Final answer:
The question involves the discussion of natural law theory, referencing the perspectives of Aquinas, Locke, Kant, and Bentham on whether there is a moral order in nature existing due to a divine power.
Step-by-step explanation:
The concept in question relates to classical natural law theory, commonly associated with thinkers such as Thomas Aquinas and John Locke, and also to ethical theories we find in modern philosophy, especially in the work of Kant. This natural law posits that there are certain moral principles within the nature of things, especially human beings as rational animals, which determine correct behavior. Aquinas argued that these natural laws are discernible through human reason, and for him, because the natural order was created by God, this gives a theological perspective to natural law.
However, modern evolutionary theory and ethical naturalism challenge the notion that there is a moral order inherent in nature since they attribute the development of species, including their behavior, to survival needs. Furthermore, Kant introduced the concept of duty and moral maxims that we can determine using reason alone, independently of theological doctrines. In contrast to these views, Jeremy Bentham and other critics dismiss the idea of a natural moral law, labeling it as 'nonsense', and argue that rights and morals are constructs of legal systems and society, not pre-existing in nature.