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What do we mean when we refer to people as being equal by
nature? In the first book devoted to human equality as a fact
rather than as a social goal or a legal claim, John Coons and
Patrick Brennan argue that even if people possess unequal talents
or are born into unequal circumstances, all may still be equal if
it is true that human nature provides them the same access to moral
self-perfection. Plausibly, in the authors' view, such access stems
from the power of individuals to achieve goodness simply by doing
the best they can to discover and perform correct actions. If
people enjoy the same degree of natural capacity to try, all of us
are offered the same opportunities for moral self-fulfillment. To
believe this is to believe in equality.
This truly interdisciplinary work not only proposes the authors'
own rationale but also provides an effective deconstruction of
several other contemporary theories of equality, while it engages
historical, philosophical, and Christian accounts as well.
Furthermore, by divorcing the "best" from the "brightest," it shows
how descriptive equality acquires practical significance. Among
other accomplishments, By Nature Equal offers communitarians a core
principle that has until now eluded them, rescues human dignity
from the hierarchy of intellect, identifies racism in a new way,
and shows how justice can be freshly grounded in the conviction
that every rational person has the same capacity for moral
excellence.
This work makes a richly humanitarian case for parental school
choice, seeking to advance social justice and respect the dignity
of parents—especially those on the margins. For decades,
arguments in favor of school choice have largely been advanced on
the basis of utility or outcome rather than social justice and
human dignity. The Case for Parental Choice: God, Family, and
Educational Liberty offers a compelling and humanitarian
alternative. This volume contains an edited collection of essays by
John E. Coons, a visionary legal scholar and ardent supporter of
what is perhaps best described as a social justice case for
parental school choice. Few have written more prodigiously or
prophetically about the need to give parents—particularly poor
parents—power over their children’s schooling. Coons has been
an advocate of school choice for over sixty years, and indeed
remains one of the most articulate proponents of a case for school
choice that promotes both low-income parents and civic engagement,
as opposed to mere efficiency or achievement. His is a
distinctively Catholic voice that brings powerful normative
arguments to debates that far too often get bogged down in disputes
about cost savings and test scores. The essays collected herein
treat a wide variety of topics, including the relationship between
school choice and individual autonomy; the implications of American
educational policy for social justice, equality, and community; the
impact of public schooling on low-income families; and the
religious implications of school choice. Together, these pieces
make for a wide-ranging and morally compelling case for parental
choice in children’s schooling.
Voices of Enlightenment have long counseled modern men and women to
flee authority, including authority claimed by the church. Aspiring
to substitute rock-ribbed law for human, or even divine, authority,
today's legal minds pursue a "rule of law, not of men." Any
possibility of authority is almost everywhere assimilated to the
threat of authoritarian abuse. Civilizing Authority counters the
flight from authority with the claim that it is precisely authority
itself that offers a barrier against authoritarianism. The book's
authors share the insight that humans cannot increase, or even long
survive, without authority, and they observe, from along a broad
spectrum of perspectives, that all phases of our human living
depend on authority. Families, churches, clubs, monasteries,
unions, cities, and states - human living would be unrecognizable
without them, and they all depend upon authority and authorities.
Still, what is "the authority experience?" What are we obeying when
when we give willing assent to authority? The ten authors of
Civilizing Authority, Chrisitians of diverse belief and
professional discipline, unite here to explore the ways in which
authority, though elusive, remains possible - indeed, exigent - in
a post-Christian world. Refusing to conflate genuine authority with
positions of power or prestige, they probe the deep, and perhaps
transendental, sources of authority. Friendship, solidarity,
liberty, and perhaps even belief - these, the authors suggest, may
be the true springs of the authority that is the principle of
increase in human living.
Rooted in Western classical and medieval philosophies, the natural
law movement of the last few decades seeks to rediscover
fundamental moral truths. In this book, prominent thinkers
demonstrate how natural law can be used to resolve a wide range of
complex social, political, and constitutional issues by addressing
controversial subjects that include the family, taxation, war,
racial discrimination, medical technology, and sexuality. This
volume will be of value to those working in philosophy, political
science, and legal theory, as well as to policy analysts,
legislators, and judges.
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