Essay
A Level RE Natural law promotes injustice(30) full essay
- Course
- Institution
Well written complete full essay on how Natural law promotes injustices(30) and includes examples and different philosophers Aquinas, Plato and Kainz.
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
jaminakhanom
Content preview
"Natural law promotes injustice" (30)Natural law originates from Aristotle and the Stoics, who argued that morality comes from God
as humans are inclined to do good. This formed Aquinas' argument in which he focuses on
"synderesis". The term "injustices" in this essay will be defined as an unfairness within society
which causes persecution of minorities. This essay will conclude that following Natural Law will
inevitably cause injustices in society.
Some may argue that Natural Law does not promote injustice due to its deontological aspects.
Aquinas proposes the primary precepts which are a criteria of five things which he believed all
people should follow to live a morally good life. They include reproduction and preservation of
life etc. The precepts do not promote injustice because they can be followed by anyone at all
times and they provide some ruling on how people ought to act. However, the precepts have
flaws in themselves as they don't take into account special circumstances that we see in
contemporary society. For instance, reproduction may not be something all people can do, as
some men and women can be infertile and not be able to have kids for themselves. This doesn't
necessarily make them less of a morally good person, but it leads to unfairness because the
minority of those struggling with fertility become deemed as morally wrong.
Aquinas also developed the cardinal virtues from Plato, such as justice and prudence. The
virtues allow moral agents to make ethical decisions in favour of justice. For example, a person
deciding not to murder because they believe it goes against the virtue of justice, but they also
use their prudence to make that decision. However, the virtue of prudence is limiting as it can be
used to justify immoral acts. For example, someone can use their prudence to justify a crime
like theft or murder by saying that it was done for a specific and logical reason. This promotes
injustice because it means we can ignore evidently wrong acts if we can justify them with our
practical wisdom.
Another reason why natural law leads to injustice is because it is an outdated theory. For
example, at the time of Aquinas, issues such as abortions were not really present in the way
they are today. However, in the 21" century, we have seen an increase in its prevalence. If a
woman was raped and she became pregnant, according to Aquinas, she has to have the child
to protect the precept of preservation of life. This clearly promotes injustice because the woman
didn't willingly decide to have a child, therefore, she should be allowed to have an abortion.
Later problems could even develop such as a child being neglected due to the mother's
dissociation with them. As Kainz said, the precepts imply a level of consent, and where this is
not present it seems unjust to hold the victim accountable for the sins of abortion.
In conclusion, Natural law does promote injustice because of its outdated, inflexible
deontological nature, as it justifies immoral acts which are just simply wrong, as well as putting a
negative light on those who cannot follow the precepts. Instead, proponents of Natural Law
need to consider what is morally permissible in the 21" century and devise a system which is
flexible enough to deal with some of the modern challenges that society faces.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller jaminakhanom. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $6.22. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
75323 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now
Recently viewed by you
