Iuris Naturalis Societas Conference

This workshop welcomes submissions addressing the relationship between natural law and constitutional law. Natural law, emphasizing morality and human dignity, informs constitutional frameworks by shaping fundamental rights and guiding judicial interpretation. Scholars like John Finnis highlight natural law's role in crafting constitutions rooted in the common good, while others underscores its influence on protecting human rights. By integrating ethical norms, natural law ensures that constitutional law transcends legal formalism, fostering legitimacy, fairness, and societal order. This synergy creates a dynamic interplay between moral reasoning and legal structure, ensuring a just and equitable society. 

The New Natural Law Theory, initiated in the theological and moral field by Germain Grisez, and projected onto the legal field by authors such as John Finnis or Robert P. George, has contributed to bring the legal and political relevance of natural law back to the forefront of the world legal debate. However, there is no shortage of criticism of the New Natural Law Theory precisely in the name of the Natural Law Tradition, claiming that this doctrine is more Kantian than Thomistic, and that its approach generates more problems than it solves. Among the most prominent critics of the New Natural Law Theory are Rusell Hittinger, Steven Long and Steven Jensen in the USA, and in Spain, among others, the devastating criticism of Alfredo Cruz Prados. This workshop is of interest to consider whether the renewal of iusnaturalism in the 21st century should continue along the path of Finnis' highly influential work.

La polaridad política tradicional izquierda-derecha está siendo desplazada en todo el mundo por la polaridad individualista-comunitarista. La filosofía política liberal, que consagra un individualismo que parece chocar con la noción clásica del bien común, ha sido apoyada por autores como John Rawls y Ronald Dworkin. Sin embargo, frente a este individualismo está surgiendo un movimiento intelectual y político que hace hincapié en la soberanía nacional, los valores tradicionales y la resistencia a la globalización y la influencia supranacional. 

The traditional left-right political polarity is being displaced worldwide by the individualist-communitarian polarity. Liberal political philosophy, which enshrines an individualism that seems to clash with the classical notion of the common good, has been supported by authors such as John Rawls and Ronald Dworkin. However, in the face of this individualism an intellectual and political movement is emerging, which emphasizes national sovereignty, traditional values, and resistance to globalization and supranational influence. Its core ideas include preserving cultural identity, opposing perceived overreach by elites, and prioritizing local interests over global agendas. 

Este taller se centrará en la relación entre la ley natural y los derechos humanos. Se reflexionará sobre la importancia de la ley natural como fundamento filosófico de los derechos humanos y su significado para los debates contemporáneos. Los temas que pueden tratarse en este seminario son: el papel del pensamiento del derecho natural en la historia de los derechos humanos; el escepticismo sobre los derechos humanos; las diferentes nociones de «derecho subjetivo»; los diversos fundamentos de los derechos humanos dentro de la ética del derecho natural; la relación entre el derecho natural y los derechos humanos en las tradiciones religiosas; la relación entre los derechos humanos, la comunidad política y el derecho; la interpretación de los derechos humanos; y las tensiones entre el derecho de los derechos humanos y la ética del derecho natural.

This workshop will focus on the relationship between natural law and human rights. Reflection will be made on the importance of natural law as a philosophical foundation for human rights and its significance for contemporary debates. The topics that can be covered in this seminar are: the role of natural law thought in the history of human rights; human rights scepticism; the different notions of ‘subjective right’; the various foundations for human rights within natural law ethics; the relationship between natural law and human rights in religious traditions; the relation between human rights, political community and law; human rights interpretation; and tensions between human rights law and natural law ethics

El relativismo ético y un cierto complejo de algunos profesores a la hora de enseñar el derecho natural clásico han vaciado de contenido la disciplina académica de la filosofía del derecho, hasta el punto de que en algunas universidades su presencia en los programas se ha reducido considerablemente. Si esta disciplina es como el alma del derecho, necesitamos reavivar su contenido clásico y despertar el interés de los estudiantes. En este taller se debatirá sobre los contenidos adecuados de esta disciplina, se analizarán los libros de texto de jurisprudencia en el mundo y se propondrán métodos de enseñanza actualizados, haciendo nuestro el motu latino: non nova sed nove.

Ethical relativism and a certain complex of some scholars when it comes to teaching classical natural law, have emptied the academic discipline of legal philosophy of content, to the point that in some universities its presence in academic programs has been greatly reduced. If this discipline is like the soul of law, we need to revive its classical content and reawaken the interest of students. This workshop will discuss appropriate contents of this discipline, analyze jurisprudence text books in the world and propose updated teaching methods, making our own the Latin motu: non nova sed nove.