The Revival of Natural Law: Philosophical, Theological and Ethical Res

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Natural law theory has been enjoying a significant revival in recent times. Led by Germain Grisez in the USA and John Finnis in the UK, one school of thinkers has been articulating a highly developed system of natural law built upon a sophisticated account of practical reasoning and a rich and flexible understanding of the human good. However, long-standing prejudices against old-style natural... Read more

Natural law theory has been enjoying a significant revival in recent times. Led by Germain Grisez in the USA and John Finnis in the UK, one school of thinkers has been articulating a highly developed system of natural law built upon a sophisticated account of practical reasoning and a rich and flexible understanding of the human good. However, long-standing prejudices against old-style natural law among moral philosophers and Protestant ethicists, together with the new theory's appropriation by conservatives in the impassioned debate between the Vatican and dissenting theologians in the United States, have prevented the Finnis-Grisez version from being adequately appreciated. Providing a clear and substantive introduction to the theory for those who are new to it, this book then broadens, assesses, and advances the debate about it, examining crucial philosophical, theological and ethical issues and opening up discussion beyond the confines of the Roman Catholic Church. Part 1, on philosophical issues, starts with two broad chapters that locate the Grisez school in relation to modern moral philosophy and the Roman Catholic philosophical tradition of Thomism, and then follows these with further chapters on two crucial issues: the possibility of consensus on the human good, and the nature of moral absolutes. Part 2, on theological dimensions, begins with a Lutheran critique of Grisez, locates him in relation to the ethics of two very prominent 20th century Protestants, Karl Barth and Stanley Hauerwas, and then explores the major area of theological controversy within the Roman Catholic community - how to conceive of the "Church's" authority with regard to moral matters. Part 3 subjects the school's thought to critical examination in a broad range of ethical fields: bioethics, gender, sex and the environment. A concluding chapter then develops eight topics that recur in the course of the book: the status of ethical realism in the contemporary intellectual climate; whether realism is best conceived in rationalist or naturalist terms; whether marriage should be counted as a basic good; whether physical pleasure should not be counted a basic good; whether it is always wrong to act deliberately against a basic good; the problems of moral certainty and authority; the rapproachement between Protestant and Roman Catholic ethics; and, finally, whether ethical understanding is really independent of one's anthropological point of view. Drawing together North American, European and Australian contributors from across moral philosophy and Protestant ethics as well as from Roman Catholic moral theology, this book opens up the debate about the Finnis-Grisez theory, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses in order to advance current discussion about natural law in moral theology and in moral and legal philosophy. Read less

Contents: Introduction: The new natural law theory, Rufus Black; Part 1: Philosophical Issues: Natural law revived: natural law theory and contemporary moral philosophy, Timothy Chappell; Grisez and Thomism, Ralph McInerny; The basic dimensions of human flourishing: a comparison of accounts, Sabina Alkire; John Finnis on moral absolutes, Oliver O’Donovan; Part II: Theological Dimensions: Is Grisez’s moral theology rationalistic? Free Choice, the human condition, and Christian ethics, GÃ¶ran Bexell; Is the new natural law theory Christian?, Rufus Black; Karl Barth and Germain Grisez on the human good: an ecumenical rapprochement, Nigel Biggar; Grisez’s ecclesiology, the role of moral theologians, and the scope for responsible dissent, Bernard Hoose; Part III: Moral Fields: Respect for life in Germain Grisez’s moral theology, Dave Leal; Natural sex: Germain Grisez, sex and natural law, Gareth Moore, O.P.; Grisez on sex and gender: a feminist theological perspective, Lisa Sowle Cahill; The moral standing of nature and the new natural law, Michael Northcott; Conclusion, Nigel Biggar; Index.

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Nigel Biggar, Rufus Black

Critics' Reviews

'... when such a sustained attempt at establishing a complete moral theory is made, it is surely to be welcomed... a very worthwhile collection. Arguments are taken seriously, and assessed carefully and eirenically on their merits rather than on their alleged orthodoxy... The editors have done us a service both in their choice of topic for the volume, and in their choice of contributors.' Studies in Christian Ethics '... an interesting systematic treatment...' Themelios 'This book is illuminating, exciting, and fascinating.' Bijdragen, Journal of Philosophy and Theology

The Revival of Natural Law Philosophical, Theological and Ethical Responses to the Finnis-Grisez School

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Table of Contents

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Biography

Critics' Reviews

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