About this ebook
Hooker categorizes the different types of law which govern the universe: eternal law, natural law, human law, and divine law. He argues that reason is a divine gift, allowing mankind to discern the laws of nature and build societies based on mutual consent rather than force.
This Pilos Press edition makes Hooker’s dense Elizabethan prose accessible to the modern reader. It features:
• A complete, sentence-by-sentence paraphrase—a modern English rendering which preserves the full rigorous logic of the original.
• Modernized spelling and punctuation.
• Detailed annotations.
• An introduction to Hooker’s life, thought, and legacy.
• An appendix reviewing several influences upon Hooker.
• A bibliography.
• An index.
• A definitive resource for students of political philosophy, theology, and the history of the Great Tradition.
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About the author
Richard Hooker (1554–1600) was an English priest and theologian. Known as “the Judicious Hooker” for his moderate and reasoned approach, his work defended the Elizabethan Settlement from Puritan critics, and established the theological backbone of Anglicanism. His political thought heavily influenced John Locke and the development of English constitutionalism.
Ret Miles, a retired logistician and former teacher who enjoyed a successful career in international trade and a longtime involvement in local and state politics, is now an independent scholar and the founder of Pilos Press. He is also a musician, photographer, and fly fisherman. He lives in Rogers, Arkansas.
