St. Mary's Law Journal Volume 51 Number 2 Article 4 4-2020 The Conceptions of Self-Evidence in the Finnis Reconstruction of Natural Law Kevin P. Lee Campbell University School of Law Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.stmarytx.edu/thestmaryslawjournal Part of the Catholic Studies Commons, Jurisprudence Commons, Law and Philosophy Commons, Legal History Commons, Logic and Foundations of Mathematics Commons, Natural Law Commons, Other Philosophy Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Kevin P. Lee, The Conceptions of Self-Evidence in the Finnis Reconstruction of Natural Law, 51 ST. MARY'S L.J. 413 (2020). Available at: https://commons.stmarytx.edu/thestmaryslawjournal/vol51/iss2/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the St. Mary's Law Journals at Digital Commons at St. Mary's University. It has been accepted for inclusion in St. Mary's Law Journal by an authorized editor of Digital Commons at St. Mary's University. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Lee: Self-Evidence in the Finnis Reconstruction of Natural Law ESSAY THE CONCEPTIONS OF SELF-EVIDENCE IN THE FINNIS RECONSTRUCTION OF NATURAL LAW KEVIN P. LEE* I. Introduction ........................................................................................... 414 A. Locating Finnis’ Claim to Self-Evidence .................................... 416 1. The Separation of Fact and Value ........................................ 416 2. The First Principles of Practical Reason ............................. 419 a. Basic Goods are the First Principles of Practical Reason ................................................................................ 421 b. Basic Goods are Dispositions ........................................ 421 c. Basic Goods are Apodictic ............................................. 422 II. Two Conceptions of Self-Evidence ................................................... 426 A. Finnis and Leonine Thomism .....................................................