Meaning of natural law | Babel Free

Definitions

1. The set of universal legal or moral principles said to be discernible from nature by reason alone; one of these principles.
   countable, uncountable
2. A theory describing or positing such principles.
   countable, uncountable
3. A law relating to natural phenomena.
   countable, uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“Thus, for example, it is a natural law, that he who has been the author of any damage ought to repair it.”

“For Maritain, natural law is not a written law; it is immanent in nature.”

“The content of the natural law is the substantive account of ways of living that bring humanity to its natural good. In this broad sense, the natural law is much broader than law understood as a specific human institution.”

“One of the reasons why it is sometimes felt that natural law is a predominantly rationalistic philosophy is because it has been associated with the concepts of the state of nature and of the original contract.”

“Another component of natural law is the view that some specific moral norms follow from these principles in such a way that it is easy for people to see their truth, even though it is possible, because of cultural distortion or personal immorality, that people be ignorant of them.”

“Buckle […] argues that Grotius and Pufendorf understood Natural Law as a science of morals grounded in human nature.”

“It may seem an obvious objection that many of the Natural Laws have no connection whatever with the Spiritual World, and as a matter of fact are not continued through it. Gravitation for instance—what direct application has that in the Spiritual World?”

CEFR level