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Natural Law

Theological Ethics. Natural Law. Natural Law. Two approaches to Theological Ethics Natural Law and Divine Command. Natural Law. Two important things about natural law theory:

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Natural Law

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  1. Theological Ethics Natural Law

  2. Natural Law • Two approaches to Theological Ethics Natural Law and Divine Command

  3. Natural Law Two important things about natural law theory: (1) natural laws are prescriptive; they tell us how we ought to behave. In this sense, they are unlike physical laws (gravitation), which tell us how things do in fact behave and are, therefore, descriptive. Unlike rocks, we are always at liberty to disobey the natural laws that pertain to us. This is how we sin.

  4. Natural Law (2) natural laws are absolute, because the goods in which they are grounded are incommensurable - that is , there is no common metric that would allow us to compare them. Hence, there can be no ‘trade-offs’ between, say, protecting life and seeking knowledge; or, more importantly, between protecting this life rather than that life.

  5. Natural Law Two Principles 1. The principle of forfeiture and 2. The principle of double effect

  6. Natural Law The principle of forfeiture: If I threaten your life (i.e., violate the principle concerning the protection of life), I forfeit my right to life. Thus, killing in self-defense is morally permissible.

  7. Natural Law The principle of double effect: Sometimes it is permissible to perform an action that has, besides its desired (good) effects, a second effect that it would be impermissible to bring about, either as an end or as a means.

  8. Natural Law It is permissible to perform an act that will have evil effects only if: a/ The act is good in itself or at least morally indifferent. b/ The intention of the actor is good, that is, he aims only at the acceptable effect. The evil effects are no part of his purpose; they are not means to his end.

  9. Natural Law It is permissible to perform an act that will have evil effects only if: c/ The direct effect is morally acceptable. d/ The good effect is sufficiently good to compensate for allowing the evil effect.

  10. Natural Law A pregnant women is diagnosed with uterine cancer. If her uterus is removed, she will be saved, but the fetus will die. So the hysterectomy will have evil effects. May a surgeon perform the operation?

  11. Natural Law Terror bombing versus strategic bombing. Sometime in 1940, British policy regarding bombing changed to mandate the targeting of built-up areas as opposed to military and industrial targets. It’s estimated that 300,000 German civilians were killed and 780,000 injured as a direct result of this terror bombing. In Dresden alone, 100,000 civilians were killed.

  12. Natural Law 1/ In the context of war, bombing the enemy is a morally legitimate action. 2/ The direct effect of the bombing was the deaths of civilians and the promotion of terror. This is not morally acceptable. 3/ The intent of the British policy was to incur terror. Killing civilians was indeed an essential part of the plan.

  13. Natural Law Do all human beings share a nature? Apart from our genetic code, what else is it plausible to say that all human beings have in common? How much do we fail to have in common with others?

  14. Natural Law Do the similarities between us out weigh the differences? And what is the moral relevance of this, if indeed it is true?

  15. Natural Law Does the mere fact that something comes naturally make that something morally good or permissible? What about kleptomania?

  16. Natural Law Does the mere fact that something is artificial make that something morally bad or impermissible? What about heart pacemakers and other prostheses? What about antibiotics?

  17. Natural Law In what ways do the tenets of natural law theory continue to exert an influence in public discussions of morality? Think about recent controversies surrounding homosexuality and abortion.

  18. Natural Law The sexual ethics promulgated by natural law theorists is pretty rigorous: no masturbation, no pornography, no sex before marriage. At the end of the 20th century, is this sexual ethic too demanding? Why or why not?

  19. Natural Law C.S. Lewis claims that the inner sense of right and wrong that everyone seems to possess can be explained by positing some power that transcends human existence - that is, God. Do you agree?

  20. Natural Law How else might an apparently universal moral sense be explained? Could it, for example, be explained in terms of evolutionary theory - say, that fitness is increased by artistic behavior?

  21. Natural Law Case Study: • Rescue Mission

  22. Divine Command Ethics for Military Leaders Readings 1-3, pages 313 - 372 Case Studies: “Leave for a sailor seeking an abortion” “Synopsis of the paradox of divine command in Plato’s Euthyphro”

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