Retrieving The Natural Law

In a pervasive and persuasive culture that seems intractable in its denial of enduring moral wisdom, too often ordinary men and women are left unassisted in making moral judgments. J. Daryl Charles points out that this has not been the general rule in the last two millennia. Instead, precisely the opposite has been assumed, so that theologians, philosophers, scientists and lay people all agreed that certain moral principles are the same for all people of all times. Restating what all people intuit and what this means in moral – specifically bioethical – discourse is the raison d’etre for this volume. Retrieving the Natural Law argues that a traditional metaphysics of natural law lies at the heart of the present reconstructive project, and that a revival in natural-law thinking must be a highest priority for the Christian community as we contend in, rather than abdicate, the public square. Nowhere is this more on display that in the realm of bioethics where the most basic of moral questions – human personhood, human rights versus responsibilities, suffering, the reality of moral evil, and others – are being debated. With his timely application of natural-law thinking to the realm of bioethics, Charles seeks to breathe new life back into this key debate.