Human nature is given, not invented

The human person is embodied, relational, morally accountable, and directed toward goods that do not depend entirely on preference. We arrive in a body, a family, a language, a place, and a history before we begin to choose.

This principle protects freedom while denying that every chosen act is therefore good. Civil law, moral law, and custom remain distinct; prudence governs their relationship. The question is not only “Was it chosen?” but “What is it for, whom does it affect, and what obligations does it touch?”