About the Book
The suicidal proclivity of our time, writes the acclaimed philosopher J. Budziszewski, is to deny the obvious. Our hearts are riddled with desires that oppose their deepest longings, because we demand to have happiness on terms that make happiness impossible. Why? And what can we do about it? Budziszewski addresses these vital questions in his brilliantly persuasive new book, The Line Through the Heart. The answers can be discovered in an exploration of natural law--a venture that, with Budziszewski as our expert guide, takes us through politics, religion, ethics, law, philosophy, and more.
Natural law, the author states plainly but provocatively, is a fact about human beings; as surely as we have hands and feet, we have the foundational principles of good and evil woven into the fabric of our minds. From this elemental fact emerges a natural law theory that unfolds as part of a careful study of the human person. Thus, Budziszewski shows, natural law forms a common ground for humanity.
But this common ground is slippery. While natural law is truly an observable part of human nature, human beings are hell-bent--quite literally--on ignoring it. The mere mention of the obligations imposed on man by his nature will send him into a rage. In this sense, The Line Through the Heart explores natural law as not simply a fact and a theory but also a sign of contradiction.
While investigating the natural law and its implications, Budziszewski boldly confronts--and offers a newly integrated view of--a wide range of contemporary issues, including abortion, evolution, euthanasia, capital punishment, the courts, and the ersatz state religion being built in the name of religious toleration.
Written in Budziszewski's usual crystalline style, The Line Through the Heart makes clear that natural law is a matter of concern not merely to scholars; it touches how each of us lives, and how all of us live together. His profoundly important examination of this subject helps us make sense of why habits that run against our nature have become second nature, and why our world seems to be going mad.
About the Author :
J. Budziszewski is professor of government and philosophy at the University of Texas. He is the author of many books, including What We Can't Not Know: A Guide, The Revenge of Conscience, Evangelicals in the Public Square, and three books for young people about Christian faith.
Review :
"C.S. Lewis writes in 'The Poison of Subjectivism, ' that the idea that moral values are humanly invented and humanly changeable, i.e. the denial of the Natural Law, is an idea which 'will certainly . . . damn our souls and . . . end our species.' This book explains why that is so, why the Natural Law is our only dam against disaster. This is not 'Bud lite.' It is a powerful, convincing, high-level yet commonsensical piece of philosophizing, a worthy successor to Lewis's The Abolition of Man and Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue." --Peter Kreeft, Professor of Philosophy, Boston College "Budziszewski on natural law is simply the best. He is clear, concise, persuasive, and accurate. Besides he is eminently readable. Much of the world is busy denying the actuality of the natural law at the very moment when we have for our reading a book that makes this denial simply incoherent. The Line Through the Heart is a must read. Good and evil do pass through every heart. Budziszewski explains why and does so in terms that we all can understand." --James V. Schall, S. J., Georgetown University
"J. Budziszewski's The Line Through the Heart is a modern masterpiece, combining the wit of Chesterton, the clarity of Lewis, and the psychological depth of Pascal. No one writes with more insight into the complexity of the human mind as it struggles with the inexorable divine law written within. Budziszewski's work is further proof of the thesis that true originality can be achieved only by those who have no interest in being original as such: Budziszewski strives constantly to do no more (or less) than to be faithful to the great tradition of the West, and, as a result, his writing is like no other's. This book breaks new ground in understanding the impact of Christian revelation upon the West's understanding of the natural law: both how we warp our consciences in an attempt to escape the Hound of Heaven, and how the light of Christ irreversibly transfigures our natural understanding of human potentiality." --Robert C. Koons, Professor of Philosophy, University of Texas-Austin
"J. Budziszewski has done it again. In a series of books on natural law, he has produced a convincing, accumulating, magisterial approach that is brought to new heights with this book. Clear, analytical, persuasive. A very welcome addition." --Ralph McInerny, Michael P. Grace Professor of Medieval Studies, The University of Notre Dame
"J. Budziszewski is perhaps the clearest and most eloquent natural lawyer writing today. When reading his works I often find myself amazed by his insights and wondering, 'Why didn't I think of that?' And then it dawns on me, 'That's what C. S. Lewis and G. K. Chesterton do to me as well.' The Line Through the Heart is another destination in J. Budziszewski's philosophical quest to lead his readers to the promised land of the good, the true, and the beautiful, to guide us to that place where we have always been but can't seem to find." --Francis J. Beckwith, Professor of Philosophy & Church-State Studies, Baylor University
"It is the inestimable dignity of the human soul to have a moral law written on its heart. At the same time, this most intimate of laws is not always conveniently or happily known. Professor Budziszewski takes us into the anthropological center of this paradox. These are truly fundamental essays, which I shall enjoy reading over and over again." --Russell Hittinger, William K. Warren Professor of Catholic Studies, and Research Professor of Law, University of Tulsa
