|
|
This is only a preview of the paper
Click here to register and get the full text.
Existing members click here to login
|
|
|
8a) Critically examine what is meant by natural moral law (8)
Natural law can trace its roots back to the ancient Greek and Roman world. The Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote that natural justice was not always the same as that defined in law. He observed that while laws may vary from place to place, natural justice is independent and applies universally, not dependent upon one’s location. ... ’
The Natural Law argument depends upon this distinction of efficient and final causes. ... Natural Law is therefore based on a rational interpretation of purposiveness within the world, not simply on an objective account of what is in fact the case.
The Ancient Stoics emphasised the importance of Logos, or rationality, which they saw as governing the world with human nature being part of one natural order. They considered natural law to be a law of right reason. ... Paul wrote about a law that is ‘written in the hearts’ of Gentiles. For the classic description of natural law, one turns to the Roman lawyer Cicero, who formulated the classic description of natural law in his work ‘On the Republic’. Cicero writes that ‘true law is right reason in agreement with nature’.
It is therefore clear, that throughout the ancient world, although there is differing phraseology, there seems to have been a consensus over the existence of a natural law, which dictated the rightness or wrongness of an action that was not dependent upon the laws created by society. ... Thomas Aquinas developed a more detailed account of natural law in the thirteenth century. ...
In his work, Summa Theologica, Aquinas described natural law as a moral code, which exists within the purpose of nature and was created by God. Natural law exists to aid humans, directing their actions in such a way that they may reach their eternal destiny with God. Aquinas argued that there was a basic law, from which all the other natural laws played a part. ...
The theory of Natural Law as put forward by Aquinas, is based upon the religious conviction that God created the world, establishing within it a sense of order and purpose, which is a reflection of his will. ... In the Natural Law approach to ethics, the action itself can be either natural of unnatural, and is judged on that basis. It does not depend for its moral justification upon any results. Therefore, according to Natural Law, an action can be deemed morally good in itself, even if it brings about suffering. As Natural Law has its foundations in reason, as opposed to revelation, it is theoretically, discoverable by anyone, whether they are religious or not.
Approximate Word count = 2105
Approximate Pages = 8.4
(250 words per page double spaced)
|
|
|
|
|
|