Natural Law and Natural Rights
Natural Law and Natural Rights (1980; second edition 2011) is a book about natural law and natural rights by the philosopher John Finnis. The book was first published by Oxford University Press.
.jpg) Cover of the first edition | |
| Author | John Finnis |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Clarendon Law Series |
| Subjects | Natural law Natural rights |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
Publication date | 1980 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) |
| Pages | 500 (2011, 2nd edition) |
| ISBN | 0199599149 |
Summary
Finnis discusses law, with reference to natural law and natural rights, and practical reason. He also proposes a list of basic human goods, including practical reflection, life, knowledge, play, aesthetic experience, sociability (friendship), practical reasonableness, and religion.[1]
Publication history
Natural Law and Natural Rights was first published in 1980 by Oxford University Press, as part of the Clarendon Law Series. A second edition was published in 2011.[2][3]
Reception
The philosopher Stephen Buckle described Finnis's list of proposed basic goods as plausible. However, he considered Finnis's account of the basic requirements of practical reasonableness more controversial, arguing that Finnis's requirement of "respect for every basic value in every act" was intended both to rule out consequentialism in ethics and also to support the moral viewpoint of the Catholic Church on a range of contentious issues, including contraception and masturbation. He maintained that this undermined its plausibility.[4]
References
- Finnis 2011, pp. 3–410.
- George 2005, p. 303.
- Finnis 2011, p. iv.
- Buckle 1997, p. 171.
Bibliography
- Books
- Buckle, Stephen (1997). "Natural law". In Singer, Peter (ed.). A Companion to Ethics. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers. ISBN 0-631-18785-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Finnis, John (2011). Natural Law and Natural Rights, Second Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199599141.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- George, Robert P. (2005). "Finnis, John". In Honderich, Ted (ed.). The Oxford Companion to Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-926479-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)