ETHC445N - Principles of Ethics Required Resources Read/review the following resources for this activity: Minimum of 5 scholarly sources (This includes the sources from the annotated bibliography. Add

Running head: SEXUAL ORIENTATION

SEXUAL ORIENTATION IN THE OBVERSE OF POSITIVISM

Adrianna F. Pierson

Chamberlain University

Principles of Ethics

Professor Knodel

January 27, 2020

Sexual Orientation in the Obverse of Positivism

Sexual orientation is a highly emotive issue in the globe today, and as a result, is an ethical dilemma especially in the free society. Recently, there have been several perspectives that have attempted to demystify the ethical dilemma. However, little or no scholarly has been directed toward understanding sexual orientation from the perspectives of natural law. The present inquiry is a concrete effort to analyze the issue of sexual orientation through the natural law school of thought.

Natural law is an ethical theory that argues that all actions should be guided by reason. Natural laws are the core of unvarying moral tenets which are often quantified through reason. Natural law scholars such as Aquinas, Aristotle, and St Augustine believed that not only does nature provides descriptive facts, but also valuable insights on what constitutes acceptable behavior or not (Ruggiero, 2012). Both Augustine and Aquinas believed that the unchanging moral tenets constitute an eternal doctrine of justice and good (Mackinnon & Fiala, 2018). The natural law thinkers argue that from nature it is possible to decipher a universal order of good and wrong.

Although natural laws, and divine or sacred laws, especially those contained in the Abrahamic faith are inseparable, the fact that such laws can be derived from the observable nature is what lays the scholastic grounds for the current dispensation. On the issue of sexual orientation, natural law thinkers contend that the sexual or reproduction patterns depicted in nature, in addition, to the supremacy of divine laws; are a solid basis for arguing against the liberality of sexual orientation. Critiques, however, argue that natural law theory is guilty of naturalistic fallacy for it describes what ought to be as opposed to what should. Nonetheless, it is undoubted that natural law, especially when pursued from the philosophical thoughts of thinkers such as Aristotle, Aquinas, Bentham, and Augustus is a discourse that is worth exploring.

References

Mackinnon, B., & Fiala, A. (2018). Ethics: theory and contemporary issues, 9th edition.

Ruggiero, V. R. (2012). Thinking critically about ethical issues (8th ed.). New York: Mc-Graw Hill.