#natural-law — Public Fediverse posts

#TBT Blast from the 1990s past #NaturalLaw party is still on the ballot in #Michigan LOL 🗳️ ☑️ 😁 #Vote2026 #USPol #Politics

A quotation from Montaigne

The laws of conscience, which we pretend to be derived from nature, proceed from custom; every one, having an inward veneration for the opinions and manners approved and received among his own people, cannot, without very great reluctance, depart from them, nor apply himself to them without applause.
 
[Les loix de la conscience, que nous disons naistre de nature, naissent de la coustume : chacun ayant en veneration interne les opinions & mœurs approuvees & receues autour de luy, ne s’en peut desprendre sans remors, ny s’y appliquer sans applaudissement.]

Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist
Essays, Book 1, ch. 22 (1.22), “Of Custom and Not Easily Changing an Accepted Law [De la Coustume et de Ne Changer Aisément une Loy Receüe]” (1572) [tr. Cotton/Hazlitt (1877)]

More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/montaigne-michel-de/…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #montaigne #behavior #conscience #custom #manners #moralcode #morality #mores #naturallaw #nature #publicopinion #tradition

Chakotay and Seven clearly have some sort of survival kit in that case. It doesn’t have a first aid kit with a dermal regenerator in it?
#allstartrek #startrek #VOY #NaturalLaw

A quotation from Wallace Stegner

Order is indeed the dream of man, but chaos, which is only another word for dumb, blind, witless chance, is still the law of nature.

Wallace Stegner (1909-1993) American novelist
Crossing to Safety, ch. 13 (1987)

More about this quote: wist.info/stegner-wallace/8452…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #stegner #wallacestegner #chaos #control #dream #expectations #humannature #naturallaw #nature #order

Kenya’s Structural Adjustment Programs (1980s–1990s)
A noir‑forensic chronicle of fiscal collapse and foreign control.
From the Central Bank’s printing press to the Goldenberg scandal, from IMF austerity to crony privatization — each panel exposes how managed money and managed markets breed dependency.
Hoppe’s insight echoes through history: only voluntary exchange and sound property rights can restore sovereignty.
#Kenya #Decolonization #NaturalLaw #AustrianSchool #EconomicFreedom

Lockwood’s Longshot:
The chances of getting eaten by a lion on Main Street aren’t one in a million, but once would be enough.
--John Lockwood, Washington, D.C.

#NaturalLaw #ShitHappens #BuyAnEstateLotteryTicket

God gave the land to the people!
#land #georgism #economics #theland #landreform #naturallaw #wealthinequality #rentseeking #naturalresources #landvaluetax

The Blunt Edge of Ockham's Razor. What are the risks?

https://philosophics.blog/2026/02/14/the-trouble-with-ockhams-razor/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social

I needed to take a break from video editing. No Judas Priest references inside.

#philosophy #logic #simplicity #grammar #language #sufficiency #ontology #metaphysics #blog #podcast #aphorism #heuristic #naturallaw #humility #razor

To be libertarian is to view the world from the lens of Nature; to regard the human as a dignified being with rights that shall not be impinged upon, but merely defended; to hold our authorities, who are subject to the laws of Nature, to account; and not by least, to liberate the mind from all barriers to critical thinking, thus allowing it to nurture its reasoning and cut through arguments. I will never be the same person that I was six years ago.

#libertarianism #naturalLaw #negativeLiberty

Classical Republicanism and Stoicism refutes Racial Hierarchies

Classical Republicanism, as articulated in ancient Greek and Roman political philosophy emphasizes the pursuit of the common good for the CIVITAS through civic virtue, balanced governance, and participation in public life, without grounding these ideals in biological or racial hierarchies as understood in modern terms. Far from being inherently racist, its foundational texts reveal a focus on cultural, ethical, and institutional factors, often challenging notions of inherent inferiority. The ancient world lacked a concept of “race” as defined in post-Enlightenment biological categorization underlying modern racism. Instead, distinctions like “Greek” versus “barbarian” are primarily linguistic and cultural attachments, with “barbarian” deriving from onomatopoeic imitation of foreign speech (see Herodotus, Histories, 1.58). This cultural framing allowed for assimilation and mobility, refuting any systematic ancient state racism. Moreover, classical philosophers provided arguments that systematically undermine both ancient prejudices and contemporary race realism, the pseudoscientific claim of inherent racial differences in traits like intelligence through appeals to reason, nature, and empirical evidence.

ANCIENT STATE RACISM REFUTED WITH CLASSICAL SOURCES

Ancient republics, such as Athens and Rome did not structure their polities around racial exclusion but around citizenship tied to law, custom, and participation. In Greece, citizenship was often limited to free-born males of Athenian parentage, yet this was not racial. Foreigners (metics) could contribute economically and militarily, and exceptional individuals like the philosopher Anacharsis, a Scythian “barbarian,” were celebrated for wisdom (Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, 1.101-105). Aristotle, a key figure in republican thought, critiqued rigid hierarchies in his Politics, noting that some argue “for one man to be another man’s master is contrary to nature, because it is only convention that makes the one a slave and the other a freeman and there is no difference between them by nature” (Aristotle, Politics, 1253b20-23).

Plato acknowledges that slavery often results from war or force, not innate racial traits; and he warns against assuming all non-Greeks are natural slaves, as Greeks themselves could become enslaved if defeated (Aristotle, Politics, 1255a28-32). This cripples any claim of inherent state-sanctioned racism, emphasizing contingency over biology.

In Rome, republicanism evolved into an even more inclusive framework as elaborated in Aegean Origins and History of the Fasces: Minoan Crete to Revolutionary Republicanism. Cicero, in De Re Publica, defines the republic as “an association of many, united by a common sense of right and a community of interest” (Cicero, De Re Publica, 1.39), without restricting this to ethnic Romans. Roman citizenship expanded progressively: from the Social War (91-88 BCE) granting it to Italian allies, to Julius Caesar extending it to provincials, culminating in Emperor Caracalla’s Edict of 212 CE, which conferred citizenship on all free inhabitants of the empire regardless of origin (Cassius Dio, Roman History, 78.9.4-5).

This universalism reflected republican ideals of justice and utility, not racial purity. Polybius, praising the Roman constitution, attributes its success to a mixed government blending monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy, crediting adaptability and incorporation of diverse peoples rather than exclusion (Polybius, Histories, 6.3-18).

Stoic philosophy, deeply intertwined with Roman republicanism, further dismantles prejudicial notions through cosmopolitanism. Influenced by Cynics like Diogenes, who declared himself “a citizen of the world” (Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, 6.63), Stoics viewed all rational beings as equal citizens of a cosmic polity governed by universal reason (LOGOS). Chrysippus argued that true kinship lies in shared rationality, not blood or locality, rejecting conventional ties that divide humanity (Plutarch, On the Fortune of Alexander, 329a-b). Cicero writes of this in De Legibus, stating that “there is no difference in kind between man and man; for if there were, one definition could not be applicable to all men” (Cicero, De Legibus, 1.29-30).

Seneca reinforces the position:

“Nature bids me do good to all mankind… Wherever there is a human being, there is room for kindness” (Seneca, De Vita Beata, 24.3).

Epictetus, himself a former slave of non-Roman origin, taught that all humans are “sons of Zeus” and brothers, bound by divine reason irrespective of status or ethnicity (Epictetus, Discourses, 1.13.3-5). These ideas, elemental to republican governance under figures like Marcus Aurelius, promoted ethical universalism, directly countering ethnocentric biases and showing that classical republicanism prioritized virtue and reason over birth.

Ancient prejudices existed, such as Aristotle’s view that some barbarians lack deliberative faculty (Aristotle, Politics, 1252b5-9), but these were contested within the tradition itself and framed culturally, not racially. Environmental determinism, as in Hippocrates’ Airs, Waters, Places, make connections between temperament and climate, implying malleability through relocation or education, not fixed inheritance (Hippocrates, “Airs, Waters, Places,” 12-24). This fluidity allowed “barbarians” like the Persian Cyrus to be idealized as virtuous rulers (Xenophon, Cyropaedia, 1.1.4), demonstrating that ancient republicanism was not inherently tied to racism but to improvable human potential.

Classical republicanism’s emphasis on universal reason and civic inclusion, bolstered by scientific evidence of human genetic unity and environmental determinants invites a politics of shared humanity, not division. I urge you to take your proper roles in the development of civilization, instead of relinquishing the future to technological advancements and its ever-increasing demands on our time and ‘sense of will.’

STOICISM AND COSMOPOLITANISM

In the discussion of Classical Republicanism and its refutation of racial hierarchies, Stoic philosophy plays pivotal philosophical role through its emphasis on universal reason (LOGOS), shared humanity, and cosmopolitanism —the idea that all people are citizens of a single, rational world order. This is the metaphysical boundary of a republic. These ideas influenced Roman republican thinkers and view humanity as united by virtue and reason, not divided by birth.

When asked where he came from, Diogenes the Cynic stated:

‘I am a citizen of the world [kosmopolitês].’ (Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, 6.63)

Diogenes of Sinope (c. 412-323 BCE), though a Cynic philosopher, profoundly influenced Stoicism, particularly its founder Zeno of Citium, who studied under Cynic teachers. This anecdote appears in Diogenes Laertius’s biographical compendium, which compiles stories about philosophers’ lives and sayings. Diogenes, an exile from Sinope, lived as a wandering beggar in Athens, rejecting conventional attachments to city-states, family, or social norms. His declaration came in response to questions about his origins, challenging the parochial loyalties of Greek poleis (city-states) during an era of interstate rivalries and xenophobia.

This phrase “cosmopolitan” was coined from kosmos meaning world or universe and politês meaning citizen. It rejects ethnic or national boundaries, asserting that true identity stems from participation in a universal community governed by nature and reason. For Stoics, this evolved into the idea that all rational beings share a divine spark or fragment of the One Element, making divisions like “Greek vs. barbarian” not of necessity. In refuting racism, it promotes a borderless ethics where kindness and justice extend to all, anticipating modern human rights concepts (see Our Pre-Stoic Roots in Human Rights Theory in the United States). Diogenes’s life exemplified this, and despite being seen as a “barbarian” from the Black Sea region, he thrived in Greek intellectual circles, showing cultural barriers are surmountable through virtue.

FOR CHRYSIPPUS OF SOLI THERE IS TRUE KINSHIP IN SHARED RATIONALITY

In Plutarch’s On the Fortune of Alexander (329a-b), the idea is articulated through reference to Stoic principles, often attributed to Chrysippus (though the text cites Zeno directly): “Our household arrangements should not be based on cities or parishes, each one marked out by its own legal system, but we should regard all men as our fellow-citizens and local communities, and there should be one way of life and order, like that of a herd grazing together nurtured by a common law.” Plutarch contrasts this with Alexander’s conquests, but Chrysippus elaborated it as: “Life in agreement with nature means not doing anything that is forbidden by the common law, which is right reason pervading everything.”1 Chrysippus of Soli (c. 279-206 BCE), the third head of the Stoic school after Zeno and Cleanthes, systematized Stoicism in over 700 works (mostly lost). We are able to draw from his ethical fragments, preserved in Plutarch’s Moralia (c. 100 CE), where Plutarch praises Alexander the Great for embodying Stoic ideals by uniting diverse peoples. Chrysippus built on Zeno’s Republic, envisioning a world polity where reason (logos) is the “common law” binding humanity, rejecting tribal or ethnic divisions. So, it has been the tactic of the modern racist (particularly the “race realist”) to depict “non-White people” as incapable of reason (logos) or of “understanding higher subjects.”

Firstly, Chrysippus argues that rationality, not ancestry or locality, defines human bonds! Humans are like a “herd” under one natural law, implying equality and mutual care. This directly counters ancient biopolitics (e.g., viewing non-Greeks as inferior) and modern race realism by emphasizing that differences are superficial. The universally-diffused shared logos makes all capable of virtue (see Roots of the “Divine Spark” in African Religious and Philosophical Traditions).

In REPUBLICANISM, this supported inclusive citizenship, as seen in Rome’s expansions, promoting a politics where “fellow-citizens” include all rational beings, fostering anti-racist universalism.

THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE IN KIND BETWEEN MAN AND MAN IN CICERO’S PHILOSOPHY

“But there is no difference in kind between man and man; for if there were, one definition could not be applicable to all men; and indeed reason, which alone raises us above the level of the beasts and enables us to infer, by a process of reasoning, that certain things are so which our senses have not perceived, is common to all men, and though varying in what it learns, at least in the capacity to learn it is invariable.” (Cicero, De Legibus, 1.29-30)

“For it is impossible that the divine mind should exist without reason; and divine reason must necessarily be possessed of a power to determine what is virtuous.”

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BCE), a Roman statesman and philosopher, wrote De Legibus (On the Laws) around 52 BCE as a dialogue on natural law and ideal governance, modeled after Plato’s Laws. Here, in Book 1, Cicero (as a character) discusses human nature with his brother Quintus and friend Atticus, arguing for a universal law rooted in reason, drawing heavily from Stoic sources like Panaetius. Cicero asserts that reason is the defining human trait, universally shared and invariant in potential, making all people fundamentally equal regardless of external differences. This universal definition for humanity refutes hierarchies based on race or origin, as education and environment can equalize knowledge. In my view, from my studies , I observe multiple other factors in detail that can equalize knowledge, because it is not simply the environment that influences. It is the manner in which one reflects their relation to self and that environment. Society and culture in ancient Rome also radically differs from that of the modern American and even the present-day American from a century ago. There are many unfortunate factors that affect environments today in which, e.g., Black kids learn and develop — from the cradle through schooling. However, in the anti-racism context, it undermines claims of innate inferiority, which is mainly obsessively and tactfully focused on Black people, aligning with scientific views that genetic variation doesn’t create categorical differences in cognitive capacity. Cicero’s republicanism applied this to law, advocating justice for all, influencing later thinkers like Locke on natural rights.

SENECA ON NATURE BIDDING US DO GOOD TO ALL MANKIND

“Nature bids me do good to all mankind. What difference does it make whether they are slaves or freemen, freeborn or emancipated, whether their freedom is legally acquired or bestowed by friends? Wherever there is a human being, there is room for kindness (beneficentia).” (Seneca, De Vita Beata, 24.3)

Nature compels me, Seneca states, to be of use to all mankind. Lucius Annaeus Seneca (c. 4 BCE–65 CE), a Roman Stoic and advisor to Nero, wrote De Vita Beata (On the Happy Life) around 58 CE as a dialogue defending Stoic ethics against Epicurean pleasure-seeking. In Chapter 24, Seneca addresses beneficence, arguing that virtue involves active goodwill toward others, rooted in nature’s being.

Seneca extends kindness universally, ignoring social statuses like slavery or birth, which were rampant in Rome. This “room for kindness” wherever a human exists is cosmopolitan duty, countering exclusionary prejudices. It refutes racism by mandating ethical treatment based on shared humanity, not group identity, and supports environmental explanations for differences (e.g., through nurturing), as virtue is cultivable in all.

EPICTETUS ON ALL HUMANS AS BROTHERS AND SONS OF ZEUS

“Will you not bear with your own brother, who has Zeus for his progenitor, and is like a son from the same seeds and of the same descent from above? But if you have been put in any such higher place, will you immediately make yourself a tyrant? Will you not remember who you are, and whom you rule? That they are kinsmen, that they are brethren by nature, that they are the offspring of Zeus?” (Epictetus, Discourses, 1.13.3-5)

The chapter continues: “But I have purchased them, and they have not purchased me. Do you see in what direction you are looking, that it is towards the earth, towards the pit, that it is towards these wretched laws of dead men? But towards the laws of the gods you are not looking.” Epictetus (c. 50–135 CE), a former slave turned Stoic teacher, delivered his Discourses (recorded by student Arrian) as lectures on practical ethics. In 1.13, titled “How everything may be done acceptably to the gods,” he critiques a slave-owner’s attitude, using it to illustrate reverence for divine order through respect for others. Epictetus, of non-Roman (possibly Phrygian) origin and enslaved, speaks from experience, equating all humans as “brethren by nature” and divine offspring. This kinship through Zeus, symbolizing universal reason supercedes man-made hierarchies like slavery or ethnicity. It dismantles racism by prioritizing “laws of the gods” (natural equality) over “laws of dead men” (social constructs), aligning with evidence that disparities stem from environment, not biology, and urging ethical republicanism through mutual respect.

Stoicism’s doctrines on reason, nature, and virtue foster an inclusive worldview, and is integral to Classical Republicanism’s anti-hierarchical ethos. They provide timeless arguments against division, emphasizing perfectibilism and shared potential in all people, in the commonwealth, in the nation.

FOOTNOTES

1. See also Plutarch’s broader discussion in the essay, emphasizing that true kinship is not by blood but by shared reason. ↩︎

Among the Unalienable Rights
https://consortiumnews.com/2025/12/19/among-the-unalienable-rights/
Nothing will chill Tucker Carlson’s exercise of the freedom of speech, writes Andrew P. Napolitano. But that does not absolve Chuck Schumer and the U.S. Senate. By Andrew P. Napolitano CN at 30 Last week, Sen. Charles Schumer, the leader of…
#Politics #Commentary #FreeSpeech #U.s. #U.s.Congress #U.s.Constitution #AndrewP.Napolitano #DeclarationOfIndependence #FirstAmendment #JamesMadison #NaturalLaw #NickFuentes #TuckerCarlson

Here's a valid addition to the +190,000-page US Code of Federal Regulations: a requirement for regulators to only enforce laws and amendments passed by Congress and in ways that minimally impinge on our natural rights. Regulate regulation. Until then, feel free to take the rules to court if and whenever they tread on *your* rights.

#ChecksAndBalances #CommonLaw #NaturalLaw #overregulation #regulation #SeparationOfPowers

I respect people who are into TM, David Lynch is my primary hero in life afterall, but my God John Hagelin in these campaign interviews I've watched for the Natural Law Party comes off as like not even a good conman, really mid-tier in his fantasy math about TM eliminating repeat offenders or preventative care being the main health care reform we need.

#thirdparty #naturallaw #history #uspol #uspolitics

" MMM ", a single (and song) taken from the album by Virtual Alien and Old Nick (X1 and his alter ego X2) / Nick Peterson.

Hiding behind the veil of dementia and utter insanity.

#X1 #X2 #VirtualAlien #OldNick #music #NaturalLaw

Apple music

https://music.apple.com/np/album/mmm-single/1846389623

A quotation from Marcus Aurelius

Injustice is a kind of blasphemy. Nature designed rational beings for each other’s sake: to help — not harm — one another, as they deserve. To transgress its will, then, is to blaspheme against the oldest of the gods.
 
[Ὁ ἀδικῶν ἀσεβεῖ: τῆς γὰρ τῶν ὅλων φύσεως κατεσκευακυίας τὰ λογικὰ ζῷα ἕνεκεν ἀλλήλων, ὥστε ὠφελεῖν μὲν ἄλληλα κατ̓ ἀξίαν βλάπτειν δὲ μηδαμῶς, ὁ τὸ βούλημα ταύτης παραβαίνων ἀσεβεῖ δηλονότι εἰς τὴν πρεσβυτάτην τῶν θεῶν.]

Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) Roman emperor (161-180), Stoic philosopher
Meditations [To Himself; Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν], Book 9, ch. 1 (9.1) (AD 161-180) [tr. Hays (2003)]

More info about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/marcus-aureleus/8034…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #marcusaurelius #marcusaureliusmeditations #blasphemy #harm #impiety #injustice #knavery #loveyourneighbor #meaningoflife #naturallaw #nature #sin

We will claim our power. Rise up, all you Warriors of Love. ❤️‍🔥✊️❤️‍🔥 #GENERALSTRIKEUS #SOLIDARITY #NaturalLaw

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:rtc4q3att7stuobmlnwgukno/post/3lymsqgshgi2i

What does it mean to live a good life? 🌿✨
#EthicalTheories #PhilosophyAndLife #PoeticBipolarMind #MoralPhilosophy #CulturalRelativism #Utilitarianism #Deontology #DivineCommandTheory #NaturalLaw #EthicsAndArt #MentalHealthAndPhilosophy

https://poeticbipolarmind.blog/beyond-right-and-wrong/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=jetpack_social

Nate's reference to C2K made me chuckle about my eclectic road. I'm #Calvinist and #TwoKingdoms, but my 2K theology came by way of #Luther. I'm a Calvinist who believes in #NaturalLaw, but my natural law theology came by way of Thomas. In every theological circle, I speak with an accent.

#ThomasAquinas #Thomism #MartinLuther #Calvinism #Christianity

The True Meaning Of Anarchy
#NaturalLaw #naturallaw #governmentisslavery #freedom

Dark Occultist VS Order Follower Karmic Debt
#NaturalLaw #naturallaw #governmentisslavery #freedom

What Is Really Satanism?
#NaturalLaw #naturallaw #governmentisslavery #freedom

God and the #NaturalLaw

#God and #Morality, eds. J. Hare and D. Baggett (#OxfordUniversityPress, forthcoming 2026)

27 Pages Posted: 25 Mar 2025 Last revised: 26 Jan 2025
Francis Joseph Beckwith

#BaylorUniversity - Department of #Philosophy

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5111465

Finally caught the film #Flow last night and I now have loads of thoughts swirling in my head! Ideas about #ohana and #harmony with #nature (and #NaturalLaw), about how the #Stoics were wrong about humanity having an inherent depravity (but instead are burdened with the weight of morally considering our actions while lacking the proper perspective to understand that morality)… what an excellent little film worthy of its #Oscars win!

Also detailed was Bierling's close personal relationship with Curt Doolittle of the hyper-violent 'Natural Law Institute', and his direct contributions to this deliberate perversion of #Indigenous #FirstNations #NaturalLaw with an Aryan #WhiteSupremacist militaristic doctrine.

A quotation from Feynman, Richard:

«
The whole question of imagination in science is often misunderstood by people in other disciplines. They try to test our imagination in the following way. They say, “Here is a picture of some people in a situation. What do you imagine will happen next?” When we say, “I can’t imagine,” they …
»

Full quote, sourcing, notes:
https://wist.info/feynman-richard/71547/

#quote #quotes #quotation #consistency #science #imagination #hypothesis #naturallaw #nature #speculation

"It’s why same-sex marriage was bad. It’s why trans people are bad. It’s why IVF is bad. If you have a worldview that assumes everything in the natural world was created with a specific purpose, the logical next step is to lament anyone and anything that violates that purpose. It is a tool for control."

#JDVance #NaturalLaw #women #gender #GenderRoles #trans #SameSexMarriage
/11

Joe Ragazzo notes that J.D. Vance's agreement with a declaration that "the purpose" of post-menopausal women is to care for children is rooted in the kind of natural law theology popular in the right-wing Catholic circles Vance has inhabited since he became Catholic"

"This appeal to Natural Law rears its ugly head a lot in the religious segments of the right."

#JDVance #NaturalLaw #women #gender #GenderRoles
/10

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/the-weekender/jd-vances-purpose

#Scripture-quoting #Alabama judge in #IVF case bridges #naturallaw and #Christiannationalism

https://flip.it/Bd5bgN

Wow, just had a weird flashback pass through my mind.
Does anyone else remember the Natural Law Party?

#politics #PoliticalParties #NaturalLaw