Cont.d
The OP wanted to know what is Natural Law. Some have responded with “that which is written on the hearts of men”, but that is really just a aphorism. A few have mentioned “common sense” and that’s not a bad starting place to begin an examination of what Natural Law actually is. As someone else said, there sometimes seems to be a lack of common sense around these days. That doesn’t mean people don’t have it; it just means that perhaps people are suspending its use. A lot of government rules and red tape seem to fly in the face of common sense at times and if people are suspending their common sense, then perhaps because they are being forced to and bing conditioned to not using common sense. Those rules and regulations, by the way, are examples of Positive, or man made Law and those Laws sometimes conflict with Natural Law and common sense.
One of the defining aspects of Natural Law is that it needs to be discerned, using our rational intellectual faculties. If people don’t think deeply enough about legal and moral issues, then they are not able to discern Natural Law and they probably don’t perfect their use of common sense. The word “common” in common sense is a great clue. It refers to a sense of things that is common to just about all people. Well, common to those who think a bit, anyway.
It has been said that God gave Moses the Ten Commandments because men had come to forget what was written on their hearts and needed a big reminder. The Ten Commandments are Natural Law moral edicts. They pertain to the nature of man and they give moral directions that are required if mankind is to flourish in harmony.
If we go back to examining the very foundations of Natural Law reasoning, we can ascertain certain objective facts about the nature of man. We know that under normal circumstances every man wishes to live; to preserve his own life. We also know that man is a social creature and likes to live in community and to cooperate. These aspects of man are universal and mind independent, which means the observations hold true for all men, in all societies and can be recognised by anyone. Hence, they are objective facts about the nature of man. Then we can deduce that if man is to survive and flourish, he ought to do certain things that will insure that he flourishes and flourishes in society. Man is also acquisitive by nature and necessity. He needs to acquire the tools and skills to live and look after himself. Therefore, he ought to acquire tools, squioment and shelter if he is to look after himself and to flourish.
Now look at the Ten Commandments again. They make it immoral to do those things which will cause man, any man, to be not able to flourish. Don’t steal his stuff. He needs it to survive. Don’t kill him, because he has the same right to live as you do, because wanting to live is a universal desire and the basis of normative behaviour which springs from his desire to live. Don’t try to steal his spouse either, because that upsets the social order of the society he has established and causes harm to society and to individuals. It is a natural desire and inclination of man to form a family and procreate, so don’t wreck it. Love your neighbour as yourself too, because then you afford him the respect you yourself would like and that is what allows societies to flourish.
That is a simplified version of how Natural Law reasoning is done. From universally recognisable aspects of human nature, we are able to discern certain objective facts upon which to base an objective morality. The right to life; the right to property; the right to free speech; the right to free association are objectively based Natural Law rights which spring from objectively discernible aspects of human nature. Because we recognise that people have a desire to live, just as we do, then the moral edict is we ought not to kill. Because people wish to own property, the moral edict is we ought not to steal. Thus, from the universally recognisable aspects of human nature and of how people generally behave, we derive moral oughts.
Some of the rights of man also carry what may appear as quirky aspects to their practice. For instance, your right to life also carries with it a moral edict that you ought to do all that is right and proper to preserve your own life. That, by the way, is why suicide has been seen as immoral. However, should someone attack you and threaten your life, you are morally obliged to take whatever action is necessary to preserve your own life. If that means killing the attacker, so be it. So the Natural Law moral edict is we ought not to murder someone else, but if we have to kill them to preserve our own life, then it is not murder and is not an offense against Natural Law morality. Now most people would say, well hey, that’s common sense.
Natural Law moral reasoning gets a whole lot more complicated when issues such as abortion and contraception are being discussed. Well, it does for those who suspend their common sense, or who have not developed the ability to discern the moral rightness and moral wrongness of an action using Natural Law reasoning. The Catholic Church bases all its teachings on Natural Law moral reasoning and the answers to the more complex moral problems are in the Catechism. Sometimes one has to delve a little deeper to understand the reasoning behind the moral teachings, but if one does do that delving, a very cogent and coherent line of reasoning becomes apparent, which is based on a true and proper objective understanding of human nature.
