Dear Intelligentsia,
One of the most pernicious errors we have made in our time is to have sidelined natural law thinking (as well as the possibility of objective moral knowledge). For, the core of such knowable first law is self-evident, so universal for rational, responsible, significantly free creatures. This offers a framework to soundly, prudently guide governance, policy, legislation, regulation and reformation. By sidelining these things, we have opened the door to unsoundness and to a nihilistic chaos where might and manipulation make "right" and "rights." So, we need to restore soundness, as a basis for reformation. But, that will require building a critical mass coalition . . .
How can we proceed?
First, even Christians have by and large forgotten the endorsement of such core natural law thinking in the Bible -- and its context. As a reminder, we may examine Rom 2 and 13, where the apostle Paul addresses the church in the Capital:
Rom 2: 14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another . . . .
13: 8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
In effect, the apostle here recognises that it is an empirical fact that people are morally governed, and that on principles that are recognisably related to the Hebraic decalogue. He holds that this is so because a core of moral government is built into us, reflected in how our consciences guide our conflicting thought. Such can be sidelined or disregarded, leading to hardness of heart and benumbed consciences, but it is certainly there.
One context for this is the summary on law made by Cicero as he made a precis of Greco-Roman thinking:
He highlights principles that we can tease out to yield seven basic first duties, which are branch on which we all sit first principles, thus they are self-evident. How can we know this? Simple, in order to have traction, objections invariably appeal to the same cluster of principles, directly or indirectly. We doubt truth, reasonableness, warrant, prudence, fairness, etc, for instance; implying these self-same duties. The attempt to deny or dismiss is instantly self referentially absurd.
Already, this has established moral knowledge as having an objective core. However, it is advisable to deal with the wider context of entrenched radical relativism. To do so, let us consider claims and consequences:
~k: there is no objective moral knowledge
but:
~k*: this is implied to be an objective, known claim about any claimed moral knowledge, domain M
so, then:
~k**: the claim ~k is about M and properly belongs to it,
however:
~k***: ~k is self referential and self-defeating, so
___________________________________
k: by denial, ~[~k] = k is true. There is objective moral knowledge.
This also extends to any reasonably identifiable general domain of study, G. The attempt to deny objectively warranted knowledge implicitly holds itself objective and warranted, and so refutes itself. Radical relativism is self-defeating.
We may now turn this to address the major 7M institutions:
For example:
- In our basic thinking and training, in church, family and issues debate, we must acknowledge and inculcate first moral truths, duties and the intelligible built-in law
- In education, we need to hammer out the principles and acknowledge them, exposing radical relativism as error, also defending wider objectivity of knowledge
- In Law, government, governance and politics, we need to reform statutory and legal thinking to be informed by core principles.
- In the media, arts, entertainment etc, this needs to be respected
- The same holds, for business, finance, science & technology etc.
This is important, but so entrenched is error, that this is an uphill task. To our shame! END
