Aquinas: Moral, Political, and Legal Theory

by John Finnis

This launch volume in the Founders of Modern Political and Social Thought series presents a critical examination of Aquinas's thought, combining an accessible, historically-informed account of his work with an assessment of his central ideas and arguments. John Finnis presents a richly-documented critical review of Aquinas's thought on morality, politics, law, and method in social science. Unique in his coverage of both primary and secondary texts and his vigorous argumentation on many themes, the author focuses on the philosophy in Aquinas's texts, and demonstrates how this interconnects with the theological elements. Finnis shows how Aquinas, despite some medieval limitations, makes clear and profound contributions to present debates.

Genres: Philosophy, Politics, Law

408 pages, Paperback

First published December 3, 1998

About the author

John Mitchell Finnis (born 28 July 1940) is an Australian legal philosopher, jurist and scholar specializing in jurisprudence and the philosophy of law. He is currently the Biolchini Family Professor of Law at Notre Dame Law School and Permanent Senior Distinguished Research Fellow at the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture. He was Professor of Law & Legal Philosophy at the University of Oxford from 1989 to 2010, where he is now professor emeritus. He acted as a constitutional adviser to successive Australian Commonwealth governments in constitutional matters and bilateral relations with the United Kingdom.

Reviews

[Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read Chapter VII. An intriguing analysis of the Thomistic view of the role of the state in the life of man. I hope to read the whole thing one day.

[Daniel Schotman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A but of a slow start but gets better and better and more and more to the point while the book is proceeding. So most of all, I would say. Give it time.