Dictionary

natural law en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The set of universal legal or moral principles said to be discernible from nature by reason alone; one of these principles.
   • 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. 2010, Roger A. Shiner, “Law and Its Normativity”, in Dennis Patterson, editor, A Companion to Philosophy of Law and Legal Theory, 2nd edition, →ISBN, page 424:
   • Thus, for example, it is a natural law, that he who has been the author of any damage ought to repair it. 1850 [1689], Jean Domat, translated by William Strahan, edited by Luther S. Cushing, The Civil Law in Its Natural Order, 2nd edition, volume 1, page 65:
   • For Maritain, natural law is not a written law; it is immanent in nature. 1999, William Sweet, “Maritain, Jacques (1882–1973)”, in The Philosophy of Law: An Encyclopedia, →ISBN, page 534:
2. (countable, uncountable) A theory describing or positing such principles.
   • 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. 1970, Mark H. Waddicor, Montesquieu and the Philosophy of Natural Law, page 40:
   • 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. 1992, Joseph Boyle, “Natural Law and the Ethics of Traditions”, in Robert P. George, editor, Natural Law Theory: Contemporary Essays, →ISBN, page 11:
   • Buckle […] argues that Grotius and Pufendorf understood Natural Law as a science of morals grounded in human nature. 2007, W. Duncan Reekie, Spiritual Capital, Natural Law and the Secular Market Place, →ISBN, page 21:
3. (countable, uncountable) A law relating to natural phenomena.
   • 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? 1883, Henry Drummond, Natural Law in the Spiritual World:

Forms

Coordinates

arbitrary law · God's law · God's law · divine law · God's law · divine law · common law · positive law · divine law

Relateds

red in tooth and claw · nature of the beast

Synonyms

law of nature · law of nature · physical law · law · law of nature · law of nature

Translations (31)

sv naturrätt (universal legal or moral principles) · pl prawo natury (theory describing such principles) · lt darna (law of nature) · pl prawo naturalne (law of nature) · hu természeti törvény (universal legal or moral principles) · fr loi de la nature (law of nature) · es derecho natural (universal legal or moral principles) · ro lege a naturii (law of nature) · de Naturgesetz (law of nature) · fi luonnonlaki (law of nature) · fi luonnonoikeus (universal legal or moral principles) · ko 자연법 (universal legal or moral principles) · ru есте́ственное пра́во (universal legal or moral principles) · nl natuurrecht (universal legal or moral principles) · cs přirozené právo (universal legal or moral principles) · ja 自然法 (universal legal or moral principles) · ro drept natural (universal legal or moral principles) · cmn 自然法 (universal legal or moral principles) · ka ბუნების კანონი (law of nature) · it giusnaturalismo (universal legal or moral principles) · ka ბუნებითი სამართალი (universal legal or moral principles) · bg приро́ден зако́н (law of nature) · pl prawo natury (universal legal or moral principles) · pl prawo naturalne (universal legal or moral principles) · tr tabiat kanunu (law of nature) · vi luật của tự nhiên (universal legal or moral principles) · de Naturgesetz (universal legal or moral principles) · pl prawo naturalne (theory describing such principles) · fr droit naturel (universal legal or moral principles) · pl prawo natury (law of nature) · bg приро́ден зако́н (universal legal or moral principles)