In Defense of Natural Law

by Robert P. George

Overview

In Making Men Moral, his 1995 book, George questioned the central doctrines of liberal jurisprudence and political theory. In his new work he extends his critique of liberalism, and also goes beyond it to show how contemporary natural law theory provides a superior way of thinking about basic problems of justice and political morality. Students as well as scholars in law, political science, and philosophy will find George's arguments stimulating, challenging, and compelling.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198267713
Publisher:	Oxford University Press, USA
Publication date:	02/28/1999
Pages:	360
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Robert George is a Professor in the Politics Department at Princeton University. He is the author and editor of many academic texts and journals and is a presidential appointee to the US Commission on Civil Rights.

Table of Contents

c Introduction
Part 1 Theoretical Issues
1. A Defense of the New Natural Law Theory
2. Recent Criticism of Natural Law Theory
3. Natural Law and Human Nature
4. Does the Incommensurability Thesis Imperil Common Sense Moral Judgements?
c 6 Free Choice, Practical Reason and Fitness for the Rule
art 2 Moral and Political Questions
7. Religious Liberty and Political Morality
8. Marriage and the Liberal Imagination
9. What Sex Can Be: Alienation, Illusion, or One-Flesh Union
10 Making Children Moral: Pornography, Parents and the Public Interest.
11. Public Reason and Political Conflict: Abortion and Homosexual Acts
12. Natural Law and International Order
Part 3 Dialectical Engagement
13. Moral Particularism, Thomism, and Traditions
14. Hu man Flourishing as a Criterion of Morality: A Critique of Percy's Naturalism
15. Nature, Morality and Homosexuality
16. Can Sex be Reasonable?
17. Moralistic Liberalism and Legal Moralism
18. Law, Democracy, and Moral Disagreement
Index
Introduction
Part 1 Theoretical Issues
1. A Defense of the New Natural Law Theory
2. Recent Criticism of Natural Law Theory
3. Natural Law and Human Nature
4. Does the Incommensurability Thesis Imperil Common Sense Moral Judgements?
5 Natural Law and Positive Law
6 Free Choice, Practical Reason and Fitness for the Rule of Law
Part 2 Moral and Political Questions
7. Religious Liberty and Political Morality
8. Marriage and the Liberal Imagination
9. What Sex Can Be: Alienation, Illusion, or One-Flesh Union
10 Making Children Moral: Pornography, Parents and the Public Interest.
11. Public Reason and Political Conflict: Abortion and Homosexual Acts
12. Natural Law and International Order
Part 3 Dialectical Engagement
13. Moral Particularism, Thomism, and Traditions
14. Hu man Flourishing as a Criterion of Morality: A Critique of Percy's Naturalism
15. Nature, Morality and Homosexuality
16. Can Sex be Reasonable?
17. Moralistic Liberalism and Legal Moralism
18. Law, Democracy, and Moral Disagreement
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Robert George has done more than anyone else in modern jurisprudence to explore the implications of natural law for American constitutional structures and for issues of public policy and public morality . . . This is natural law philosophy at its best." — Jeremy Waldron, Columbia University

"Robert George's writings have, I must admit, made me very nervous about my commitments to liberalism." — Jeffrie G. Murphy, Arizona State University

"These essays by one of America's leading legal and political theorists bring freshness, intellectual rigor and moral seriousness to the analysis of the great issues of the day—from abortion to religious freedom to the relations among nations . . . In Defense of Natural Law is a must read for anyone in search of a better public philosophy."— I Mary Ann Glendon, Harvard University

"On every front, George shows himself to be a champion of the first order: his arguments display analytic rigor, penetrating insight, honesty and graciousness towards his adversaries, moral seriousness, and rare moral courage."—In Defense of Natural Law

"Robert George has done more than anyone else in modern jurisprudence to explore the implications of natural law for American constitutional structures and for issues of public policy and public morality . . . This is natural law philosophy at its best."— Jeremy Waldron, Columbia University

"Robert George's writings have, I must admit, made me very nervous about my commitments to liberalism."— Jeffrie G. Murphy, Arizona State University

"These essays by one of America's leading legal and political theorists bring freshness, intellectual rigor and moral seriousness to the analysis of the great issues of the day—from abortion to religious freedom to the relations among nations . . . In Defense of Natural Law is a must read for anyone in search of a better public

From the Publisher