1. Normative Ethical Theories (Religious Approaches): Natural Law

A normative ethical theory taking a religious approach to moral decision-making.

1.1 Content

• Aquinas’ natural law, including:
– telos
– the four tiers of law
– the precepts

1.2 Knowledge

• origins of the significant concept of telos in Aristotle and its religious development in the writing of Aquinas
• what the four tiers of law are and how they are related:
1) Eternal Law: the principles by which God made and controls the universe and which are only fully known to God
2) Divine Law: the law of God revealed in the Bible, particularly in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount
3) Natural Law: the moral law of God within human nature that is discoverable through the use of reason
4) Human Law: the laws of nations

• what the precepts are and how they are related:
– the key precept (do good, avoid evil)
– five primary precepts (preservation of life, ordering of society, worship of God, education of children, reproduction)
– secondary precepts

1.3 Issues as the basis of exam questions

Learners should have the opportunity to discuss issues raised by Aquinas’ theory of natural law, including:
• whether or not natural law provides a helpful method of moral decision-making
• whether or not a judgement about something being good, bad, right or wrong can
be based on its success or failure in achieving its telos
• whether or not the universe as a whole is designed with a telos, or human nature has an orientation towards the good
• whether or not the doctrine of double effect can be used to justify an action, such as killing someone as an act of self-defence

1.4 Suggested scholarly views, academic approaches and sources of wisdom and authority

For reference, the ideas of Aquinas listed above can be found in:
• Summa Theologica I-II (93–95)

Learners will be given credit for referring to any appropriate scholarly views, academic approaches and sources of wisdom and authority, however the following examples may prove useful:
• Aristotle Physics II 3
• Catechism of the Catholic Church 1954–1960
• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2005 rev.2011) Aquinas’ Moral, Political and
Legal Philosophy, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aquinas-moral-political/