Does the Concept of Natural Law Work?

Question

Natural Law, genereal and universal rules of conduct, both personal and socal, derived rationally from nature.

Answer 1

Any deliberate and conscious application of natural law to Man's lifestyle on the part of Man will necessarily filter through the mind of Man. Man's biases will appear in the application. The most obvious and timely example is homosexuality in the animal kingdom. Most scientists have tried to ignore it or explain it away over the years, because it does not fit in with other manmade values as set down in religious texts. However, there is growing evidence that homosexual animals exist and that homosexual behavior serves a definite social purpose within a group of animals. Rationality would dictate that such aspects of nature be studied and applied if beneficial. But such has not happened and is unlikely to happen (at least directly) in the world of Men.

On the other hand, any behavior of Man must necessarily fall under the heading of "natural law," as we too are subject to the laws of Nature and must ultimately succumb to its ultimate end. It is folly to believe ourselves to be capable of observing Nature "from the outside," like the idealized impartial scientist. I suppose you could say that we will obey natural law despite ourselves!

P.S. If you look closely at "civilized society," you will often be able to pick out specialized examples of the "law of the jungle," deftly hidden under this guise.

Answer 2

There is a reason why some basic laws are nearly universal, such as laws against killing, stealing, perjury, and laws proscribing marriage and family and inheritance, across all lands and time, regardless of religion or even non-religion. Such laws work, they have evolved to make for stable, productive societies. It has already been shown that given a group with means of punishing non-productive members who steal from community production, and a control group that allows such parasites, the former will consistently result in greater production, even if people have to live with the threat of punishment. Men have frequently said they've been inspired by God when they propose laws, as for example with the Mayflower Compact, so that it's the Gods that get the credit, but it's remarkable that all the Gods of the world in history seem to agree on what the law ought to be. A shorter explanation is that men are guided by natural law, through experience.

Answer 3

I think that the natural law is in function if we understand in it the divine law and, silogistic, we conclude , like Spinoza, that the Nature and God are One. That is unnacceptable even crestin point of view or atheistic point of view.
My Idea is that our conduct is not natural, our reasonability is not natural. There are our fictions due our ability to buid our EGO.
I'm sorry if my English is so bad.

Answer 4

Of course the concept works. If it didn't, it wouldn't BE natural law.
But when you apply it to human law it's no longer natural, is it?

Answer 5

i believe that it does but often different aspects of the natural law is changed between cultures due to religious believes and history

Answer 6

you may want to need to be an historic historic previous professional to have a lot incite into that is origins previous the Latin writings. perchance you're and would enlighten us. organic regulation is amazingly comparable to the regulation of the jungle earlier human historic previous.

Answer 7

man is always fighting nature .no it does not work in a civilized society .it works in the wilds

Answer 8

That depends on whether you think man is inherently good or inherently evil.