Natural order (philosophy)

Not to be confused with Ordo naturalis, a grouping of organisms formerly used in biology.
The mediaeval scala naturae as a staircase, implying the possibility of progress:[1] Ramon Llull's Ladder of Ascent and Descent of the Mind, 1305

In philosophy, the natural order is the moral source from which natural law seeks to derive its authority. Natural order encompasses the natural relations of beings to one another in the absence of law, which natural law attempts to reinforce. In contrast, divine law seeks authority from God, and positive law seeks authority from government.

  1. ^ Ruse, Michael (1996). Monad to man: the Concept of Progress in Evolutionary Biology. Harvard University Press. pp. 21–23. ISBN 978-0-674-03248-4.