The First Grace: Rediscovering the Natural Law in a Post-Christian World

by Russell Hittinger

The last two decades or so have seen a marked resurgence of interest in natural law thought, a movement in which Russell Hittinger has been a major figure. The First Rediscovering the Natural Law in a Post-Christian World reveals the power and subtlety of Hittinger's philosophical work and cultural criticism. Whether discussing the nature of liberalism, the constitutional and moral problems posed by judicial usurpation, or the dangers of technology, Hittinger convincingly demonstrates that in our post-Christian world it is more crucial than ever that we recover older, wiser notions of the concepts of freedom and law - and that we see that to place these two concepts in opposition is to misunderstand both profoundly.

Genres: Philosophy, Politics, Theology, Catholic

382 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

American catholic thinker. Hittinger's scholarship is focused on the intersection of philosophy, religion, and law, with particular emphasis on the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas. For the past several years he has worked and published extensively on the history of Catholic social thought since the 18th century.
Hittinger is on the governing council of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas and a member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.
Hittinger received his BA from the University of Notre Dame, summa cum laude, majoring in History and Theology in 1975, and matriculated to the Jesuit St. Louis University, where he was awarded an MA and PhD (1986) in philosophy. His dissertation, A Critique of the New Natural Law Theory, was published by the University of Notre Dame Press in 1989.

Reviews

[Colm Gillis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book written by a Catholic for a largely American audience, but even for a non-Christian like yours truly, I found it to be an engrossing read. Hittinger not only masterfully presents a difficult topic - the jurisprudence of Catholic natural law - but he also manages to draw the reader into certain debates occurring within the Catholic faith and within the constitutional order of the United States (e.g. disputes over abortion and euthanasia). It is not an easy read. Someone who knows little about natural law will just about get by, but at the same time Hittinger doesn't complicate matters too much. It is very much a discourse, and probably a criticism I would level at this book is that the argument of the book (if there is one) is a little unclear. The structure is a little haphazard also. Having said that, I greatly enjoyed reading this book and the knowledge which Hittinger brings to the table does make you want to keep reading.

[Daniel Crouch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though the long excurses into Catholic encyclicals and the US judiciary are oftentimes boring, Hittinger's work here is rigorous and well worth the read.

[Jonathan]

None

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some chapters were more interesting than others. The book was a bit disjointed as it was mostly a collection of previously published essays.