Friday, September 24, 2010

Real Natural Law

What we know about life, liberty and property from nature today is quite different from what most natural law advocates think.

Life is a complex set of chemical reactions scientists can explain better than I can. The place of our species at the top of all sentient, self-propelling animals is questionable, particularly as we are about to destroy the planet's ability to sustain life. Judging by behavior of all species, life is pretty cheap and that of an individual animal, human or otherwise, is not particularly valuable.

Natural law is the law of the jungle.

Liberty is, in natural terms, nonexistent. The combination of our genes, environment and nurture determine our behavior and the terms of our life.

Property is, similarly, an entirely unnatural concept. At most, we can say that possession is a temporary characteristic of any thing around any animal, plant or mineral, to the extent that power can be exerted to control it.

Thus, here is natural law as it really is:

1. Fight tooth and nail to survive, because if you don't some other
human or animal or plant or even mineral will take it.

2. You are inexorably and ultimately subject to fate, even though your senses will fool you otherwise.

3. Hang on to whatever people, animals, plants and minerals you
control, knowing that you must relinquish them when you lose control.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

But, why to follow or obey to this real natural law? Is there someone who wants this foolishness?

Cecilio Morales said...

Indeed, G, there are many proponents of natural law: all religious people, all conservatives and the powers that be, who thrive on both those groups.