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    Gec107 Lesson 11

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    Haguiar Sabidla Esmail

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    Gec107 Lesson 11

    Uploaded by

    Haguiar Sabidla Esmail
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    3 views3 pages

    Gec107 Lesson 11

    Uploaded by

    Haguiar Sabidla Esmail

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    LESSON 11

    NATURAL LAW: ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

    Overview:

    Lesson 11 is about the concept of natural law as espoused by St. Thomas


    Aquinas. The discussion of the inner nature and its importance in the formation of moral
    law shall be discussed.

    Learning Outcomes:

    At the end of the lesson, the students can:

    1. Define inner nature


    2. Explain the importance of inner nature in the formation of moral law.

    Materials Needed:

     Slide presentation
     Printed and e-copy of lesson module

    Duration: 3 hours

    Learning Content:

    Moral Law as Harmony. Some rights are inherent to man by virtue of his nature.
    The source of these rights is God. Through reason man understands his inner nature. In
    the traditional sense, the rules of conduct are an imposition from outside. The law is
    viewed as a constraint. Any law, being a restriction, is seen as ab obstacle to self-
    realization. In contrast, the natural law is an inner moral demand. It is a moral
    prescription from within.

    Moral law mandates humans to do good and forbids them to do evil. St. Thomas
    Aquinas writes that the law is something that pertains to reason. For St. Thomas, the
    nature of the person as a creature implies a subjection to an inner principle. He said that
    “since all things subject to divine providence are measured and ruled by the eternal law,
    all things partake to some extent to the eternal law - to the extent, namely, that it is
    imprinted on them, they derive their inclinations to proper acts and ends”.

    The inner harmony of man’s nature is the order that connects freedom and the
    moral law. Natural law is linked with the freedom of the human being. It empowers man
    toward self-realization or self-perfection. It makes the human being fully the person that
    he is. St. Thomas adds that “the proper effect of law is to lead its subjects to the proper
    virtue. Since virtue is what makes its subject good, it follows that the proper effect of law
    is to make its subject good”. Furthermore, St. Thomas thinks that the “good is what all
    things seek. It is the first precept of law: good is to be done and pursued, and evil to be
    avoided.”

    Natural law deems that the good is the proper end of each person. It is the evil
    that diminishes this possibility. Thus, “good has the nature of an end and evil the nature
    of its contrary”. Since natural law comes from God, humans have a natural inclination
    toward God.

    God is the source of the law. To live in accordance to one’s nature therefore
    means to live in accordance with this immanence. Since God is in nature, God puts
    order into nature. This order is the order of reason. To follow God or the natural law
    means to follow this rational order. The stoic thought of God as identical with n ature.
    For stoicism, “moral conduct is rational conduct and immoral conduct is irrational
    conduct”.

    Stoicism tells that we must do our duty. We have a natural relation with other
    beings. For instance, the moral good is done by a mother to her child. The same holds
    true for people who have a certain natural relation with each other as members of a
    community. It can be said that “by virtue of our possessing reason, there is a law
    governing human beings everywhere.”
    References:

    Bulaong, Oscar G. et al. (2021). A Course Module for Ethics. Rex Publication.

    Evangelista, Francis Julius N., and Mabaquiao M. Jr. (2021). Ethics: Theories
    and Applications. Anvil Higher Education.

    Maboloc, CR. (2018). Applied Ethics: Moral Possibilities for the Contemporary
    World (Revised Edition). SMKC Printshoppe, Davao City, Philippines.

    Ocampo, M.LR. (2018). Ethics Primer: A Young Person’s Guide to Moral


    Reasoning. Vibal Group, Inc. Quezon City.

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