Jacques Maritain - Ethics

Ethics

Maritain was a strong defender of a natural law ethics. He viewed ethical norms as being rooted in human nature. For Maritain the natural law is known primarily, not through philosophical argument and demonstration, but rather through "Connaturality". Connatural knowledge is a kind of knowledge by acquaintance. We know the natural law through our direct acquaintance with it in our human experience. Of central importance, is Maritain's argument that natural rights are rooted in the natural law. This was key to his involvement in the drafting of the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Read more about this topic:  Jacques Maritain

Famous quotes containing the word ethics:

    If you take away ideology, you are left with a case by case ethics which in practise ends up as me first, me only, and in rampant greed.
    Richard Nelson (b. 1950)

    Such is the brutalization of commercial ethics in this country that no one can feel anything more delicate than the velvet touch of a soft buck.
    Raymond Chandler (1888–1959)

    The most powerful lessons about ethics and morality do not come from school discussions or classes in character building. They come from family life where people treat one another with respect, consideration, and love.
    Neil Kurshan (20th century)