Natural Law
Earliest example: Plato
Earliest example: Plato There is objective reality
Earliest example: Plato There is objective reality We can discover what reality is through rational activity
Earliest example: Plato There is objective reality We can discover what reality is through rational activity Right and good are properties discoverable through rational activity
Earliest example: Plato There is objective reality We can discover what reality is through rational activity Right and good are properties discoverable through rational activity A thing’s virtue is understood through its function, which is understood through its nature
Plato: human virtue consists in inner harmony; rational self-control
Plato: human virtue consists in inner harmony; rational self-control Wisdom Courage Moderation
Plato: human virtue consists in inner harmony; rational self-control Wisdom Courage Moderation = justice; the good life
Plato: human virtue consists in inner harmony; rational self-control Wisdom Courage Moderation = justice; the good life Moral reality is part of reality
Plato: human virtue consists in inner harmony; rational self-control Wisdom Courage Moderation = justice; the good life Moral reality is part of reality Objective Discoverable by human intellect
Plato: human virtue consists in inner harmony; rational self-control Wisdom Courage Moderation = justice; the good life Moral reality is part of reality Objective Discoverable by human intellect Laws are attempts to discover objective justice
Cicero Roman thinker; several hundred years after Plato
Cicero Roman thinker; several hundred years after Plato Moral order is a feature of the world
Cicero Roman thinker; several hundred years after Plato Moral order is a feature of the world Moral duties can be discerned by the intellect
Cicero Roman thinker; several hundred years after Plato Moral order is a feature of the world Moral duties can be discerned by the intellect Influence of Plato and Aristotle; Roman law
Three things to consider Is the contemplated act morally right or morally wrong? Is that act expedient; that is, conducive to comfort and happiness? What should we do when what seems expedient seems to conflict with what is right?
Three things to consider Is the contemplated act morally right or morally wrong? Is that act expedient; that is, conducive to comfort and happiness? What should we do when what seems expedient seems to conflict with what is right? Cicero: rightly understood, everything that is morally right is expedient, and everything that is expedient is morally right
Expedience Concerned with enjoyment, influence, and wealth
Justice is expedient because it is required for social cooperation
Justice is expedient because it is required for social cooperation Kindness and generosity are expedient, but only when exercised within appropriate limits
Why morality and expedience don’t conflict Cicero: Nothing is so repugnant to Nature as immorality. Nothing is so in accord with Nature as expediency. Therefore, expediency and immorality cannot coexist in one and the same object.
How do we figure this out? Four sources of rightness Wisdom - Virtue concerning matters of truth and knowledge
How do we figure this out? Four sources of rightness Wisdom - Virtue concerning matters of truth and knowledge Justice and charity - Virtues concerning the maintenance of society and “common bonds”
How do we figure this out? Four sources of rightness Wisdom - Virtue concerning matters of truth and knowledge Justice and charity - Virtues concerning the maintenance of society and “common bonds” Courage - Virtue concerning greatness of spirit
How do we figure this out? Four sources of rightness Wisdom - Virtue concerning matters of truth and knowledge Justice and charity - Virtues concerning the maintenance of society and “common bonds” Courage - Virtue concerning greatness of spirit Temperance - Virtue concerning moderation and self-control
How do we figure this out? Four sources of rightness Wisdom - Virtue concerning matters of truth and knowledge Justice and charity - Virtues concerning the maintenance of society and “common bonds” Courage - Virtue concerning greatness of spirit Temperance - Virtue concerning moderation and self-control Propriety – includes other things thought to be virtues Know through wisdom
We ought to avoid thinking of morally wrong actions as expedient We ought to do what the intellect has discerned to be morally right