Abstract

This book is intended for “students and readers not formally trained in philosophy who feel the need for a reliable conceptual structure for their own thinking in the midst of the confusing array of moral views expressed today”. It is systematic in structure and almost no mention is made of the historical sources for natural law ethics until the appendix, where Gómez-Lobo credits Grisez and especially Finnis for shaping much of the book’s content. Gómez-Lobo proceeds under the assumption that “certain norms are common to mankind, and that they are not crafted by man”, and, drawing from Plato’s Crito, he invites his readers to explore his claims as interlocutors on equal footing who share a commitment to rational persuasion.