Christianity and Democracy and the Rights of Man and Natural Law

Few political philosophers have laid such stress upon the organic and dynamic characteristics of human rights, rooted as they are in natural law, as did the great twentieth century thinker Jacques Maritain.

As this important work reveals, the philosophy of Maritain on natural law and human rights is complemented by, and can only be properly understood in the light of, his teaching the relationship between Christianity and democracy. Maritain shows that Christianity cannot be made subservient to any political form or regime. While he demonstrates the link between Christianity and modern democracy, he shows that every just regime, such as the classic forms of monarchy, aristocracy, and republic, is compatible with Christianity.

Maritain argues that personalist democracy provides a fuller measure of freedom and fulfillment than do other forms of government and that it took shape under the inspiration of the Gospel. Even with all their weaknesses, modern democracies represent an historic gain for the person and spring, he urges, from the very Gospel they sometimes so wantonly repudiate.

• Author
• Jacques Maritain, Doris C. Anson

• Format
• paperback

• Pages
• 195

• Publisher
• Ignatius Press

• Language
• english

• ISBN
• 9781586176006

• Genres
• philosophy, politics, christianity

• Release date
• 2012