MIDWESTERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY A CRITICAL REVIEW OF J. BUDZISZEWSKI’S WRITTEN ON THE HEART: THE CASE FOR NATURAL LAW A CRITICAL REVIEW PAPER SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COURSE DR38405-01 WORLDVIEW AND ETHICAL THEORY BY CHRIS CARR, DMIN KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI JANUARY 4, 2016 Introduction Budziszewski, J. Written on the Heart: the Case for Natural Law. Downers Grove: IVP, 1997. ISBN-13: 978-0830818914, $14.59. Budziszewski, after a two-year journey through the liberal academic world of the University of Chicago, became a welder for a few years, eventually returned to university studies, and earned his B.A. at the University of South Florida, his M.A. at the University of Florida, and his Ph.D. at Yale University. He teaches courses at the University of Texas on the American Founding and the natural law tradition of Thomas Aquinas. He has done much ground-breaking research in the areas of human self-deception, tolerance, and natural law. He has written eleven books on ethics, philosophy, and their application. Synopsis Budziszewski divides his book into four units. Unit one treats Aristotle and his ongoing influence on political philosophy. Unit two treats Thomas Aquinas and the unique Aquinian vocabulary which much be grasped in order to understand Aquinas’ arguments and philosophical points. He also explains Aquinas’ beliefs regarding the grand design of law, defined as the sum of eternal law, divine law, natural law, human law, and the law of sin. Objections to natural law are discussed, as well as troublesome passages in Aquinas’ writings regarding natural law, and the purposes of human law. He then moves to a presentation of difficult questions concerning human law in itself and how to design a constitutional order in such a way that it upholds justice instead of perverting it. (p. 80, Kindle Edition) He accomplishes this via a graphical comparative analysis of monarchy, aristocracy, democracy, timocracy, tyranny, and oligarchy. In unit three, Budziszewski examines the natural law philosophy of John Locke as expounded in Locke’s social contract theory leading to regime design by majority rule. This leads to further treatment in subsequent sections regarding Locke’s analysis of property, political obligation, despotism, tyranny and revolution. Budziszewski describes why Locke deserves a special place in the history of political philosophy because of Locke’s dismantling of the illogical and eisegesis-prone mistakes made by Filmer in defending hereditary monarchy regimes via so-called divine and natural right. Budziszewski also explains the importance the of existence of God for Locke as the basis of Locke’s argument for natural law and natural rights, and how that crucial argument profoundly influenced the Founding Fathers of the United States of America and the founding documents. Evaluation Budziszewski does a masterful job of making natural law understandable, clear, accessible, and applicable. His style is informative, at times biting and humorous, and easy to follow. He takes what can be a complex theme and unpacks it from personal experience, personal classroom examples, and examples from everyday life. The appendix alone is worth the price of the book, where he unpacks and illustrates a plethora of logical fallacies often committed or encountered in the realms of natural law, ethics, and philosophy. Budziszewski deftly helps the reader to understand the essence of the writings and contributions of well-known philosophers such as Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, John Locke, and John Stuart Mill. He progressively unpacks the uniqueness of each of these philosophers before launching into a presentation of his own position regarding the existence and efficacy of natural law, especially from a Christian worldview. He masterfully defends the usefulness of natural law and shows how Christian scripture declares the reality of natural law and how it is revealed within the overall concept of God’s general revelation. Budziszewski provides questions for reflection and application at the end of chapter within each unit. Each of these sections contains pertinent brief comments paired with relevant questions for contemplation and concrete use in everyday life. Budziszewski shines in these sections, where he brings Christian scripture to bear upon the discussion, especially regarding God’s special revelation through the Bible itself, the incarnation of Jesus, human conscience, and the Holy Spirit, showing that natural law and the arguments of classical philosophers like Aristotle, left to themselves, are insufficient to bring a person to bring a lost person to a point of salvation. However, from another angle, Budziszewski is careful to say that God can use even an unregenerate philosopher such as Aristotle within the context of general revelation as one step toward bringing a person to the point of experiencing the special revelation and the true wisdom of the gospel of Jesus as a logical fulfillment of natural law, since all truth ultimately is God’s truth. This is very important for evangelicals to believe and embrace as we transition more and more to a post-Christian society and culture. Further, Budziszewski builds a clever case for the necessary tandem of both natural law and special revelation by appealing to the danger of human self- deception, stating that the problem is not one of cognitive failure, but rather, willful volitional failure. He terms this willful failure ‘self-deception’. In Budziszewski’s view, ‘self-deception’ (one of his research specialties and passions) can be dealt with effectively and ultimately in only way, writing that “our analysis must be anchored in God’s Word, which has the power to explode self-deceptions. ‘Test everything,’ says Paul (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Christians then have a standard for the philosophy of natural law: as to the goal, uncover the text and devices of the heart; as to the test, rely on the Word of God.” (p. 186, Kindle Edition) Additionally, Budziszewski does a masterful job of delineating the crucial differences between Locke and Aristotle, Locke and Kant, Locke and Aquinas, and Locke and Filmer. He makes the important point that Aquinas advocated for classical natural law, whereas Locke ushered in and advocated for modern natural law and demarcates the qualitative difference between the two. In unit three, Budziszewski also offers useful critiques of perceived Lockean weaknesses. In unit four, Budziszewski reviews the views of John Stuart Mill (“everything we desire, he thinks, we desire either as part of our pleasure or as a means to our pleasure” (p. 141, Kindle edition) and the attendant corollaries of hedonism and utilitarianism, as well as critiquing perceived weaknesses with Millian utilitarianism and the role of utility in relation to justice. In unit five, Budziszewski gives a Christian appraisal of natural law thinking, reprises the high points of Aristotle, Aquinas, and Locke, and wades through a sample of more recent natural thinking from Roman Catholic, Jewish, Protestant, and secular angles. 5