Sammy Davis-Jacobs Theology ADV Pd. 7. Mr. Blank April 9, 2024.
The Nuremberg trials were a pivotal moment in legal history, grappling with the complex question of whether violations of natural law could be justified if carried out under orders from a superior authority. The judges of the trial faced the challenge of reconciling the obedience to orders defense with the principles of natural law, which assert that certain fundamental rights and ethical standards are inherent and universal. I firmly believe that the judges were correct in their decision, and any time there is a violation of natural rights at this level, it must be called out, and the violator must be held accountable. One of the key arguments put forth by the defense was that adherence to…show more content… The next reason for the defendants being guilty, in my view, relies on the dilemma of Antigony. In the play, Antigone loses two brothers in a war. She vows to bury her brother Polynices because that is what is the unwritten law of the gods. Unfortunately, Creon, the king, tells her that she cannot do such a thing. She remains defiant and is eventually sentenced to death. Even with this death sentence, Antigone works her hardest to give her dead brother the respect that all men inherently have. Antigone's actions are driven by her belief in natural law, which dictates that she has a moral duty to honor her familial obligations and provide proper burial rites to her brother, regardless of the king's decree. Antigone says, “But if thou wilt, be guilty of dishonouring laws which the gods have established in honour.” This shows how Antigone is willing to die in defense of natural law. She says that conventional laws may kill her, but they hold less significance than natural laws. In relation to the Nuremberg trials, this represents the fact that there may be conventional laws with consequences for breaking them; However, it does not make natural law
