‘Natural Law has no serious weaknesses.’ Discuss. The natural law theory is approach from an absolutist point of view which expresses that morality is set from birth. What is right and wrong, good or evil can be perceived almost instantly by everyone because morality is universal it is not a relativist thing that can change with situation. Also, natural law does not adjust to public opinion; it is an invisible measure which never changes. It can be seen as a good approach to morality as it does not allow people from different denominations such as cultures or where you are born or in different situation they may find themselves to build their own moral rules and framework to life, it is personal but is guided by these innate rules.
Natural Moral Law is a theory that is explained by Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle. It states that there is a natural order to our world that should be followed. It was originated in the philosophy of Aristotle and then developed by Aquinas. Natural Law is an absolute theory of ethics but it is not rooted in duty but in our human nature and our search for genuine happiness and fulfilment. Aquinas considered that by using our reason to reflect on our human nature we could discover our specific end purpose.
Natural Moral law is an absolute ethical theory that states that there is natural order to the world we live in. It is believed that is order is established by some supernatural power. Natural Moral law originated in the philosophy of the ancient Greeks, especially that of Aristotle and Aquinas. This theory that is being tested to see if it is the best approach for decision making is not rooted in duty, or an externally
From this Moore claimed that it is impossible to derive an ‘is from an ought’. This criticism became known as the naturalistic fallacy. In addition to this G.E Moore claimed that naturalism was not able to stand up to the open question argument. ethical naturalism claims to be based on moral facts, it would therefore seem logical that these facts should stand up to scrutiny. Yet, if we observe that pleasure is good, we should be able to ask is good pleasure.
Humanistic perspective is the view that argues that you are free to choose your own behavior, rather than reacting to environmental stimuli and reinforcers. The humanistic perspective on personality deals with human behavior. Humanistic psychologists believe that human drives towards personal growth and is based on the freedom to choose your own free-will. Excluding the environmental factors, humans are mostly conscious beings and are not controlled by unconscious needs and conflicts. They also believe that a person's subjective view of the world is more important than objective reality.
It stands to reason however, that anyone’s position on a matter is subject to challenge or criticism. Taking this into consideration I will explore Jeremy Bentham’s utilitarianism and it’s potential to challenge my thesis on our moral obligation to the environment. While I find the anthropocentric view selfish in nature, it can be used to great effect to justify my claim. Anthropocentrism puts forward the claim that humans are at the centre of nature, and in order to sustain our existence and continue to advance, every living thing and resource exists solely to serve that purpose (Cochrane, 2007). Yet this does not imply that we should mine every mineral and strip every tree, for if we were to consume and take every resource to meet the demands of our ever advancing and growing civilisation, the planet would be devoid of all resources that humanity cannot exist without.
The theory of natural law is an absolutist theory, unlike others it is not rooted in duty or external law; it is within our human nature and our search for fulfilment and happiness. This is the same in all cultures and religions and it does not change to include circumstances or take into account relative situations. This idea of a natural law was first developed by the stoics and Aristotle. The stoics believed that, in every human being there is a divine spark which guides and helps us to live in the way god wants, they also say that we have a choice of whether to obey the laws which govern the universe, however we have to use our reason to understand whether we should obey the laws. The stoics also said that we should try to fit into the overall plan of the universe by finding our place or duty among society.
Thus, since cultural relativism states that we can’t judge other cultures moral codes, then we must be tolerant of them. The Cultural Relativism theory generates an argument in a form of proposing a conclusion about morality based upon facts of a culture. For example, infanticide is a moral code of the Eskimo society. The Eskimo’s believe that infanticide is morally acceptable while American’s view infanticide as iniquitous. As a conclusion, infanticide is not right or wrong because it depends on the cultures opinion and beliefs about infanticide.
Robert Louden stated that as virtue ethics is focused on the individual, it neither resolves nor attempts to resolve big moral dilemmas. It may help the moral agent virtuous but it does not give any answerers relating to an ethical crisis. Scholars such as Aristotle, however, would disagree with this point saying that each individual has to habitually do what is right for a period of time as a result of habitually doing what is right we naturally do what is good. In time, this leads to the growth and well-being of everyone in society. Because of this I would say that this weakness isn’t strong enough to say
(10) The Behaviourist Perspective: Behaviourism originated work done by natural scientists. It has its foundation in the belief that all human behavior is regulated by the same laws that regulate the natural world therefore human behaviour is orderly, predictable and controllable. According to this perspective, thinking and emotions have little to do with learning. (Teaching and Learning, GED202X/1, p.8). Because behaviourists do not concern themselves with internal events such as emotions or thinking, behaviourists focus on the external observable and measurable behavior and use detailed, accurate research formulae in order to explain and predict the relationship between a stimulus, the response the reinforcement of behaviours.