Christianity and Democracy, and The Rights of Man and Natural Law
This has been one of my all-time favorite "Samson books" - those little books that take down Goliaths. Almost single-handedly, Maritain launched an hypothesis on the Christian (and Jewish) origins of the foundational axioms of democracy, of which many atheists are now coming to admit the truth. The sheer power of his hypothesis is more evident with every passing year. The republication of this classic is therefore bound to kindle longing for a deeper, more just reevaluation. --Michael Novak, American Enterprise InstituteMaritain was the most well-known Catholic philosopher who sought to reconcile the "rights" and "democracy" principles of the modern state with classic western philosophical traditions. He was a man of true wisdom. --James V. Schall, S. J., Georgetown UniversityMaritain was one of the pioneers of the Catholic human rights revolution, which changed the course of 20th century politics. While helping the Church through a genuine development of social doctrine, Maritain helped forge some of the tools that eventually broke through the Berlin Wall. --George Weigel, Ethics and Public Policy Center