natural law
noun
a principle or body of laws considered as derived from nature, right reason, or religion and as ethically binding in human society.
Compare
positive law.
Origin of natural law
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400
Words nearby natural law
Example sentences from the Web for natural law
When the natural-law foundation of enforcing promises crumbled, the metaphysical jurists sought to provide a new one.
An Introduction to the Philosophy of Law |Roscoe Pound
British Dictionary definitions for natural law
natural law
noun
an ethical belief or system of beliefs supposed to be inherent in human nature and discoverable by reason rather than revelation
a nonlogically necessary truth; law of nature
See also nomological (def. 2)
the philosophical doctrine that the authority of the legal system or of certain laws derives from their justifiability by reason, and indeed that a legal system which cannot be so justified has no authority
Cultural definitions for natural law
natural law
The doctrine that human affairs should be governed by ethical principles that are part of the very nature of things and that can be understood by reason. The first two paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence contain a clear statement of the doctrine.