Natural Law

1
Natural Law

• Chris Dodsworth
• and
• Tihamer Tee Toth-Fejel
• January 5, 2002 St. Marys GSYPDG

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Table of Contents

• Are there objective moral truths?
• How do we know?
• Are moral truths independent of God?
• What makes an act morally right or wrong?
• Definition of Natural Law
• Early History
• St. Paul
• Thomas Aquinas
• Application
• Examples
• Questions

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Are there objective moral truths?

• Yes, God says so (e.g. 10 commandments).
• Yes, society says so.
• Yes, I say so.
• No.
• Yes, Reason says so (and Natural Law explains
  how).

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How do we know?

• Skepticism
• We cant be sure of anything!
• Are you sure of that?
• Of course Im sure!
• Ockham (1285-1349) philosophy and theology are
  entirely separate
• Descartes (1596-1650) I think, therefore I
  am we can only know subjective facts with
  certainty
• Kant (1724-1804) Tried to prove that religious
  faith was superior to reason by saying that
  reason is divorced from reality that we can only
  know the appearance of things, never reality as
  it is.
• Ayer (1910-1989) We cant be sure of anything
  that is not empirically verifiable.

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Are moral truths independent of God?

• Divine Command Theory Things are right or
  wrong because God says so. But that is insulting
  to God and humans.
• The Euthyphro Dilemma "Either a moral principle
  is good because God wills it, which would make
  God arbitrary, or God wills it because it is
  good, which would imply a standard independent of
  God."
• God made everything, and God loves us. Therefore
  He would reveal to us (in the Bible) what is good
  for us.
• Natural Law provides an independent means for
  verifying revealed moral laws.
• The things that are right and good in creation
  reflect the nature of God.

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What makes an act morally right or wrong?

• The Three-Font Principle
• Ends (Intended Goal)
• Means (actions themselves)
• Circumstances
• Double Effect applies when two effects will
  follow -- one bad, and the other good. But four
  conditions must be met
• The act itself must be morally good or at least
  indifferent.
• The agent may not positively will the bad effect
  but may merely permit it. If he could attain the
  good effect without the bad effect, he should do
  so.
• The good effect must flow from the action, not by
  the bad effect. Otherwise, that would be using a
  bad means to a good end, which is never allowed.
• The good effect must be sufficiently desirable to
  compensate for the allowing of the bad effect.

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Definition of Natural Law

• Mans rational participation in the eternal law
  (Aquinas)
• A set of manufacturers directions written into
  our nature so that we can discover through reason
  how we ought to act. (Rice)
• How normative statements are derived from
  ontological facts i.e. oughts are derived by
  the way things are. (Toth-Fejel Dodsworth)

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Early History

• Sophocles (442 B.C.)
• Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) There is a common
  principle of justice that all people can discern
• Cicero (106-43 B.C.) Right is based not upon
  mens opinions, but on Nature.
• Ulpian (228 A.D.) A rule of action common to man
  and all the animals

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St. Paul

• Romans 120 Ever since the creation of the world
  his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power
  and deity, has been clearly perceived in the
  things that have been made.
• Romans 2 14-15 When Gentiles who have not the
  law do by nature what the law requires, they are
  a law to themselves, even though they do not have
  the law. They show that what the law requires is
  written on their hearts, while their conscience
  also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts
  accuse or perhaps excuse them.

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Thomas Aquinas

• Accepted both order of nature and order of
  reason.
• Distinguished four types of law
• Eternal Law Gods rationally ordered
  conceptualization of the world, characterizing
  the whole universe Natural Law is our
  participation in it.
• Divine Law Bible exists for four reasons
• Arrive at truth more quickly.
• Human law is incomplete, exterior, and
  inefficient.
• For the sake of certitude, because human reason
  is deficient and blinded by sin.
• Natural Law a rule of reason in human nature
  whereby we can discover how we should act.
• Human law ordinance of reason for the common
  good.

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Foundation Self-evident Propositions

• Principle of contradiction a thing cannot both
  be and not be at the same time under the same
  aspect.
• Good should be done, and evil should be avoided.
• Evil has no metaphysical existence it is a
  deprivation or defect in something that exists.

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Application

• What is the nature of the subject and object?
• What is their purpose and function?
• For example Going around killing people
• What is a human being?
• If a person is just a collection of atoms, then
  murder is perfectly ok.
• If persons are ensouled bodies, made in the image
  and likeness of God, and exist for their own sake
  (as ends in themselves), then it is wrong.

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Examples

• Automobile Owners Guide (and usage)
• Assembling a loft with a coke bottle
• Sledding in the Arboretum
• The Final Solution
• Tragedy of Commons
• Gluttony/Bulimia
• InVitro Fertilization
• Abortion

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Questions

• Under what conditions does natural law require
  disobedience of human law? (e.g. paying an unjust
  income tax forcing a doctor to do an abortion).
• Given all the disagreements over ethical issues
  (abortion, contraception), does this imply that
  Natural Law really doesnt exist?
• If people can lead a very good moral life without
  ever having studied moral theology then why
  should we study moral theology?
• What is unique about Christian ethics?
• To what extent ought philosophical ethics be able
  to reach the same conclusions as religious
  ethics? Should these truths be accessible to
  reflective people who do not have the benefit of,
  or who reject, Church teachings? Is revelation
  necessary for us to understand moral truths?
• In what sense is God the source of moral
  obligation? If God is the creator of all, does
  it follow that some form of divine command theory
  must necessarily be true? Does it follow that
  anything that is good is good only because God
  made it so?
• What actions might be always obligatory or
  prohibited? Why?
• Sometimes it seems that good is brought about by
  evil means Christian ascetics, for example. So
  why can good ends never justify evil means?