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Professor Finnis compares and contrasts two major types of “obligation” in subsections three and four of NLNR: moral duties, such as the general moral duty to keep one’s promises, and legal duties, such as the general legal duty to perform … Continue reading →

Professor Finnis addresses some fascinating questions in subsection two of Chapter XI. Specifically, what is a promise, and why is a promise morally binding? To his credit, Prof Finnis correctly notes that the practice of making promises can take many … Continue reading →

We now proceed to Chapter XI of “Natural Law and Natural Rights.” This chapter is titled “Obligation” and contains nine subsections. Since I like to emphasize duties and responsibilities instead of rights, and since this is my favorite chapter of … Continue reading →

We shall now review Chapter X of “Natural Law and Natural Rights.” Among other things, Professor Finnis explores the relation between law and coercion (pp. 260-264), identifies the main features of a legal order (pp. 266-270), and presents a “multi-faceted” … Continue reading →

We now proceed to Chapter IX of “Natural Law and Natural Rights.” This chapter contains five subsections and is devoted to the theme of authority. By “authority,” Professor Finnis means coercion or the power “to require one to choose what … Continue reading →

My wife and I are in the Atlanta area this weekend, but the forecast calls for lots of rain. Perfect weather for reading! (We will return to “Natural Law and Natural Rights” on Monday.)

Before we wrap up our review of “Natural Law and Natural Rights” (NLNR), I want to take a moment to sum up my protracted two-part Coasean critique of rights-talk (here is part one and here is part two) by making … Continue reading →

In response to Professor Finnis’s analysis of rights in Chapter VIII of his book on “Natural Law and Natural Rights,” we began to present a general critique of rights-talk in our previous post. Specifically, we surveyed Ronald Coase’s economic analysis … Continue reading →

We now proceed to Chapter VIII of “Natural Law and Natural Rights.” Among other things, Professor Finnis revisits W. N. Hohfeld’s classic taxonomy of rights (see pp. 199-205), delves into the history of the language of rights (pp. 206-210), and … Continue reading →

We now proceed to Chapter VII of “Natural law and natural rights,” the chapter on justice. Alas, Professor Finnis’s beautiful theory of justice is built on theoretical quicksand, for it is premised on his view of the common good, and … Continue reading →