Many would say that there is no natural law. I think this is the wrong way of thinking about the topic.
Man’s nature is constant: he has unlimited needs and wants. Man’s environment on the other hand presents him with limited resources to fulfil his needs and wants. This reality is the basis of principles of natural law. The constant reality of unlimited wants, limited resources necessarily leads to evolution of certain principles which govern behaviour of men and how they interact with others. The evolution of these principles is lead by emotion, logic, and trial and error. These principles are natural because they arise from the very nature of man and the reality of man’s environment.
What would these principles be? To answer this question we need to look at man’s nature. These natural principles facilitate fulfilling as many wants and needs in the environment of limited resources. But what are these wants and needs? Man has certain qualities which were shaped by biological evolution. These natural qualities are fundamentally: emotions, ways of thinking and physical abilities to change the environment. All of mankind shares these qualities. It is undeniable that a man would feel violated when these natural qualities are denied to him by others. This is the natural basis of protection of the individual from others.
The beginning of the individual is his body. But with his body he can labour and produce things for himself. He can interact with others. Through these actions the individual can end up violating other individuals. Only time can define where one individual ends and another begins. The definition of what an individual is cannot be done all at once. People learn, invent and change their environment. The rules governing man’s behaviour and interactions with others will thus necessarily change over time. However, the fundamental principle of protecting the individual from violation will not change because the fundamentals of man will not change.
Nature exists. From nature arises the need for protection of individual. The principles of this protection forms what is sometimes called natural law.
Man’s nature is constant: he has unlimited needs and wants. Man’s environment on the other hand presents him with limited resources to fulfil his needs and wants. This reality is the basis of principles of natural law. The constant reality of unlimited wants, limited resources necessarily leads to evolution of certain principles which govern behaviour of men and how they interact with others. The evolution of these principles is lead by emotion, logic, and trial and error. These principles are natural because they arise from the very nature of man and the reality of man’s environment.
What would these principles be? To answer this question we need to look at man’s nature. These natural principles facilitate fulfilling as many wants and needs in the environment of limited resources. But what are these wants and needs? Man has certain qualities which were shaped by biological evolution. These natural qualities are fundamentally: emotions, ways of thinking and physical abilities to change the environment. All of mankind shares these qualities. It is undeniable that a man would feel violated when these natural qualities are denied to him by others. This is the natural basis of protection of the individual from others.
The beginning of the individual is his body. But with his body he can labour and produce things for himself. He can interact with others. Through these actions the individual can end up violating other individuals. Only time can define where one individual ends and another begins. The definition of what an individual is cannot be done all at once. People learn, invent and change their environment. The rules governing man’s behaviour and interactions with others will thus necessarily change over time. However, the fundamental principle of protecting the individual from violation will not change because the fundamentals of man will not change.
Nature exists. From nature arises the need for protection of individual. The principles of this protection forms what is sometimes called natural law.
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