From Human Dignity To Natural Law: An Introduction
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- Synopsis
- From Human Dignity to Natural Law shows how the whole of the natural law, as understood in the Aristotelian Thomistic tradition, is contained implicitly in human dignity. Human dignity means existing for one's own good (the common good as well as one's individual good), and not as a mere means to an alien good. But what is the true human good? This question is answered with a careful analysis of Aristotle's definition of happiness. The natural law can then be understood as the precepts that guide us in achieving happiness. To show that human dignity is a reality in the nature of things and not a mere human invention, it is necessary to show that human beings exist by nature for the achievement of the properly human good in which happiness is found. This implies finality in nature. Since contemporary natural science does not recognize final causality, the book explains why living things, as least, must exist for a purpose and why the scientific method, as currently understood, is not able to deal with this question. These reflections will also enable us to respond to a common criticism of natural law theory: that it attempts to derive statements of what ought to be from statements about what is.
- Copyright:
- 2019
Book Details
- Book Quality:
- Excellent
- Book Size:
- 262 Pages
- ISBN-13:
- 9780813232423
- Publisher:
- Catholic University of America Press
- Date of Addition:
- 09/30/24
- Copyrighted By:
- © 2019 The Catholic University of America Press
- Adult content:
- No
- Language:
- English
- Has Image Descriptions:
- No
- Categories:
- Nonfiction, Law, Legal Issues and Ethics, Philosophy
- Submitted By:
- 170
- Proofread By:
- 170
- Usage Restrictions:
- This is a copyrighted book.