Finnis' Natural Law

Finnis' Natural Law

Introduction

• Aristotle (384- 322 BC) advocated that there was a natural justice valid for everyone
• Aquinas (1225- 1274)
  • Natural Law = an aspect of God's eternal law
  • Accessed through human rationality given by God
• John Finnis (1940- )
  • Australian Philosopher of Law and Legal Philosophy at Oxford (1989- 2010)
  • Author of 'Natural Law and Natural Rights' (1980)
  • Accepts natural justice on a universal level
  • Argues that the purpose is to ensure a person can 'flourish' in their life, unlike Aquinas

The Basic Goods

• Rejects Aquinas' primary precepts
• To allow humans to flourish there are instead seven basic, universal goods
• They are evident through practical reasoning + exist independently from human…