natural law

Definition of natural law

: a body of law or a specific principle held to be derived from nature and binding upon human society in the absence of or in addition to positive law

Examples of natural law in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Melissa Moschella, a preeminent voice on natural law, biomedical ethics, and the moral and political status of the family from Catholic University. — Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner, "Heritage expands team in war on socialism and academic liberalism," 20 Jan. 2020 Together, the Culture Project and St. Ambrose School students explored human dignity through storytelling, real-life examples, scientific evidence and natural law to dissect the question of what sets human beings apart. — Sam Boyer, cleveland, "All good things, like this, must come to an end: Whit & Whimsey," 18 Oct. 2019 But today, Pickett said, natural law theory is mostly used to justify differential treatment of LGBTQ people. — Kathryn Joyce, The New Republic, "The Man Behind the State Department’s New “Natural Law” Focus," 14 June 2019 Paid for by a freedom loving American Citizen exercising my natural law right, protected by the 1st Amendment and protected by the 2nd Amendment. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "A new kind of dark money on Facebook is influencing elections," 18 Oct. 2018 The foundation of Maharishi Vedic City is Veda, an ancient Hindu principle that prioritizes harmony, balance and natural law. — Jennifer Billock, Smithsonian, "Seven Planned Utopian Towns That You Can Visit Today," 23 May 2018 And on Friday, parents began that act that inverts the natural law of the universe: burying their own children. — TIME.com, "TIME Health," 17 Feb. 2018 This year, in celebration of the document’s 10-year anniversary, George argued that only public policies affirming natural law are just laws that should be obeyed. — Kathryn Joyce, The New Republic, "The Man Behind the State Department’s New “Natural Law” Focus," 14 June 2019 This is the basic story told by the students of Harry V. Jaffa and, in a more libertarian form — one less friendly to religion and natural law — by George F. Will in his new book, The Conservative Sensibility. — Daniel J. Mahoney, National Review, "Democracy’s Moral Foundations: Recovering Our ‘Constitution in Full’," 20 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'natural law.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near natural law

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Last Updated

26 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Natural law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/natural%20law. Accessed 17 Feb. 2020.

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More Definitions for natural law

natural law

Legal Definition of natural law

: a body of law or a specific principle of law that is held to be derived from nature and binding upon human society in the absence of or in addition to positive law

Note: While natural law, based on a notion of timeless order, does not receive as much credence as it did formerly, it was an important influence on the enumeration of natural rights by Thomas Jefferson and others.

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