On the Laws

Questions 90 to 97 of the Summa Theologica, where Aquinas defines law and distinguishes eternal, natural, human and divine law. The classic statement of natural law theory, in the English Dominican translation.

Thomas Aquinas

Grotius grounds the law of nations in natural law and asks when war is just and how it must be fought. Campbell's translation, with an introduction on Grotius and his influence on international law.

Hugo Grotius

A clear account of the debate between natural law and legal positivism, from Aquinas and Finnis to Hart and Raz, applied to how courts read a written constitution.

Oran Doyle

A comparative study of how Han Feizi, Hobbes and Habermas relate positive law to natural law, and what that means for legitimacy, rights and global justice today.

Xunwu Chen