The Moral Implications of Law and Authority

A discussion centers on the idea that a legitimate authority can influence the morality of actions through its laws. Philosophers from the second Scholastic period argued that what might be considered morally acceptable could become morally wrong simply by being outlawed. However, there are limits to this power; no government can legitimize intrinsically unjust actions, such as murder. This leads to the distinction between natural law, which is immutable by human authority, and human law, which is subject to the permissions and prohibitions enacted by governments.