Reforming the Law of Nature: Natural Law in the Reformed Tradition and the Secularization of Political Thought, 1532 1688

This book offers a new interpretation of the historical relationship between early modern developments in natural law theories and modern political thought,including secularization and liberalism. It provides a fresh, interdisciplinary reading of early Reformed Protestant natural law jurisprudence and political thought,reforming the relationship of the Reformed Protestant tradition to medieval and Enlightenment political thought and jurisprudence.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 30 November 2023
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

The book offers a fresh interpretation of the historical relationship between early modern developments in natural law theories and important features of modern political thought, including secularization and liberalism. It provides a fresh, interdisciplinary reading of early Reformed Protestant natural law jurisprudence and political thought, reframing the relationship of the Reformed Protestant tradition to both medieval and Enlightenment political thought and jurisprudence in a way that has a lasting impact on scholarly discourse in law, intellectual history, theology, and political science.

The book begins by exploring the ways in which early modern natural law ideas were shaped by the political context of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It examines the ways in which political thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau used natural law theories to justify their support for government and political authority. It also explores the ways in which these theories were used to challenge traditional notions of political authority and to promote individual rights and freedoms.

The book then turns to examine the ways in which natural law ideas were developed in the context of Reformed Protestantism. It explores the ways in which Reformed Protestant thinkers such as John Calvin and Martin Luther used natural law theories to justify their opposition to Roman Catholicism and to promote the idea of a Christian republic. It also explores the ways in which these theories were used to promote social and economic equality and to defend the rights of the poor and marginalized.

The book concludes by exploring the ways in which natural law ideas were transformed in the eighteenth century by the rise of secularization and liberalism. It examines the ways in which political thinkers such as Immanuel Kant and John Locke used natural law theories to promote the idea of a constitutional government and to defend individual rights and freedoms. It also explores the ways in which these theories were used to challenge traditional notions of political authority and to promote social and economic equality.

Reforming the Law of Nature is a stimulating study of the development of natural law ideas in the early modern period, uncovering their connection to conceptions of the origins of politics. It provides a fresh, interdisciplinary reading of early Reformed Protestant natural law jurisprudence and political thought, reframing the relationship of the Reformed Protestant tradition to both medieval and Enlightenment political thought and jurisprudence in a way that has a lasting impact on scholarly discourse in law, intellectual history, theology, and political science.

Weight: 352g
Dimension: 155 x 235 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781474493994