What Role for the State? (And a Comment on the Common Good)

Jonathan Crowe has written an important and interesting book, one that should be read by people interested in jurisprudence, ethics, and political philosophy. Its distinctive strength is in the way it shows how much can be done within a natural law framework that does not assume a theological background. My goal in this paper will be to raise difficulties with one part of the argument – Crowe’s account of the role of the state – and to try to show that, if I am right, this also has implications for his account of the common good.