Note: throughout the site further reading will be taken from a limited number of books (refer to the fuller bibliography for titles), so that the students can buy one or two additonal books and use them throughout the course.  These books are recognised as being the best on ethics, targeted at undergraduate level, but quite accessible for A level students. Weblinks have been carefully evaluated to give a one touch access to a vast library of good material.

Further Reading:

Games and self-test

For six games you can play for revision, consolidation or recapping at the end of a lesson, (throw the teacher, engarde, beat the goallie, grade or no grade, loop the hoop, walk the plank) go to: http://www.rsrevision.com/games/alevel/naturallaw.htm

Here is a brilliant one page summary and a great starting point to understandig the logic of natural law: http://www.aquinasonline.com/Topics/natlaw.html

For an excellent introduction to naturalism in ethics go to: http://philosophy.lander.edu/ethics/naturalism.html

Applying natural law

Print out this table and use for any ethical issue (the heading says “sex and relationships” but you can add your own): http://www.rsrevision.com/Alevel/ethics/sex_and_relationships/natural_law_and_sex.pdf

A bank of powerpoints including natural law are available on: https://learning.watfordboys.herts.sch.uk/course/view.php?id=254

Here is a very good, clear article by Professor Richard Jacobs on natural law: http://www83.homepage.villanova.edu/richard.jacobs/index.html

Another American Professor, the brilliant William Long, has also written a very concise summary of Aquinas: http://www.drbilllong.com/Jurisprudence/AqIV.html

http://www.drbilllong.com/Jurisprudence/AqIV.html

The Catholic catechism is available on: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm

Papal encyclicals (Veritatis Splendor, Humanae Vitae, Personae Vitae) are available on this link: www.papalencyclicals.net/

More advanced weblinks:

Stanford Encylopaedia of Philosophy has an introduction by M.Murphy (2008): http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/natural-law-ethics/

Aquinas’ great work Summa Theologica is available on: www.newadvent.org

The Catholic catechism is available on: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm

For an excellent article by a US Professor (Omar Swartz) on Nuremberg, Natural law and Positive Law, go to: http://bad.eserver.org/issues/2004/69/swartz.html

For a classic book on natural law and moral philosophy by Jospeh Rickarby, very clear and available online, go to: http://www2.nd.edu/Departments/Maritain/etext/moral102.htm

For a Damaris lesson (for subscribers) on the film Shawshank Redemption and human rights go to: http://www.damaris.org/cm/secondaryrelol/161

• Buckle S. in Singer ed A Companion to Ethics (Blackwell, 1995) ch13
• Jackson P. in Dialogue 12
• Jones et al (2002) pages 100-104
• McInery R. Ethica Thomistica (Catholic UP 1997)
• Pojman L. (2002) pages 45-59
• Rachels J. (2006) pages 50-55
• Suggate A. Dialogue 5 Is There a Natural Law?
• Vardy and Grosch (1999) ch 4