Explain Thomas Aquinas' theory of natural lawThomas Aquinas was a 13th-century monk who studied the philosophy of Aristotle. He developed his natural law from these studies. Natural law is an absolute deontological theory which states that morality is given by God to nature. It includes 5 primary precepts which Thomas Aquinas considered to be the basis of a moral life. Natural Law, as applied to the case of human beings, requires greater precision due to the fact that we possess reason and free will. It is human nature to act freely (that is, to be provident for ourselves and others) by being inclined to our own actions and our own end. That is, we human beings must exercise our natural reason to discover what is best for us in order to achieve the goal towards which our nature inclines us. Furthermore, we must exercise our freedom, choosing what reason determines is naturally right for us, that is, what best suits our nature. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay. Thomas Aquinas particularly focused on Aristotle's theory of final cause and prime mover. The final cause is the purpose of all things and the prime mover, the thing that drives everything towards its final cause. From there, he formulated five hypotheses: Everything in nature has a purpose; God created all of nature; failure to develop nature to achieve its goal is an imperfection; God's moral laws can be known through reasoning; and natural law is part of God's divine plan. To summarize, there are certain laws of nature that we must follow to become perfect and achieve our final goal/cause. The main precepts are: preservation of life, living in an ordered society, worship of God, education and reproduction. According to Thomas Aquinas, our actions must always conform to these precepts. For example, abortion, suicide, and murder are all wrong because they all support the precept of preserving life. Whereas going to church every Sunday is something Aquinas thought we should do because it is a secondary precept to the first, worshiping God. Another relative concept of natural law however, is that it can be more flexible. It recognizes that all individual situations are different and that we must take this into account when making moral judgments. In certain situations, the doctrine of double effect may be used. For example, if a pregnant woman has cancer and the only way to save her would be for the doctor to perform a hysterectomy. This would kill the unborn child but save the mother, rather than both dying. Natural law says that it would be acceptable for the doctor to perform the hysterectomy because the act itself is not evil and the doctor's intentions are not evil. Death of the unborn child is an unintended side effect. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay To conclude, natural law is an absolute ethical theory which states that we should all follow the 5 primary precepts. The acts which follow the primary precepts are secondary precepts. However, in some cases, the doctrine of double effect can be used to justify an action that has bad consequences. Works CitedBridges, T.J. (2014). Thomas Aquinas on natural law. Routledge. Cessario, R. J. (2001). The moral philosophy of Saint Thomas.