Economic Justice and Natural Law

'The revival of natural law theory with respect to foundational issues in ethics and politics has been matched stride for stride with an application of that view to controversial issues of public morality - abortion, euthanasia, stem-cell research, homosexual conduct, and so forth. What we had not yet seen is anything like a systematic account of how the natural law view should be brought to bear on central issues of economic justice. But we now have Gary Chartier's Economic Justice and Natural Law, a book exhibiting the dual virtues of a subtle understanding of natural law ethics with a richly detailed awareness of the economic matters about which the natural law should have something to say. We are all, whether friend or foe of the natural law view, in Chartier's debt for his putting natural law theory to the test in this way.' Mark C. Murphy, Georgetown University
'The new natural law theory of ethics is a powerful and important way of thinking about how to live in today's world. The question of how to apply that theory in the political, economic, and legal spheres is only just beginning to be asked. Gary Chartier's book provides an elegant, clear, and well-informed guide to how natural law theorists might go about answering that question in detail. It will be essential reading for anyone who wants to think hard about these issues.' Timothy Chappel, The Open University
'Gary Chartier's perceptive, timely, and beautifully ordered book moves easily between the theoretical and the concrete. It demonstrates how the new classical natural law theory illuminates the ideal foundations of economic justice and the measures needed to rectify injustice in a non-ideal world. Chartier's examination of issues including at-will employment, peasants' property interests in the land they work, workplace democracy, and urban renewal is probing and trenchant. This fine study reflects broad reading without descending into pedantry, and its lucid organization and graceful style make it accessible to a wide range of readers.' Stephen R. Munzer, University of California, Los Angeles
'Gary Chartier's important and original book sets out a rich, illuminating framework for addressing questions of economic justice. The arguments are thoughtful and wide-ranging, and the writing is crisp and elegant. A valuable reference point for future work.' Jonathan Crowe, University of Queensland