrinsic values that govern their reasoning and behavior 4. Ecclesiastical Law Law in the Church. Ex. Canon Law 4. Civil Law Law of Man. 7 Basic Good Things we are designed to seek 1. Life - self-preservation, the drive to sustain life. ex. Instinct to avoid danger & to preserve life 2. Reproduction - To continue the preservation of life. 3. Educate One’s Offspring - Teaching them morality and the way of life. 4. Seek God - We are built with desire to seek God. We seek him in our lives whether we’ve been exposed to the idea of God or not. “We are born with a God-shaped hole within us.” - Jean-Paul Sartre 7 Basic Good 5. Live in Society - It is part of our basic good to live in a community with others. “Man is a social animal”. – Aristotle - While short period of solitude can be good, we are basically pack animals, and our desire for love and acceptance, and our susceptibility to peer pressure, are all evidence of this. 6. Avoid Offense - We feel shame & guilt when we things to our group to turn against us. 7. Shun Ignorance - We are natural knowers & inquisitive - “We share with non-human animals, because knowledge promotes survival, and ignorance can mean starving to death or ending up as someone’s dinner.” 7 Basic Good 5. Live in Society - It is part of our basic good to live in a community with others. “Man is a social animal”. – Aristotle - While short period of solitude can be good, we are basically pack animals, and our desire for love and acceptance, and our susceptibility to peer pressure, are all evidence of this. 6. Avoid Offense - We feel shame & guilt when we things to our group to turn against us. 7. Shun Ignorance - We are natural knowers & inquisitive - “We share with non-human animals, because knowledge promotes survival, and ignorance can mean starving to death or ending up as someone’s dinner.” From these basic goods, we can derive the natural law. How do we know that natural law exist? “Our instinct shows us the basic goods, and reason allows us to derive the natural from them.” My life is valuable Your life is like my life Your life is valuable I shoudn’t kill you Do not kill is a natural law “If God Created us to seek good, and if we are built with the ability to recognize and seek it, then why do people violate the natural law all the time?”  Because of Ignorance and Emotion. Sometimes, we seek what we think is good, but we are wrong. Because we are just ignorant.  “Even though we are rational, we are also emotional creatures.” We see what we should do, but emotion overpowers our reason, we fail to do the things we should know. So what is Natural Law? Natural law is a theory in ethics that says that human beings possess intrinsic values that govern their reasoning and behavior. Natural law maintains that these rules of right and wrong are inherent in people and are not created by society or court judges. It is constant throughout time and across the globe because it is based on human nature, not on culture or customs. Aquinas wrote most extensively about natural law. He stated, "the light of reason is placed by nature [and thus by God] in every man to guide him in his acts." Therefore, human beings, alone among God's creatures, use reason to lead their lives. This is natural law. “The light of reason is placed by nature [and thus by God] in every man to guide him in his acts." - Thomas Aquinas Heraclitus 540 BC-480 BC The concept of natural law was developed by Greek philosophers around 4th Century B.C. Heraclitus laid the basis of natural law. He found it in the rhythm of events. He is the first person to recognize the existence of natural law. This he termed as destiny, order and reason of the world. Aristotle 384 BC-322 BC considered by many to be the founder of natural law. He argued that what is “just by nature” is not always the same as what is “just by law.” He associates natural law to what is good. Augustine November 13, 354 AD - August 28, 430 AD 4 Types of Law 1. Eternal Law - God 2. Eternal Law - the (natural law), which is a “notion” of the eternal law “impressed” on human beings, and thus an aspect of the innate image of God 3. Temporal law, wherein particular laws change over time and vary according to circumstance, and which includes what we should call civil or secular law 4. Divine law: a term that sometimes refers narrowly to the Mosaic law but can also express a broader concept of any laws passed down by God He claims that natural law is immutable and permanent Thomas Aquinas 1225–1274 He proved who proves the existence of natural law Natural Law is: 1. Real 2. Historical 3. Experiential 4. Personal 5. Eternal Aristotle’s 4 BAsic Good