Law and nature
Gerard Evans
The sources for what we know of medieval thinking on law and nature include the Church Fathers scholastic theologians, as well Roman legal writings, somewhat confused cluster texts that were drawn together in twelfth thirteenth centuries to constitute a body recognized “canon law” academic study. Of first importance here is Gratian’s Decretum from 1140s, ground-breaking manual canon which many subsequent treatises commentaries would rely. These show how classical understanding right ( ius ) subjective an individual contrasts with characteristically “a system objectively relationships.” Medieval discussions these issues pass through complex set questions about human nature, until point where thinkers begin stand away tradition ask radical questions. This leads early modern political thought conventionalism says morality mere convention depends interaction between individuals. DEFINITIONS AND CONCEPTS: ‘LAW’ ‘NATURE’ For clusters concepts use English words ‘law’ ‘nature,’ series Latin terms used ancient world Middle Ages, often equivocally, shifting range meanings.
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