AQUINAS' NML

• Aquinas was a 13th century Dominican priest.
• Aquinas is regarded as the most influential philosopher / theologian in the Roman Catholic Church.
• Aquinas studied the work of Aristotle in University and was greatly influenced by him.
• At the time that Aquinas was writing, the church was being increasingly challenged.
• At the time that Aquinas was writing, Europe was emerging from a time of intellectual darkness caused by the decline of the Roman Empire.
• Immutable - Unchanging / unable to be changed
• Innate - Inborn / inbuilt (not developed)
• Telos - purpose
• Deontological - focusssed on the action
• Absolutist - Holds unchanging principles
• Normative - deriving from a standard / norm of behaviour that is expected
• Natural Law is deontological, absolutist and normative.
• Natural Law is deontological because it produces rules and duties. It is a deontological theory which comes out of a teleological worldview (That everything has a telos, that purpose for humans being distinctive and rational.)
• Natural Law is absolutist because it is absolute and unchanging. However it is only the Primary Precepts of Natural Law that are absolutist.
• Natural Law is normative as it creates norms or values which are inherent in the natural order, accessed by our reason.
• Scholar: Aquinas

  'A sharing in the eternal law by intelligent creatures'
• Aquinas realised the truths of the Bible could be shown to be based on reason as well as faith. Thus allowing Aquinas to defend faith against rising challenges.
• Aquinas agreed with Aristotle that everything had a purpose. However, unlike Aristotle, this purpose was given by God.
• Aquinas incorporated Aristotle's ideas of the importance of cultivating cardinal virtues, however for Aquinas this was in order to develop as a human being and fulfil ones true nature in relation to God.
• For Aquinas, Natural Law was located in the activity of human reasoning.
• For Aquinas, we must apply our reason to moral problems and we will find we constantly act under the Natural Law.
• Acts are deemed good if they are in line with our true human nature and purpose.
• For Aquinas, Natural law designed by God to help us achieve the ultimate purpose: to enjoy fellowship with God and to be perfect in the image of God.
• For Aquinas, obeying Natural Law meant doing actions that develop our image to reflect as closely as possible the image of God. However true perfection is not possible on Earth.
• Reason plays a key role in Aquinas' development of NML.
• Despite NML's divine origin, God was seen as the source of Natural Law, which was rooted in the human mind.
• Aquinas saw God as having designed us for the end of perfection.
• Aquinas believed we are made in God's image and our purpose was to eventually reflect is image perfectly.
• Unlike Aristotle, Aquinas believed in a personal creator: God.
• Aquinas saw the final purpose of human being in terms of the eternal rather than the temporal.
• Aquinas, unlike Aristotle, argued that the human telos is to be united with God: The Beatific Vision. Human flourishing (eudamonia) and wellbeing are vital to this however the true purpose is found in God.
• Aquinas' NML is often regarded as a form of moral absolutism as the emphasis is on the Primary Precepts and their moral obligations.
• NML is often seen as deontological as moral behaviour is seen as being determined by these fundamental principles that are not based on consequences.
• The role of virtues still plays an important role for Aquinas.
• For Aquinas, it is reason that determines how we apply the precepts and leads to the secondary precepts.
• Whilst being viewed as deontological, NML can also be seen as teleological as:

  • It is based in the end of the Beatific Vision
  • The development of secondary precepts
• Eternal Law - God's 'ultimate' law. Due to human imperfection of the Fallen natural order, we can never know this fully. However we can see glimpses through Divine Law.
• Divine Law - Revealed through the scriptures and guides humanity to the goal of perfection; although the goal of the Beatific vision is only fully possible in the afterlife.
• Natural Law - Our ability to perceive the Primary Precepts and work out through reason how these can be applied in life.
• Human Law - Helps society to achieve the common good by establishing a tradition of rules and customary behaviour based on experienced judgements. This is not a perfect law but one in which error is possible.