moral law, n.Definitions

The Moral law (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠powerless before the order of evil, which takes its revenge whatever happens.

The Moral law (n.) was ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠never for the prophets a power above God; God is more than a moral principle or model.

Moral law (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠older than any treaty: Amos judges nations by a right and wrong no contract ever wrote down.

A Moral law (n.) above ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠God would be a fate God himself must obey, leaving him a servant of rules.

The Moral law (n.) sits ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠beside Kant's starry heavens for a good psychological reason: the same parent who gave the child life and protection also taught it what to do and leave undone.

The Moral law (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a late concomitant of moral behaviour congealed into precepts — which is why it seems identical with conscience until a conflict of duty shows the difference.

Moral law (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not imposed from outside by some crabbed grandfather but expresses a psychic fact, an archetypal pattern with no fixed content, which one culture fills with tolerance and another with taboos.

Moral law (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not merely an evil to be resisted but an outward sign of man's innate urge to master and tame himself, lost in evolutionary depths; man, obeying his instincts, made his own laws.