Thesis (Ph. L.)--Catholic University of America, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 96-101).

Thesis (Dr.jur.)--Rijksuniversiteit, Utrecht, 1955. / Summary in English. Includes bibliographical references (p. 190-196).

Inaug.-Diss.--Heidelberg. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Prof. H.P.P. Lotter

Ethics in the international relations is usually based on the assumption that states represents an ethically relevant subject. The thesis challenges the assuption, that existing states could be legitimized on the general principles of universal ethics in any other way than as a "realm of necessity" and inquires the conseqeuncesof the lack of domestic legitimity on the ethical assertion of the state's conduct abroad.

This dissertation tries to locate Milton's optimistic view of man and nature as expressed in Comus, Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce, and Paradise Lost in the long tradition of natural law that goes back to Aristotle, Cicero, and Aquinas.

<p>This thesis is mainly a critical examination of Professor Mark C. Murphy’s theory of defectiveness. In his view, being backed by decisive reasons for action is a standard internal to legality, to the property of being law, such that a law or a legal system that is not backed by decisive reasons for action fails to measure up and thus, is <em>defective</em> qua law or legal system. Following a short introduction, I will devote chapter I to presenting Professor Murphy’s theory of defectiveness in the context of his defence of the natural law tradition. In the remaining two chapters, I shall state and assess two types of argument in support of this main thesis. Chapter II is concerned with the functional argument, which holds that law’s characteristic activity, thus law’s function, is to provide dictates backed by decisive reasons for action. I criticize Murphy’s account claiming that his explanation is bereft of a causal mechanism that links certain characteristic activities with certain effects, which is the main element of non-agentive functional explanations. The different type of argument that attempts to present the presence of decisive reasons as a non-defectiveness condition of illocutionary acts in general, and thus for legal illocutionary acts, is considered in chapter III. Here, I argue that Murphy’s position is not supported by the orthodox theory of illocutionary acts. From this I conclude that we have reason to doubt Professor Murphy’s success in providing an appropriate theory of legal defectiveness.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

The work deals with the characteristics of natural law in the Sum of theological St. Thomas Aquinas, as well as what natural law is and the question of the philosophical problem of natural law. The aim of the work is to point out the place and role of natural law in the Theological Sum.At the end of the work synthesize individual chapter and subchapters and do an analythical analysis of natural law in the Theological Sum. The name of my work is the place and role of the Natural law in the Theological Sum of St. Thomas Aquinas.

No description available.

No description available.