Is There a "Higher Law"? Does It Matter?

Abstract

For the bulk of this short essay, I shall mostly concentrate on clarifying how the various questions we might be raising when we inquire about the existence and importance of higher law differ from one another. In closing, though, I shall stress a point that I hope will already have become abundantly clear, namely, that as distinct as these questions are, they are also deeply interrelated. We would therefore do well, as we undertake to answer any of them, to remain mindful of the others and ultimately to aim for a set of answers that is compelling and internally consistent.