CP (#11) / The War Between Human Nature and Nature's Nature
Natural Law and its concept of “Human Nature” are at war with entropy, disorder, and death, which are nothing more than ways of describing the Fall of humans from God’s Nature into "Nature’s Nature."
I’m still feeding you guys stuff I’ve written on what I’m now calling “the medieval mind,” partly because there’s a lot of it that I’d mostly forgotten about, but more because it’s all so crucial for laying down tracks and throughlines for what is likely—if my book actually gets published and then gets any sort of traction—to be lots of blowback from the right (and, if I do my job right, somewhat from the left, as well).
My model needs to be incredibly robust, and because the central theme of the book is “the medievalization” of American politics, it makes sense that I would begin to lay down those tracks in the Middle Ages. So this a further evolution of my introduction to Catholic Natural Law (the term is rarely capitalized, but I think it should be, at least until we stop egregiously capitalizing everything else).
The focus here is on the different, competing, and antagonist ideas of Nature, and the origins of the dominionist ideas and energy that today continue to pervade (and metastasize) the entirety of the Trump ecosystem. On the most superficial level, consider how we’re swamped by the words “dominance” and "dominate” in the flood of directive and invective from the Trump administration. We’ve gone from “are you tired of winning yet?” to “are you tired of dominating yet?”
Natural Law is of course about nature, and specifically about “human nature,” as it concerns: a) the creation of humans in the image of God: b) the Fall and original sin; c) redemption and salvation; d) moral responsibility; and e) sanctification and transformation. Together, these concepts shape Christian views on ethics, salvation, personal responsibility, and the pursuit of holiness.
Christianity teaches that humans created in the image of God possess inherent dignity, worth, and a unique relationship with their Creator. Human nature is seen as fundamentally good and reflects the divine qualities of love, reason, and moral agency.
Christianity also teaches that human nature has been corrupted by sin due to the Fall of Adam and Eve and is prone to selfishness, disobedience, and separation from God. This fallen nature has consequences for human relationships, society, and the world.
According to this narrative, redemption and salvation through Jesus Christ repairs the brokenness of human nature caused by sin, offering forgiveness, transformation, and the hope of eternal life. However, Christianity also teaches that individuals are morally accountable, that they have the capacity to choose between good and evil, and are responsible for their actions.
The Natural Law, then, is a template for returning fallen humanity to God and to its own nature as God’s created image or reflection. The logical consequences of this drama of redemption and salvation, however, are to set Human Nature in opposition to “Nature’s Nature.”
What we have seen repeatedly, is the extent to which Natural Law, as a systematic moral philosophy, is about constructing a moral order — defined as that which promotes the common good. These are blandishments, however — the bland posing as the good.
The more significant insight is that both Natural Law and its conception of “human nature” are structurally—or, if you prefer, systematically—at war with entropy, disorder, and death, which in a sense are nothing more than ways of describing the Fall of humans from God’s Nature into Nature’s Nature. The tensions between Gothic architecture and Gothic literature capture this war, which is rooted specifically in how the populations of the Middle Ages experienced Nature itself.
A combination of religious, philosophical, and cultural influences shaped attitudes toward the natural world in Europe during the 13th century. Three are ancillary and one is determinative.
The ancillary attitudes included:
a) Christian theology, which, which saw the natural world as a reflection of God's glory and an expression of his divine order;
b) Aristotelian philosophy, which approached nature as an object of wonder and fascination, worthy of study through observation and empirical investigation; and
c) Agricultural society, which established the rhythms of life for nearly everyone alive during the Middle Ages—through the changing seasons, cycles of planting, harvesting, and animal husbandry—and fostered profound connections to the natural world and deep respect for its power and beauty.
All well and good. But to some degree also blandishments. The determinative attitude toward Nature’s Nature was human exceptionalism.
A literal interpretation of the Book of Genesis—reinforced by the Aristotelian idea of the Great Chain of Being—placed humans at the top of a hierarchy of beings, with a special status in the cosmic order, distinct from and superior to the rest of the natural world and granted dominion over the plants and animals.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:26)
In the 13th century, the nearly universal Christian belief that humans were uniquely created in the image of God, possessing immortal souls that animals and other forms of life did not, reinforced ideas of separation from and superiority to the rest of the natural order. Thomas Aquinas himself was a “Dominionist” who believed the natural world existed to serve human needs.
During the High Middle Ages, the development of new technologies — such as water mills, windmills, the compass, and the mechanical clock — also reinforced the idea of human exceptionalism. These technologies were seen as evidence of human ingenuity and skill, reinforcing the idea that humans had the power to control and shape the natural world to their own ends.
A belief in human exceptionalism had significant implications for the way in which people interacted with the natural world in medieval Europe. It was common during this period for humans to view the natural world as something to be dominated and controlled, rather than as something to be respected and protected. This often led to the overexploitation of natural resources, such as forests and waterways, and contributed to environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity.
However, the alienation of humans from nature recorded in the story of the Fall — an alienation from their own natures and from the entirety of the natural world — subverted the Dominionist motif. Because, of course, far from merely passively serving human needs, Nature’s Nature more typically evinced casual, savage and disordered indifference to those needs.
Catholicpunk Draft: #7
March 28, 2025
FYI
https://thebaffler.com/latest/the-limits-of-rights-romm