Chapter 3

Activity 3

Answer as briefly as possible and direct to the point.

1. Are there other ways that the word natural is used to justify a particular way of behaving? How do
these approaches compare to the theory of Aquinas? 

Natural is what is observed as seen or calculated. Certain criteria always bring the same
results.

1. Can you think of human laws that are proper extension of the natural law? Explain how this is
so. 

There are plenty of human science laws to choose from; as all true Sciences are based on perfect-
performance-arts, Consider how perfectly automobiles, appliances, electronics, and such can be
designed and built, all based on Natural law. This is not so when it comes to governments and
their laws, but this is not because it can't be done; instead it's because all the governments refuse
to obey the natural laws of polity, and have therefore become obsolete. First, a primer of sorts, in
order to lay a foundation for discussion, and then I'll try to answer your question further. There
have been several attempts to argue that behavior is “natural,” when the human thing to do is to
manipulate nature for our benefit. And so we do. We don’t catch fish with our paws, as bears.
We weave nets. We make hooks and lines and attach them to poles. We build houses to keep
nature out and build a safer and more comfortable place inside. We grow crops — then preserve
them, cook them, and manipulate the shelf life so they are fresher and usable longer. Our lives
are NOT extensions of “natural law.” Indeed, we have created an exception for ourselves.
Human laws are a rather contradictory and convoluted set of ideas about society and how we
should live. Many of them are for convenience. You follow traffic laws to enhance the flow of
traffic and avoid accidents. There isn't any “natural law” to this, because movement in nature is
rather haphazard and random. But we have purpose.

1. Is it possible to establish a moral system without any reference to religion? If so, how? 

It is simply impossible for people to be moral without religion or God.. The question of whether
or not morality requires religion is both topical and ancient. In the Euthyphro, Socrates famously
asked whether goodness is loved by the gods because it is good, or whether goodness is good
because it is loved by the gods.
 1. Do all acts of the virtues belong to the law of nature? Why? 

Yes all acta belong to the law of nature because natural law presupposes an order in nature that
could be discovered through the exercise of reason. This order, in the form of inclinations or
tendencies towards proper functioning, indicates the path to excellence or virtue