Modernsocietyisrivenbysocialdivisions:betweenconservativesandprogressives;liberalsandsocialists;themainstreamandtheriseoffar-rightpoliticalgroupsetc.Insteadoftruth,thereare’post-truth’and’alternativefacts’.Inthewakeofproblemscausedbyuntruthfulpoliticiansandworldleaders,byBrexitandCovid,theneedtorepairorrebuildourcommunitieshasbecomeparamount,butwhatkindofcommunityshouldwebuild,andonwhatfoundations?Thisbooksuggeststhatnaturallawissuchafoundation.NaturalLawandModernSocietypresentsanewtheoryofnaturallaw,groundedinthethoughtofSaintThomasAquinas,aimedatansweringquestionsrelevanttotheworldoftoday:fromthenatureofmoralityandethicstothetheoryoflaw,obligationandpoliticalauthority;fromthedomesticrealmtointernationalcommunity.Itseekstoelicitfromthenaturallawtraditiontimelesstruthsconcerningthehumancondition,inparticularthesocialandpoliticaldimensionstohumanexistence.Thismodeofexistence,itargues,isnotaproblemtoberesolvedthroughsomepermutationofpoliticalinstitutions,butapredicamenttobemanaged.Attheheartofthebookistheidentificationofa’coremorality’:asetofmoralrequirementsthatarefoundationaltoeverysocietyatallplacesandtimes,asdistinctfromthosestandardsthatareparticulartothisorthatsocietyatsometime.
