Author: Curt Doolittle

ARISTOTLE’S ORIGINATION OF NATURAL LAW
Aristotle’s conception of natural law is integral to his teleological understanding of the universe, emphasizing purpose and natural order rather than a constructed set of legal rules:

Natural Law in Aristotle’s Thought:
Aristotle defines natural law not as explicit statutes but as an inherent order discernible through reason. This law is constant and universal, guiding both natural phenomena and human conduct, unlike human-made laws which are variable and context-dependent.

In works like “Nicomachean Ethics” and “Politics,” he elucidates that natural justice and law possess a universal power of decidability that does not depend on human perception or societal convention. He argues that aspects of justice are embedded in nature and thus hold universal validity.

Causal Foundations of Natural Law:
Aristotle’s natural law emerges from his view that everything in nature is directed towards a purpose or end (telos). Natural law stems from this purposeful existence and the rational capacities inherent in humans, who are naturally equipped to discern and align with these universal principles.

The capacity for human reasoning and virtue is in alignment with the cosmic order. Aristotle’s virtue ethics, detailed in his philosophical works, advocates living in accordance with this natural law, pursuing the ‘good life’ or ‘eudaimonia,’ achieved by fulfilling one’s natural purpose.

Implications for Human Law:
Aristotle distinguishes between justice by nature and justice by convention, recognizing that while natural law is immutable, its application through human laws must adapt to societal variations. Ideally, human laws should extend natural law, tailored to specific community needs but ultimately reflecting universal justice principles.

In essence, Aristotle’s natural law represents the rational and purposive structure of the universe, accessible through human reason and central to achieving the highest form of good through a life of virtue. It serves both as a description of the world’s inherent order and as the cause for humans to act in harmony with this order, realizing their true nature and potential.

Result
In other words, without knowing of evolution, Aristotle is attributing causality and natural law to evolutionary consequence, and in his general counsel, that man should live according to nature not according to Ideals, fictions and lies.

What is Not in Aristotle That Was Added by Christians?
The Christian adaptation of natural law significantly diverges from Aristotle’s formulation by embedding theological elements that Aristotle’s philosophy omits:

Divine Origin and Authority: Christianity posits that natural law is authored by God, thus divine will becomes the source of natural law. In contrast, Aristotle sees natural law as emerging from the inherent purposes and functions of things, discerned through reason without divine attribution.

Theological Purpose:
In Christian doctrine, the ultimate purpose of natural law is aligned with fulfilling God’s will, leading to eternal salvation or damnation.
In other words “you must obey” (a stick)

Aristotle’s concept is secular; the purpose of natural law is to achieve eudaimonia, a state of flourishing based on virtues, confined to earthly existence without eschatological implications.
In other words, ‘you will flourish” (a carrot)

Moral Fallibility and Sin:
Christianity introduces the concept of original sin, framing human nature as inherently flawed, requiring divine grace for moral guidance and adherence to natural law. Aristotle attributes moral failure to ignorance or lack of virtue, considering human nature as fundamentally rational and oriented towards good.
In other words “you are evil so obey”

Role of Revelation:
Christian natural law often relies on divine revelation through scripture for its elucidation and application, asserting that human reason alone is insufficient due to the corrupted nature of human will.
“You’re evil and stupid so obey the Church”

Aristotle’s approach relies solely on human reason to understand and apply natural law based on observable natural order.
“You can reason you can choose the good, beautiful, excellent and heroic, and you will benefit from it.”

In summary, the Christian reinterpretation of natural law transforms it from Aristotle’s rational, purpose-driven understanding based on intrinsic natural properties to a divinely dictated, eschatologically significant framework where human nature requires divine correction and guidance.

In other words christianity teaches:
–‘You are bad and stupid, so don’t think, but obey’.–

Analysis:
Now if you follow my work on natural law, converting anglo enlightenment empiricism, to contemporary scientific operationalism, you’ll note that of course, I take aristotle’s position because I do not believe I am or man is either evil or stupid but constrained by circumstance and possessed of sufficient free will to choose the good over the bad.
But that man may need education in order to understand the problems of cooperation as human numbers and variation scale. So that what may appear ethical and moral in one case may not be in another.
This is reasoning.

So my work in natural law simply uses the findings of the sciences especially those over the past century and a half to state the natural law of cooperation as an evolutionary outcome of evolutionary computation over time, and itself an example of evolutionary computation by processing vast amounts of information for vast differences in abilities, wants and needs.

Aristotle in this case was largely right. Even if he lacked the knowledge of causality that we possess today he understood from the evidence at hand the concept of balance (what we call reciprocity and proportionality), that both Common distributive justice (mutual insurance, proportionality) and Individual corrective justice (sovereignty, reciprocity, restitution, punishment) was necessary to preserve an equilibrium of cooperation that suppressed injustices – not produced justices. 😉

Aristotle’s concept of justice as proportionality is deeply integrated into his view of natural law. He believes that justice, as a virtue, fulfills the natural order and purpose (telos) of human society. Justice ensures that individuals can achieve their potential and contribute to the flourishing of the community, which is the ultimate goal of the polis (city-state) as a natural entity. In Aristotle’s view, the laws of a polis should reflect this natural order by promoting justice as proportionality, ensuring that each person receives what is due to them according to their merit and the nature of their relationships and transactions.

In other words, Aristotle favored Classical Liberalism, and rule of law by the natural law.

Cheers
CD