Human Nature and Moral Goodness

How is human nature related to moral goodness? In what way is human nature normative? These are the questions I shall address from the perspective of a natural law theorist, or to be more specific, from the perspective of what is often called the new natural law theory, in the line of Germain Grisez, John Finnis, Joseph Boyle, and others. To approach the question, I shall first specify one way I think human nature is not morally normative. I shall then explain what I mean by nature when speaking of human nature, how I think free choice is related to human nature, how we reach basic practical insights and basic moral principles based on our nature, and I shall conclude by considering some theological worries about our natural knowledge of basic moral principles.