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The Theory Of God 's Eternal Law

Decent Essays

Metaphysics recognizes that the ultimate reason for being is made manifest in the created structure of reality by God, who is a subsistent being. Since God is a subsistent being, all creatures, including humans, are “placed by him in existence” and they are therefore naturally oriented towards him. Because of this, “natural law is therefore defined as a participation in the eternal law,” and it is mediated by human reason and human inclinations—which participate in the divine intelligence. These inclinations enable people to participate in God’s eternal law because their nature has an internal movement towards self-fulfillment, which can only be realized in God. This entire process is possible because human beings are by nature …show more content…

the political order of society) in which there exists a “common good” and a norm of natural justice. The political order of society is regulated by norms that help people to enter into mutually beneficial relationships with other individuals. The point of these norms is not simply just for the improvement of society, but rather they are geared towards the betterment of every individual. Since people are “the centre... [and reason for] the political and social order [in society,]... [they should be treated as] an end and not [as] a means.” Because human beings live in societies, they have certain “common goods” (i.e. things that help them to flourish) that need to be pursued, as well as particular values that need to be defended. The idea of a “common good” is understood to have two levels: 1.) it “allow[s] a person to be... more human;” and 2.) it “assigns an end [(i.e. a point)] to the political order.” A common good is delineated by four particular values that are in direct relation to natural inclinations: freedom, truth, justice, and solidarity. As for the values that need to be defended in the social and political sphere, they cannot be merely “private, ideological or confessional [in] nature” because they affect all people. Since natural law also affects all members of society, there is a need for norms or laws of natural justice which “considers the relations of

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