6. Natural moral law
Divisions of law:
1. Eternal law – comes from God’s nature. Absolute and applies to all of humanity (God’s creation).
2. Divine law – eternal law revealed through scripture and through the Church.
3. Natural moral law – discovered through reason, rather than revelation; divine law is merely a
reminder of right and wrong, which we already know through NML.
4. Human law – formulate human law using NML; used in legal systems and should not contradict
NML.
Primary precepts:
Primary precepts: derived from main guiding principle – “good is to be pursued and evil is to be avoided.”
Unchanging and absolute principles in line with natural inclination to do good and avoid evil.
In common with all life forms:
o Preserve life – natural desire to carry on existing.
In common with other animals:
o Reproduce and care for offspring.
Unique to humans as rational beings:
o Worship God and live in an ordered society.
Teleological rules, concerned with the final end of eternal life with God; telos = human
flourishing.
Secondary precepts:
Secondary precepts: rules that derive from the primary precepts about how to act in specific situations.
Concerned with final end – whatever promotes the final end of an action is the right one
(teleological).
E.g., final end of sex is reproduction, therefore contraception, masturbation, homosexual sex is
wrong.
Flexible to an extent – circumstance may require secondary precepts to change, whereas primary
precepts are absolute.
Real/apparent goods – mistakes in decision-making:
Real/apparent goods:
Reason can be used in many ways, including for bad.
Humans naturally will the good, however can become confused between real and apparent
goods.
Real good = following PP – long term (teleological) benefit.
Apparent good = seems good initially and produces short-term benefit but is not good long-term.
Divisions of law:
1. Eternal law – comes from God’s nature. Absolute and applies to all of humanity (God’s creation).
2. Divine law – eternal law revealed through scripture and through the Church.
3. Natural moral law – discovered through reason, rather than revelation; divine law is merely a
reminder of right and wrong, which we already know through NML.
4. Human law – formulate human law using NML; used in legal systems and should not contradict
NML.
Primary precepts:
Primary precepts: derived from main guiding principle – “good is to be pursued and evil is to be avoided.”
Unchanging and absolute principles in line with natural inclination to do good and avoid evil.
In common with all life forms:
o Preserve life – natural desire to carry on existing.
In common with other animals:
o Reproduce and care for offspring.
Unique to humans as rational beings:
o Worship God and live in an ordered society.
Teleological rules, concerned with the final end of eternal life with God; telos = human
flourishing.
Secondary precepts:
Secondary precepts: rules that derive from the primary precepts about how to act in specific situations.
Concerned with final end – whatever promotes the final end of an action is the right one
(teleological).
E.g., final end of sex is reproduction, therefore contraception, masturbation, homosexual sex is
wrong.
Flexible to an extent – circumstance may require secondary precepts to change, whereas primary
precepts are absolute.
Real/apparent goods – mistakes in decision-making:
Real/apparent goods:
Reason can be used in many ways, including for bad.
Humans naturally will the good, however can become confused between real and apparent
goods.
Real good = following PP – long term (teleological) benefit.
Apparent good = seems good initially and produces short-term benefit but is not good long-term.
