Assess the strengths and weaknesses of Natural Law.

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James Yates

Assess the strengths and weaknesses of Natural Law.

It is important to acknowledge that the foundations of Natural law are considered to have been developed in the philosophical works of Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics), in which he proclaimed that ‘everything is created with a particular purpose in mind’. However, during the thirteenth century, St. Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274) developed Aristotle’s initial ideas and incorporated these views with modern Christian thinking, in which he described natural law as a moral code which natural human beings are naturally inclined towards: “Law is nothing else than an ordination of reason for the common good promulgated by the one who is in charge of the community (i.e. by God)”.

     In addition, Aquinas maintained that the eternal law of divine reason is perceived through revelation (the Bible) and through the use of human reason, and subsequently came to the logical conclusion that the moral life is the life which is lived according to reason: “To disparage the dictate of reason is the equivalent to condemning the command of God”. It is also evident that Aquinas considered that there is an ‘ideal’ human nature which we all have the potential to achieve, and our moral actions are crucial in determining where we stand in this respect. It is equally important to mention that human actions that are not in the pursuit of perfection can be explained as being an ‘apparent good’, and therefore a sin is committed when an individual becomes less than he or she is intended by God; the human qualities that reason suggests are required in order to live a moral life consist of the four cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance, compared to the seven capital vices (often referred to as the ‘seven deadly sins’) which include pride, avarice, lust, envy, gluttony, anger and sloth.

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     Aquinas argued that the first priority laid down by natural law concerned ‘self-preservation and the preservation of the innocent’. He also declared four additional ‘primary precepts’ including the ‘continuation of the species through reproduction’, the ‘education of children’, to ‘live in society’ and to ‘worship God’, which conform to the main purpose of human nature. However, he also acknowledged four ‘secondary precepts’ (do not murder, do not abort unborn, defend the defenceless and do not commit suicide) which are further rulings that human beings should avoid, as they do not uphold the primary precepts.

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