A Natural Law Approach to Normativity

Drawing on Natural Law theory, this volume argues that moral meaning resides in very basic, essential, natural facts about our existence as human beings. It demonstrates the validity of this belief, its significance for normativity and illustrates how early natural lawyers implicitly suggested a successful solution to Hume's 'is/ought' problem.

Exploring the relationship between natural law theory and the philosophy of law, Bebhinn Donnelly proposes a new approach to natural law theory - one which addresses some of the tradition''s shortcomings and advances further its approach to Hume''s dichotomy. Key features: ¢ Provides a clear definition of `nature'' in this context ¢ Contrasts the work of Hume and Kant regarding the `is/ought'' issue ¢ Examines the approach in traditional natural law ¢ Presents a full discussion of Finnis and the departure from traditional natural law ¢ Proposes a new, natural law approach to normativity, drawing on the strengths of traditional natural law theory ¢ Illustrates how natural law may provide a normative base for law A Natural Law Approach to Normativity presents an original perspective on natural law theory and will be of interest to academics in philosophy of law, moral/political philosophy, natural law theorists, and students of jurisprudence internationally.