Introduction

Abstract

Natural law theory says that humans can only live well if they recognise the goods that are natural for humans and understand how those goods generate the obligations and the permissions that together characterise the system of practical guidance that we call morality. Natural law — for the source of the name see Aquinas, Summa Theologiae Ia IIae q. 94 — is a long-established and flourishing ethical tradition, with roots in Plato, Aristotle, and Aquinas, and it is increasingly recognised as a worthy competitor to Kantianism, utilitarianism, and virtue ethics. The chapters in this book reflect the growing influence, sophistication, and importance of natural law theory within contemporary ethical debate. And they demonstrate by example how much vitality there is in natural law — how much rich and as-yet-unrealised theoretical potential that ancient tradition of ethical thinking still holds today.