Eschewing anthropocentric framings, Radical Natural Law proposes a reconception of natural law that locates it in the critical standpoints of animals and other life forms in the natural world.
Engaging an impressively diverse range of thinkers and intellectual traditions, from conceptions of natural law in ancient Stoic and scholastic writings, to theoretical discussions about natural-world critical subjectivity in modern schools of thought, this book is an original and timely discussion that draws from within the Western philosophical tradition to make a case for the extension of natural law to non-human life.
Josephine Donovan identifies a common premise that she uses as the foundation for radical natural law: the fact that there are in all living organisms both an innate design or dynamic order and a centre of awareness or 'self', who knows what the imperatives of that order are and seeks to satisfy the needs essential to survival as such
Rezensionen / Stimmen
Josephine Donovan argues for the surprising contemporary relevance of natural law for respecting living creatures, in this fascinating retelling of forgotten philosophical traditions. From the Roman Stoics and Aquinas to 20th Century Frankfurt School theorists and the Oxford women's school, she lays out the radical natural law foundations for protecting animals as conscious subjects worthy of dignity and care. * Cynthia Willett, Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Philosophy, Emory University, USA, and author of Interspecies Ethics (2014) * Once in a generation a foundational work of political theory comes along to show us the world in a truly new light. Radical Natural Law is just such a work. In her bold reimagining of natural law theory, Josephine Donovan returns us to the neglected concept of natural essences to ground the inherent dignity of all animals in their telos as living beings. Along the way, Donovan, a distinguished scholar at the peak of her powers, upends the fact-value distinction, restores subjectivity to living matter, and smashes through conceptual logjams in ethics and political philosophy that have kept us from grasping the true nature of our civilizational crisis. Drawing on insights from such disparate currents as Stoicism, Hegelian Marxism, the Oxford women's school in philosophy, and the phenomenology of empathy, Donovan charts an urgent new project for the 'de-reification' of the animate world. Coming at a time when the lives and dignity of all living beings are under violent assault across the planet, Donovan's insights could not be more timely or important. This brilliant book is a must-read for anyone concerned to save our dying world. * John Sanbonmatsu, Professor of Philosophy at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA, and author of The Omnivore's Deception: What We Get Wrong about Meat, Animals, and Ourselves (2025) *
Sprache
Verlagsort
Verlagsgruppe
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Zielgruppe
Produkt-Hinweis
Fadenheftung
Gewebe-Einband
mit Schutzumschlag
Illustrationen
Maße
Höhe: 216 mm
Breite: 138 mm
Dicke: 25 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-1-350-56303-2 (9781350563032)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Josephine Donovan is Professor Emerita of English at the University of Maine, USA
Autor*in
University of Maine, USA
Introduction
1. Radical Natural Law and Critical Standpoints
2. Natural Goodness
3. Radical Need
4. Sympathy
5. Attention
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index