What Happened to the Natural Law?

 

“The Natural Law that exists in all creatures is an expression of the innate moral consciousness that enables humans to discern through reason what is good and evil, what is truth, and what is falsehood.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church —1954)

The Catholic Teaching on the Natural Law can be considered a law within us that gives direction to our lives, guiding us to do good and avoid evil. This command of human reason would not have the force of law if it were not the voice and interpreter of a higher reason to which our spirit needs to listen.

However, in today's world, natural law no longer speaks to all with the same clarity as it did in the past. We have contradictory opinions in most of these philosophical matters, as in many areas of life. Both in the East and the West, humanity had little difficulty in accepting natural law thinking; however, with the many different interpretations and understandings of what the senses experience, the loss of meaning has occurred.

The Roman, Greek, and Asian societies seemed ready to understand and grasp the underpinning of the world in which they lived, well before the Christian era. In this brief summary, the Confucian understanding of the five constants, which can be understood as the natural virtues: humanity, rightness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. 

The ‘Five Constants’ with their Chinese icons are humanity (仁), rightness (義), propriety (禮), wisdom (智), and trustworthiness (信). These five virtues influence and reinforce each other. Humanity is the complete virtue within the self, which includes and governs rightness, propriety, and wisdom. Trustworthiness serves as their underlying ‘realness’ and thus the foundation of the other four. These are innate to the person and need to be developed or lost when neglected.

Catholicism does not entirely accept the 'Tabula rasa' understanding of the psyche, which is rooted in the idea that the human mind is a blank slate before acquiring ideas through sense experience and reasoned reflection. Instead, Catholic theology emphasizes the spiritual nature of the human person, encompassing the rational soul and the capacity for free will.

The five constants of Confucianism offer us some insight into what those in Asia considered innate to humanity and required cooperation, part of the natural law.

The five virtues are considered 'constant' because they are believed to be universally applicable and enduring moral principles, essential for both individual cultivation and social harmony. These virtues are regarded as timeless and fundamental to human nature and social order and are understood as inherent in humanity.