ABSTRACT
In her contribution, Jennifer Herdt suggests that Protestant thinkers can make common cause with contemporary Aristotelian naturalism. Since they assume a form of naturalism, they can engage in the ongoing reflection on the natural inclination of living creatures toward the good and the meaning of normative evaluation. This contribution demonstrates that a dialogue between Protestant theology and Aristotelian naturalism is not a new step, but rather belongs to the core of the Protestant theological ethical tradition, in particular Lutheran and Reformed scholasticism of the 16th and 17th centuries. Next, it is explored how this tradition may contribute more specifically to naturalism, in particular in relation to the deontic meaning of divine law. Finally, the transcendent nature of the divine law is related to the neo-Aristotelian inductive approach from natural goods and our responsive valuations of these goods. It is argued that divine law (1) illuminates the nature of the normative character of our evaluations, (2) explains why a particular good rests upon us as an obligation, and (3) keeps open the possibility of criticizing social practices and our valuations of particular goods from a transcendent point of view, rooted in human accountability before God, i.e., in responsibility itself.
