Natuurrecht en Verlichtingsklassiekers Reeks

More clearly than Smith and Ferguson, Millar articulated the principle that allowed his era to understand the natural history of civil society as a systematic connection: humanity is inherently inclined to improve its living conditions; the uniformity of its needs, along with the equality of abilities to satisfy those needs, has led to a remarkable consistency in the stages of social development.

This English translation makes Hutcheson's influential works on logic and metaphysics accessible to a wider audience, previously limited to Latin readers. His texts from the 18th century, which cover essential topics like ontology and the science of the soul, are foundational for understanding his moral and political philosophy. The accompanying introduction and notes enrich the reader's comprehension by contextualizing Hutcheson's teachings in Dublin and Glasgow, highlighting the significance of his contributions to philosophical education during his lifetime.

The book presents a vision for a society composed of free, virtuous, and educated individuals, reflecting a deep desire for intellectual liberty. Its impact extended beyond Scotland, influencing prominent figures like Benjamin Franklin, who drew from Turnbull's insights. This edition marks the first modern publication of the work, highlighting its enduring relevance in discussions of liberal education and its foundational role in shaping educated citizenship.

Exploring the origins of the Enlightenment in Germany, Christian Thomasius's work distinguishes between natural and revealed law, asserting that human reason can grasp natural law independently of Scripture. His 1688 publication, Institutes of Divine Jurisprudence, critiques orthodox Lutheran interpretations of this distinction. This volume also includes key selections from his 1705 Foundations of the Law of Nature and Nations, which revises his earlier theories, offering a comprehensive English presentation of Thomasius's influential ideas on law, governance, and theology.

Christian Wolff's natural law theory was founded on his rationalist philosophy and metaphysics, which were strongly influenced by the philosophy of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Like Leibniz, Wolff was convinced that justice and morality were based on universally valid principles of reason and that these principles were accessible to human understanding without the aid of religious revelation. Wolff did not therefore follow the voluntarist tradition of natural law, which was characteristic of Germany's two other famous natural jurists of the early Enlightenment--Samuel Pufendorf and Christian Thomasius. The laws of nature, Wolff argued, were not just because God had willed them; rather, God had willed them because they were just. According to Wolff, this natural law was the foundation of the law of nations. Wolff's work considered central issues such as the duties of nations toward themselves and other nations, the laws of war and peace, and the laws governing the treatment of diplomatic representatives. With the Liberty Fund edition, Wolff's work, heretofore relatively unknown to the English-speaking world, will again become available to scholars and students alike.

Francis Hutchesons 1725 erschienener Inquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of Beauty and Virtue besteht aus zwei Teilen, von denen das Vorwort und die zweite Abhandlung „Concerning Moral Good and Evil“, neben einer ausführlichen Einleitung des Herausgebers, in diesem Band enthalten sind. Vier zentrale Problembereiche werden behandelt: 1. die Frage nach dem Prinzip des moralischen Handelns, 2. die Frage nach dem Ursprung unserer moralischen Begriffe, 3. das Problem der obersten Maxime des moralischen Handelns und Urteilens und 4. die Konsequenzen dieser Auffassung für die politische Ordnung der Gesellschaft. Die Neuübersetzung basiert auf der zweiten Auflage von 1726 und verzeichnet die Varianten der ersten vier Auflagen.

"The Present State of Germany, one of Samuel Pufendorf's earliest and most important works, was first published in 1667 under the pseudonym Severinus de Monzambano. Its blunt, colorful, and unapologetic challenge to mainstream German constitutional law made it enormously controversial as soon as it appeared, and its author was both vilified and exalted in the acrimonious debate that followed. It became one of the most reprinted books of the late seventeenth century.

This was Pufendorf's first work, published in 1660. Its appearance effectively inaugurated the modern natural-law movement in the German-speaking world. The work also established Pufendorf as a key figure and laid the foundations for his major works, which were to sweep across Europe and North America. Pufendorf rejected the concept of natural rights as liberties and the suggestion that political government is justified by its protection of such rights, arguing instead for a principled limit to the state's role in human life.

In the vein of Charles Louis Montesquieu’s Spirit of the Laws (1748) and William Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Laws of England (1765–1769), De Lolme’s account of the English system of government exercised an extensive influence on political debate in Britain, on constitutional design in the United States during the Founding era, and on the growth of liberal political thought throughout the nineteenth century.David Lieberman is Jefferson E. Peyser Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley.Please note: This title is available as an ebook for purchase on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes.

Exploring the themes of toleration and the separation of politics and religion, this work emerges in response to the 1685 revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Pufendorf, a key figure in modern natural law, argues against the sovereign's authority to dictate the religion of subjects, emphasizing that state and religion serve distinct purposes. The book is enriched with an introduction, selected bibliography, notes, and an index, providing a comprehensive understanding of its historical context and philosophical implications.