Natural Law and the Possibility of a Global Ethics

Accounts of natural law moral philosophy and theology sought principles and precepts for morality, law, and other forms of social authority, whose prescriptive force was not dependent for validity on human decision, social influence, past tradition, or cultural convention, but through natural reason itself. This volume critically explores and assesses our contemporary culture wars in terms of: the possibility of natural law moral philosophy and theology to provide a unique, content-full, canonical morality; the character and nature of moral pluralism; the limits of justifiable national and international policy seeking to produce and preserve human happiness, social justice, and the common good; the ways in which morality, moral epistemology, and social political reform must be set within the broader context of an appropriately philosophically and theologically anchored anthropology. This work will be of interest to philosophers, theologians, bioethicists, ethicists and political scientists.

Acknowledgements. Foreword; G.E. Martin. Natural Law and the Possibility of a Global Ethics: An Introduction to a Culture in Crisis; M.J. Cherry. Section I: Confronting Moral Pluralism: Assessing Universal Applicability. 1. Natural Law and Global Ethics; J. Boyle. 2. Natural Law and Moral Pluralism: Epistemological and Metaphysical Challenges; M.J. Cherry. 3. Natural Law and Modem Meta-Ethics: A Guided Tour; C. Tollefsen. 4. Moral Identity and the Natural Law Theory: A Response to Tollefsen's "Natural Law and Modem Meta-Ethics: A Guided Tour"; F. Jotterand. Section II: Engaging the Limits of Human Nature. 5. Global Ethics and Natural Law; N. Capaldi. 6. Natural Law and Conflict; D. McInerny. 7. Natural Law and Historical Mindedness; W.J. Zanardi. 8. An Assessment of the Requirements of the Study of Natural Law; A. Iltis. Section III: Beyond Rationalistic Philosophy: Assessing Universal Accessibility. 9. Natural Law and Global Ethics; B.A. Lustig. 10. The Perversity of Thomistic Natural Law Theory: Reflections on Lustig's Criticisms; T.J. Bole, III. 11. Natural Law and the Free Church Tradition; R.B. Kruschwitz. 12. Natural Law and the Free Church Tradition: A Biblicist Responds; R.J. Bautch. Section IV: The Natural Law Tradition and a Culture in Crisis. 13. Insights and Hindsights from Seeking a Global Ethic; P.M. Thompson, K.P. Lee. Notes on Contributors. Index.