Author: Curt Doolittle

(NLI)
Terminology: Lawful (Natural) vs Legal (Declared).

“In my work on natural law I would like to separate ‘according to natural law (discovered)’ from ‘according to legislative law (made)’. I have considered disambiguating the discovered from made by dividing between lawful and legal. It’s acceptable to modify existing definitions of these terms because I often disambiguate terms using our glossary. So mostly, I’m concerned with narrowing the definition of terms such that they ease the burden of neologisms on the reader. As such it’s really a question of whether such disambiguation practical given the existing use of the terms.”

Assigning “lawful” to natural law and “legal” to legislative law leverages existing connotations. “Lawful” aligns with the timeless, moral undertones of natural law (e.g., “just and lawful”), while “legal” fits the constructed, procedural nature of statutes (e.g., “legal technicality”). A glossary can reinforce this.

“Lawful: Commonly means “conforming to the law” or “permitted by law,” often with a moral or ethical connotation (e.g., “lawful conduct”). It’s tied to legitimacy and sometimes implies alignment with higher principles, which could resonate with natural law.

Legal: Typically refers to what is established or authorized by statutory or codified law (e.g., “legal contract”). It’s more technical, tied to specific jurisdictions and human-made systems.”

The distinction works across contexts (ethics, law, policy), as both terms are already used broadly. You can apply them to historical analysis (e.g., “Roman lawful principles vs. imperial legal codes”) or modern debates (e.g., “lawful rights vs. legal privileges”).

“I will go ahead with lawful vs legal because of the moral association and use “Lawful (natural, discovered) vs Legal (political, created)” in frequent repetition.

That’s a solid plan. Using “Lawful (natural, discovered) vs. Legal (political, created)” with frequent repetition will reinforce the distinction and leverage the moral weight of “lawful” effectively. It’s clear, concise, and ties directly to your goal of separating natural and legislative law.