Discuss the usefulness of Natural Law in making moral decisions

(2 example paragraphs) Aquinas, heavily influenced by Aristotle, held that reason was the highest function and purpose of human beings, and therefore everyone could work out what was ‘good’. He believed that God designed the universe and the creatures within it to a specific purpose (as Aristotle put it, ‘nothing happens without reason’). He thinks that by following our nature, we are carrying out the purpose God wants us to do – by following the nature that God gave us, we are doing good. He then explains what our nature is. The thing that separates humans from animals is their higher thinking abilities – their reason, which he calls a ‘divine spark.’ This unique feature must be designed by God, and therefore it must be part of our purpose to use it. Building on this, Aquinas added that humans are ‘drawn towards the good’ and away from ‘evil’ – he calls this synderesis, our natural desire to do good. As all humans have both reason and synderesis, it is therefore possible for all humans to ultimately do ‘good’ no matter where they are. He states that Natural Law is ‘the same for all men’ and that ‘everyone’ can work out their purpose and therefore what is naturally good. This means it is universal, so everyone everywhere is able to work out the right thing to do. Therefore according to Aquinas, Natural Law is very useful for moral decisions as all right-thinking people can come to the same conclusion using their reason and synderesis.

However, this idea has also been highly contested. Kai Nielsen, a philosopher, pointed out that the idea that all people are drawn towards the same kinds of goods is completely wrong. For example, Aquinas claims that the ten commandments are a reflection of our nature and purpose, but Aboriginals in Australia did not even have a concept of private property, and so may violate the commandment against stealing whilst acting well within the idea of ‘good’ in their communities. Another example might be Aquinas’and the Catholic Church understanding that sex must be for reproduction (as seen in the Catechism of the Catholic Church) – however, these days many people believe that couples who can’t have children should be able to engage in healthy sexual relationships, as should homosexuals. Clearly, the idea that everyone will come to the same conclusion based on reason and the desire for ‘good’ is mistaken.