This was first posted on For Freedom’s Sake on February 12, 2009 and deserves attention again. Since it is indisputable, that our great country was founded on the principles of rights granted by God, the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” and a limited government which as John Locke would argue, receives [...]
Category Archives: Natural Law
Ideas Have Consequences! What Ideas Will Influence You in 2011?
As 2011 approaches I have been thinking more and more about what I would like to study next year to continue to grow in my understanding of the philosophical, theological, legal and economic ideas that have shaped the U.S. and history in general. There is no shortage of books in print that can be added [...]
Also posted in Individual Liberty, Justice, Laws of Nature, Markets and Morality, Philosophy Tagged Bonhoeffer, Christianity, Greg Forster, Hadley Arkes, J. Budziszewski, James Davidson Hunter, Natural Law Theory, Robert P George, Scripture, The Public Square, Timothy Keller, Wayne Grudem Leave a comment
The Nature of Natural Law
by Mortimer J. Adler, Ph.D. “The expression ‘life, liberty, and property’ in the Fourteenth Amendment reflects the influence of natural law theory. The Bill of Rights assumes a doctrine of natural and unalienable rights. “A law which is not just is a law in name only,” says Augustine.” Most people are confused by the use [...]
Posted in Natural Law Tagged Aquinas, Aristotle, Augustine, Bill of Rights, Cicero, Fourteenth Amendement, Greek Philosophy, Hegel, John Locke, Kant, Laws of Nature, Mortimer J. Adler, Natural Law, Plato Leave a comment
What Is Law? [Part 2] – Frederic Bastiat
…Thus, since an individual cannot lawfully use force against the person, liberty, or property of another individual, then the common force—for the same reason—cannot lawfully be used to destroy the person, liberty, or property of individuals or groups. [From Part 1] Such a perversion of force would be, in both cases, contrary to our premise. [...]
Also posted in Individual Liberty, Private Property Tagged Individual Liberty, Justice, Private Property Leave a comment
What Is Law? [Part 1] – Frederic Bastiat
What, then, is law? It is the collective organization of the individual right to lawful defense. Each of us has a natural right—from God—to defend his person, his liberty, and his property. These are the three basic requirements of life, and the preservation of any one of them is completely dependent upon the preservation of [...]
Life is a Gift from God – Frederic Bastiat – “The Law”
We hold from God the gift which includes all others. This gift is life – physical, intellectual, and moral life. But life cannot maintain itself alone. The Creator of life has entrusted us with the responsibility of preserving, developing, and perfecting it. In order that we may accomplish this, He has provided us with a [...]
Also posted in Individual Liberty Leave a comment
Inaugural Post – Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the [...]
