Making Men Moral - Micah Watson

Scholars gathered at a conference earlier this year to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Robert P. George’s 1994 book, Making Men Moral: Civil Liberties and Public Morality, a work which encapsulated much of his thinking on constitutional law, philosophy of law, bioethics and natural law. Two main themes run throughout his work – the perfectionist principle and the reason principle. In the perfectionist principle, the necessity of religion and morality for human happiness is stressed, and ‘good’ is encouraged in society by the partnering of government and law with the institutions of religion, morality and knowledge. The reason principle holds that we can determine what that ‘good’ through careful deliberation and application of human reason.

In this short article, Micah Watson outlines the how the various speakers addressed the themes in George’s work and contributed to the ongoing discussion of how religion and reason can help us understand and promote the common good.

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