The Ruins, Part 5 summary

What happens

1. The respondent defines natural law as a universal order whose physical consequences reward obedience and punish violations.
2. Ten characteristics distinguish natural law from other laws, while observation and reason support belief in God.
3. Self-preservation grounds human duties, including education, restraint, social cooperation, and avoidance of harm to others.
4. Good, evil, virtue, and vice receive definitions based on their effects on people and society.
5. Knowledge and prudence protect life, while moderation governs eating, drinking, and sexual pleasure.
6. The respondent rejects absolute chastity and argues that sexual conduct carries unequal consequences for women and men.

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