The Problem of Natural Law
Published on 27. August 2007
Book
Hardback
208 pages
978-0-7391-2036-1 (ISBN)
Description
The Problem of Natural Law takes up the problem of how natural law theory might be made a serious contender in modern moral, political, and legal debate. Author Douglas Kries takes as his starting point the question of how human beings are said to know the natural law, which is a question that has traditionally been answered by appealing to the notion of "conscience." Since Thomas Aquinas articulated the classic formulation of natural law theory, the book begins with an analysis of Thomas's notion of conscience. It then examines both the philosophical and theological objections that have been raised against the Thomistic notion of conscience and argues that this long-standing teaching could and should be bracketed by contemporary natural law theory. On the basis of this reformulation of natural law, Kries then proceeds to show how reviving natural law theory might be possible in the contemporary context, though it will need to be preceded by a reformulation of the natural law theory itself, especially with respect to the doctrine of conscience. If this is accomplished, Thomistic natural law will be better situated to respond to its three most important contemporary critics: the existentialism of Sartre, the deontologism of Kant, and the political hedonism of Hobbes.
Reviews / Votes
Kries gives us an intelligent analysis of Aquinas's theory of conscience, with some very revealing historical detective work at its foundation. What is more, Kries's book contains one of the best discussions I have seen of the fundamental problem of any natural law doctrine: whether there really is something like a natural conscience through which human beings learn their duties. Particularly valuable is Kries's discussion of the leading contemporary challenges to natural law. -- Thomas G. West Kries's treatment of traditional natural law arguments is sophisticated and refreshing. . . .Recommended. -- . * CHOICE, May 2008 * Kries gives a useful exposition of the historical evolution of synderesis. The Problem of Natural Law takes us close to the heart of the problem. Anyone interested in something more than slogans about natural law will want to read the book. -- Russell Hittinger, University of Tulsa * First Things * Since John Finnis's pioneering work, books and essays on natural law have continued to come forth in the past thirty years. Douglas Kries's new book serves a special purpose in this regard. It puts into order the main schools of thought that would reject or interpret natural law in a non-Thomistic framework. Kries sees the point of the various objections and their historic sources. He is a clear writer and puts the whole issue of natural law in a light that fairly considers the objections and sees how a natural law thinker would deal with them. This is a very worthy and valuable contribution. -- James V. Schall, S. J., professor emeritus, Georgetown UniversityMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
With dust jacket
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
505 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7391-2036-1 (9780739120361)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Douglas Kries is associate professor of philosophy at Gonzaga University.
Content
Chapter 1 Introduction: Identifying the Problem Part 2 Part I: The Pre-Modern Critics of Thomistic Conscience Chapter 3 Chapter 1: Conscience in Thomas's Understanding of Natural Law Chapter 4 Chapter 2: The Objections of the Ancient Philosophers Chapter 5 Chapter 3: The Objections of the Calvinist Christians Part 6 Part II: The Question of Revision Chapter 7 Chapter 4: On the Possibility of Revising Thomas's Teaching on Conscience Part 8 Part III: Answering Modern Critics of Natural Law Chapter 9 Chapter 5: Those Who Deny the Existence of Human Nature Chapter 10 Chapter 6: Those Who Deny the Moral Relevancy of Human Nature Chapter 11 Chapter 7: Those Who Deny the Ancient Understanding of Human Nature