Christian Ethics and Natural Law

The life history of certain philosophical and theological terms and concepts constitutes in itself an interesting matter for consideration and reflection. None is more interesting than that of natural law. Many studies have traced the development of natural law philosophy from its early precursors a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Religious studies 1967-10, Vol.3 (1), p.301-311
Main Author: Carnes, John R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Christian ethics
Divinity
Empiricism
Jurisprudence
Morality
Natural law
Paradoxes
Reason
Spiritual love
Theology
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Summary:The life history of certain philosophical and theological terms and concepts constitutes in itself an interesting matter for consideration and reflection. None is more interesting than that of natural law. Many studies have traced the development of natural law philosophy from its early precursors among the Pre-Socratics through Plato and Aristotle, the Stoics, St Thomas, and the early British empiricists; have noted its demise in the nineteenth century, largely as a result of the criticism of Hume; and have observed its renaissance in the twentieth century. Despite this undeniable revival of interest in the theory (if, indeed it can be called a theory, given the wide diversity of philosophers who have identified themselves with it) in the present century, a moral philosopher uses the term only at great risk, for no philosophical theory has been so vigorously attacked and so thoroughly ‘refuted’ as natural law.
ISSN:0034-4125
1469-901X
DOI:10.1017/S0034412500002900