Abstract
Moral questions pervade our lives; they are the stuff of political, and hence legal, debate. ‘Natural law’ asks: Is there an objectively ascertainable measure of right and wrong, good and bad? If so, by what means can we retrieve it? It examines the writings of contemporary natural lawyer John Finnis, who has played a major role in the revival of natural law. The overriding rationale of natural law theory seems to be, as Finnis says, to establish ‘what is really good for human persons’. We cannot pursue human goods until we have a community. The moral dilemmas that arise from abortion and euthanasia are also considered.
