Natural Law for Lawyers
I finally finished another book! I'm still reading 1776 - about halfway through now - and I still like it, although it's taking me a long time! But I have to read a few other books before my internship starts in two weeks, so here's the review of the first one.
64. J. Budziszewski, Natural Law for Lawyers
In this slim volume, Budziszewski gives a basic overview of natural law theory: what it is, how it has developed throughout history, and how contemporary culture (particularly legal culture) has responded to it. He cites to authorities such as Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and the Bible to argue that natural law theory is rooted in the divine law, and emphasizes the moral nature of law in general. Ultimately, his goal is to promote the idea of the natural law in legal discussion.
I would only recommend this book to people who have absolutely no prior knowledge of natural law theory and who don’t mind reading a work from a blatantly Christian perspective. For me, the book didn’t really tell me anything new, although I did agree with many of its arguments and conclusions. The language got a bit patronizing at times, which bothered me; the tone was so casual as to be awkward and irritating, possibly in an effort to “relate” to younger readers. My overall problem with the book is that it’s far too short. Many of the arguments may well be valid, but since Budziszewski does not discuss them at length, they sound dismissive of opposing viewpoints. I do think that natural law theory is interesting and intellectually legitimate, but it deserves a much more thorough discussion than it is given in this book.