1. On your whiteboards, define these terms…
Absolutism Deontology Legalism
All three apply to our next theory – Natural Moral Law
Extension – what are their opposites? How do they relate to the ethical theories we’ve studied already?

2. Objectives Know the key ideas of Natural Law Theory
Apply it to ethical issues
Understand how it has been developed

3. Classical and Biblical Foundations
Natural Law comes from the Christian scholar St Aquinas. But he based it on several existing ideas, from Ancient Rome, Greece and from the Bible. So we need to know a little bit about them first…

4. Classical and Biblical Foundations:
there is “one eternal and unchangeable law will be valid for all nations and all times, and there will be one master and ruler, that is, God, over us all, for he is the author of this law” – Cicero (Roman writer)
“the requirements of the law are written on their hearts” St Paul in Romans 2:15
moral laws are "the same for all men... there is a single standard of truth and right for everyone...which is known by everyone” - Aquinas

5. Ancient Greece - Aristotle’s Key Ideas
Everything has a purpose – telos
The telos of something is revealed in its design
Being ‘good’ means fulfilling your purpose

6. Aquinas developed Aristotle’s ideas in a Christian context:
God designed everything with a purpose.
Being good means fulfilling the purpose that God intended for us.
So we need to know what are God’s purposes for humans, and then we can follow them to be good.

7. Think-Pair-Share What purposes are humans designed for?
Aristotle said we can tell something’s purpose by looking at how it is designed. Observe it in nature and we can see how it should work.
What purposes are humans designed for?
Is there anything we all naturally do, or are inclined to do?

8. Aquinas’ Primary Precepts (the main purposes of human life)
Preserve human life
Ordered society
Worship God
Education
Reproduce
Live in an

9. Secondary Precepts Preserve human life Ordered society Worship God
So, what Secondary Precepts (moral rules) can we derive from this primary one?
Don’t…
Do…
Preserve human life
Ordered society
Worship God
Education
Reproduce
We derive these from the Primary Precepts, by applying them to our lives.
So any actions we are considering that go against the PPs are not allowed.

10. On your whiteboard: Sum up Natural Law in 5 bulletpoints or less
Replace each point with an image
Use the images to help you explain the theory to your friend

11. According to Natural Law, why are these actions wrong?
Using contraception
Murder
Homosexual sex
Rape
Adultery
What issues can you raise with Aquinas’ theory?

12. A modern adaptation: Proportionalism
There are fixed moral rules
But in certain cases there are proportionate reasons for breaking the rule
“Proportionate reasons” depends on the context/situation

13. Bernard Hoose – Pre-moral evil and moral evil
“An evil like pain, death or mutilation is, in itself, pre-moral, and should never be described as ‘moral’. It is the act as a whole which is either right or wrong.” So, killing would be a pre-moral evil. But in a certain situation where it is justified (to prevent the death of thousands of people maybe), it can be the right action.

14. Proportionalism and Natural Law
So, Natural Law can give us general principles – examples of pre-moral evil. But we need to look at the particular situation to decide whether it is also a moral evil (a wrong action).
Is proportionalism an improvement on Natural Law?
Can you see any problems with it?

15. Objectives Know the key ideas of Natural Law Theory
Apply it to ethical issues
Understand how it has been developed