Natural Law Theory - Thomas Aquinas

Introduction

Thomas Aquinas: 13th-century Italian Christian monk and philosopher.
Central concern: How can people follow God's moral rules if they don't know about God?
Aquinas' solution: God pre-loaded us with tools to know what's good — Natural Law Theory.

Most influential and longstanding theory of natural law.
Major impact on Catholic and major Protestant denominations.
Basic idea: God created the world with predictable, goal-driven systems (natural laws).
Humans are made to intuitively desire things that are good for them.
These are known as the basic goods.

Self-preservation: Instinct for survival.
Reproduction: Desire to reproduce; includes sex drive.
Education of offspring: Teaching next generation to ensure their survival.
Seek God: Instinctual desire to know God (similar to Sartre's 'god-shaped hole').
Social nature: Desire to live in community, avoid alienating others.
Avoid offense: Recognize the good in not angering others; feel shame and guilt.
Shun ignorance: Natural curiosity and desire for knowledge.

Right acts align with natural law derived from basic goods.
Example: Value life → recognize value in others' lives → killing is a violation of natural law.
Negative laws (prohibitions) have corresponding positive injunctions.
- E.g., 'Do not kill' corresponds to 'promote life'.
Basic good of reproduction → prohibition on preventing reproduction → positive injunction to procreate.
Understanding natural law doesn't require religious instruction; instinct and reason suffice.

Reasons: Ignorance and emotion.
- Ignorance: Misunderstanding what is good.
- Emotion: Overpowering reason leading to poor decisions.

Raised by David Hume: We can't assume that because something is a certain way (is), it ought to be that way.
- E.g., Survival instinct is good, but can lead to immoral actions like killing for survival.
- Sex drives: Seen as good for reproduction but can lead to immoral acts like sexual assault.
- Reproduction: Not always desirable or possible for everyone.

Natural Law Theory grounds morality in God and aims to make life work better.
Has limitations: Not appealing to atheists, and raises complex ethical questions.
Next philosophical exploration: Ideas from Immanuel Kant.