Nature as Guide: Wittgenstein and the Renewal of Moral Theology

"Goodill's treatment of Wittgenstein is quite good, and any chance of bringing him into sustained, thoughtful contact with moral theology, particularly as it needs therapy about langauge, action and nature, is an opportunity that should be grasped."?Charles Pinches , University of Scranton

"This is a very worthwhile venture into the porosities possible between Wittgensteinian thought, metaphysics, and moral theology. We are offered the singular stress of an author, intimately familiar with his themes, who helps us see Wittgenstein's positive promise for an appreciative understanding of the need for metaphysics, with important implications for moral theology. This venture succeeds admirably. . . . The work is lucid and judicious in its handling of seemingly diverse areas, with an intelligent, wise voice that brings forth confidence in the reader. I found it engaging, illuminating. and fruitful. I recommend this book highly."?William Desmond, author of The Voiding of Being: The Doing and Undoing of Metaphysics in Modernity

"This beautifully written book brings the basic principles of the moral theology of St. Thomas Aquinas as expounded over the years by Servais Pinckaers into what many may find a surprisingly productive and illuminating relationship with the version of Wittgenstein's appeal to human nature in resolving philosophical perplexities, an interpretation that stems from insights by G.E.M. Anscombe, his friend and chosen translator. Provocative and controversial no doubt, completely at home in the best current literature about both Aquinas and Wittgenstein, entirely free of the sort of polemics that often distorts criticism and indeed sometimes also admiration of the two, David Goodill makes a landmark contribution to Catholic moral theology in the Anglophone world."?Fergus Kerr, OP, Blackfriars, Edinburgh

"This clear, nuanced, and carefully argued discussion inaugurates a new phase in the Dominican tradition of putting Aquinas and Wittgenstein into productive dialogue."?Stephen Mulhall, Oxford University

"It has been said, by G.E.M. Anscombe, that Wittgenstein is a philosopher's philosopher, David Goodill shows that Wittgenstein is also a theologian's philosopher. . . . This book is clear and precise, luminous; it is a considerable contribution to what could be called 'Wittgensteinian Thomism.'"?Roger Pouivet, Université de Lorraine, Institut Universitaire de France

"Thoroughly engaging throughout, Nature as Guide comprises a tour de force through Wittgenstein's thought on metaphysics and nature and an application of this thought to moral theology in the Catholic tradition. The book will, however, be of interest to a much wider range of readers than this perhaps suggests: anyone interested in Wittgenstein's philosophical anthropology or religious thought, or in the relationship between ideas about nature and morality, would gain a lot from reading the book."?Religious Studies Review

"Goodill offers a lucid and often compelling account of Wittgenstein's ability to reaffirm human nature dialectically by reconciling inner and outer. He is commendably clear about the limits of his argument. In light of Goodill's argument, virtue ethicists both philosophical and theological would do well to reconsider Wittgenstein as a friendly interlocutor in their efforts to understand human nature and human goods."?Heythrop Journal

"Warrants the close attention of all those whose interests lie at the intersection of theology and philosophy. Nature as Guide also commends itself as an introduction to Wittgenstein for those who may not be familiar with his writings, as it presents a broad survey of the development of this philosopher's thought."?Journal of Reformed Theology