Thomas Aquinas and Natural Law Theory Natural law theory like legal positivism has appeared in a variety of forms and in many guises. Normative theories of law evaluate and commend laws by reference to values that the laws He was dedicated in his theory that Natural law grants too much freedom to humans. Dworkin's "Third Theory of Law" Legal Realism and Critical Legal Studies 1. This article will explore the theory of Aquinas on the relationship between natural and positive law, which is still of great importance in the discussion. The dynamic relation between natural law, the theory of an objective moral order (or unwritten norms for human actions), and positive law, the legislation or statutes of a political community has become more prominent again. Academia.edu is a platform for academics to share research papers. Obedience to the law is no longer a matter of conscience, as it had been for Socrates or Aquinas. This theory would eventually become known as positive law. A law, in accordance to Positive Law, is the rule put, placed, or imposed upon the situations by the ruler. A brief introduction to Austin's Theory of positive law and sovereignty by Eastwood, Reginald Allen, 1893-Publication date 1916 Topics Austin, John, 1790-1859, Jurisprudence, Sovereignty Publisher London Sweet & Maxwell Collection trinitycollege; toronto Digitizing sponsor MSN Contributor Trinity College - University of Toronto Language English. Positive law is the belief that law is established by the state, for the benefit of the state as a whole. This view contrasts that of Thomas Hobbes whose standpoint reflected Positive law. Positive law has no moral purpose other than to ensure the survival of the state and its citizens. of privacy laws, and pondered the extent of normative ethical obliga-tions to protect one’s own and others’ privacy.4 Though a normativist, I welcome greater attention to positive theory. Positive rights are statutes created by the human being organized in political entities, such as the State. Positive theory and normative theory go hand-in-hand, in my view. Positive Law Theory: Legal Positivism. In conflicting with Aristotle’s belief that humans can govern themselves due do rationalization, Hobbes believed that humans are violent and war like and that they have a right to all things. One of the most elaborate statements of natural law theory can be found in Aquinas who distinguished four types of law: eternal, divine, natural, and man-made. In short, positive rights are rights that impose obligations to act in a certain way and are reinforced by law.