The Scandal of Natural Law: An Interview with J. Budziszewski

The Scandal of Natural Law | An Interview with J. Budziszewski, author of The Line Through the Heart | March 17, 2010 | Ignatius Insight

J. Budziszewski, who holds a Ph.D. from Yale University, is a professor of government and philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of several books, including The Revenge of Conscience and How to Stay Christian in College. A new edition of his book, What We Can't Not Know: A Guide, will be published by Ignatius Press in 2011. His most recent book is The Line Through the Heart: Natural Law as Fact, Theory, and Sign of Contradiction (ISI, 2009), which has been praised by Peter Kreeft as "a powerful, convincing, high-level yet commonsensical piece of philosophizing" and as "clear, analytical, persuasive" by the late Ralph McInerny.

Carl E. Olson, the editor of Ignatius Insight, recently interviewed Dr. Budziszewski about The Line Through the Heart, the importance of natural law, and the intolerance of liberalism.

Ignatius Insight: What is a pithy, less-than-three-sentences definition of natural law?

Budziszewski: The expression "natural law" refers to the basic principles of right and wrong that are true for everyone because they are rooted in the very nature of the created human person, and knowable to everyone because we are endowed with conscience and the power to deliberate.

In principle, the natural law provides a point of contact, a common ground, among people of every culture -- although, as I've written, it is a slippery one.

Ignatius Insight: You point out throughout The Line Through the Heart that there are many misconceptions about and misrepresentations of natural law. What are some of most common of those misconceptions and misrepresentations? Where or who do they tend to come from?

Read the entire interview...

Comments

[Gordon]

I hope Ignatius is giving some thought to picking up Budziszewski's Revenge of Conscience and What we Can't Not Know, since their publisher appears to have gone under and the books are selling for a small fortune second-hand (so there is demand). Those are two books that should never be allowed to go out of print.

[Ed Peters]

What we Can't Not Know. Hmmm. That's about the 3rd time I've heard of that bokthis week.

[Deacon Harold]

Great post, Carl! I agree with Gordon.

[Vera]

Gordon, the bio on J. Budziszewski, above says , "A new edition of his book, What We Can't Not Know: A Guide, will be published by Ignatius Press in 2011." :) So if you can hold out for another year, you should be able to get a new copy for less than what the used copies are going for currently.

[Norah]

Charles Rice's 50 Questions About the Natural Law is another great book.

[Ed Peters]

Norah, read CR's book long ago. Long ago. It's terrif.

[Gordon]

Vera, thank you. Obviously, I skipped over the bio because I thought that was the part I already knew. It was very kind of you to notice my anxiety over this book falling out of print, then to reassure me that all would be well.