This is a past event
Two-day symposium organised by the Centre for Polish-Lithuanian Studies with the support of the Centre of Early Modern Studies and the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Edinburgh.
Natural_Law_and_Religion_Programme.pdf
The shattering of the unity of Latin Christendom in the sixteenth century called into question the natural law tradition that had been developed within the Catholic tradition, most notably by Thomas Aquinas. Religious division brought challenges at home and in international relations to which there were no easy answers. One of the major issues that arose with Humanism and religious conflict was the relationship between civic liberties, including individual freedom of conscience, and the constitution of government. Domestically, the threat of civil disobedience and civil war was ever present. Attempts to restore internal stability through legal acts of toleration, such as the Peace of Augsburg, the Warsaw Confederation, or the Edict of Nantes were uneasy and precarious compromises that raised profound questions within the natural law tradition. Internationally, religious division disrupted traditional alliances, as notions concerning the abstract state and state sovereignty were developed by writers from Machiavelli and Botero to Grotius, Pufendorf, Hobbes and beyond, posing challenges for those seeking to develop a law of nations within the natural law tradition. This symposium considers these issues from the perspective of theorists of natural law, and by looking at the practical implications for and within individual polities.
The symposium will also be live streamed over MS Teams. See for registration details below
- Hosted by
- Centre for Polish-Lithuanian Studies
- Venue
- The Sir Duncan Rice Library
- Contact
-
Please register via Enventbrite
Registration: below