Article
Developing Distinctions of Classical Principles for Modern Constitutions: Integralism: A Manual of Political Philosophy by Fr. Thomas Crean and Alan Fimister
Studia Gilsoniana
(2021)
Abstract
Father Thomas Crean and Alan Fimister have produced a comprehensive yet concise treatise on classical political and legal philosophy in Integralism: A Manual of Political Philosophy. As the title implies the hallmark of their approach is that jurisprudence, political philosophy, moral philosophy, and theology are not separate disciplines but integrally related. Their exposition and arguments move seamlessly among theology, philosophy, and jurisprudence.
The second characteristic of Crean and Fimister’s work is how they interweave within a classical reading of Aristotle and St. Thomas several intriguing developments of the classical principles. They advance interesting distinctions and developments with respect to: whether civil nations can be perfect socieites; the role of the Church in declaring a human law null and void under natural law; the removal of tyrants and usurpers; the classification of constitutional regimes, and separation of powers. This article examines many of their subtle distinctions and intriguing conclusions.
Keywords
- Constitutional law,
- legal philosophy,
- regime types,
- separation of powers
Disciplines
Publication Date
Summer June, 2021
Citation Information
Brian M McCall. "Developing Distinctions of Classical Principles for Modern Constitutions: Integralism: A Manual of Political Philosophy by Fr. Thomas Crean and Alan Fimister" Studia Gilsoniana Vol. 10 Iss. 2 (2021) p. 455 - 474 ISSN: 2577-0314 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/brian_mccall/44/
Creative Commons license
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC_BY International License.