Gomez-Lobo does a good job of bringing together neatly and systematically the basic lines of thought of the new natural law theory developed by John Finnis and Germain Grisez. It is crisp and concise. However because it lacks a discussion of the dialectical defense of the precepts, this book needs to be read with John Finnis' Fundamentals of Ethics for those who want to better appreciate the force of the claims of natural law theory, in particular claims that certain precepts are self-evident; or else one can leave with the wrong impression that the said evident precepts are mere assertions.

Prof. Gomez-Lobo writes clear, concise, and cogent prose, and illustrates his arguments with a number of telling examples. Prof. Gomez-Lobo's approach to ethics is that of a moral philosopher, not that of a moral theologian, so he deals strictly in reason, not in Revelation. He does not include religion as a basic human good (a judgment I would dispute), but explores (and advocates) the viewpoint that the natural law/human goods approach to ethics is "accessible to anyone and therefore is binding on everyone without distinction" (p. 129). He points out, however, that his approach does not necessarily result in a moral chasm between religious conviction and the natural logic he employs. Asking the question, "Who did what, and why?" (p. 48) requires us, he says, to look at agents, acts, outcomes, and intentions, leading to the system of natural law ethics he explains and instantiates for readers. The formal principle, he maintains, is that we are to pursue good and to avoid evil (p. 2). We can differentiate the one from the other by analyzing and applying human goods reasoning, which is to say we must appreciate the "set of goods that provide the foundation for the objective moral order" (126). These goods are life and health, family, friendship, work and play, beauty, knowledge, and integrity. "The primary moral question when passing a moral judgment," he says, "is, how will human goods be affected in the action itself? Good consequences do not justify an evil deed" (p. 116). That principle--and this: "What is good for us is not just to choose freely but freely to choose what is good" (p. 28)
--should constitute the ethical worldview of anyone judging virtue from vice, right from wrong. For example, he writes that the innocent may never morally be killed, which creates a practical and prudential guideline for considering warfare (criminals and aggressors fall outside the scope of such protection [p. 61]), abortion (always wrong [p. 94]), and euthanasia ("the ultimate failure to care for someone in need" [p. 110]). He contends, quite correctly I believe, that such philosophies as utilitarianism and libertarianism are inadequate moral guides (p. 119), and there is always the danger of corruption of conscience resulting from the utilitarian notions "that entail that sometimes we ought to do unjust deeds" (p. 122). Gomez-Lobo explains a great deal of ethical thought economically and effectively. This is an excellent short introduction to ethics and could serve particularly well as a college course "textbook" if complemented a by a number of ancillary readings. Highly recommended.

This book is the greatest of the "unknown" Christian classics ever penned. A detailed exposition of the true meaning of chapter 13 of Paul's 1st letter to the Corithian church word by word. What does it mean when we read love is: Patient, Kind, Not Jealous, Not Perverse, Not Boastful, Not Arrogant, Not Irritable, Not Resentful, Bears All Things, Believe All Things, Hopes All Things, Endures All Things. This book makes a Southern Baptist want to be a Catholic if he could love God with all his heart, mind, and soul the way St. Alphonsus has. This book was so great my wife made me get her a copy for her own. If you're serious about loving God with all your heart, mind and soul you gotta get your hands on this book as it can be a roadmap for the journey from your head to your heart.

This book is full of the Love of Jesus Christ. The tender mercy of God is presented in a simple and easy to read format. It is packed with wisdom and advice from numerous saints. Read this book with pen in hand.

O'Callaghan's study was a Godsend to scholarly aficionados of the Cantigas. With his well-documented and readable style, he validates this enchanting set of manuscripts as a historical source. Amplifying his reading with more conventional primary sources, he presents an entertaining and focused biography of one of Spain's most interesting monarchs. The plates, although in black-and-white, are extremely useful -- one could only wish there were more of them, for the price!

If you're into pre-Columbian and Mexican history this is an excellent choice to add to your collection. Written by Alfonso Caso, who directed the findings at Monte Alban and was the former director of archeology in the National Museum of Mexico, the man knows his history. The Aztecs and all their rituals , including the Gods and calendar are explained in easy to read language. The text is not overburdensome with highly specialiazed jargon but is eloquent and to the point. This book is an easy read. The illustrations are worth the price of the book alone. They are by Miguel Covarrubias, one of Mexico's finest illustrators at the time, and he does a fantastic job depicting the colorful Aztec world. An essential book for anyone intersted in exploring the Aztecs.

This book not only has wonderful recipes, it includes moving family stories. Makes the clear connection between culture and food. Perfect for anyone who loves to cook and is interested in the food of different cultures

This coverage of the animals of Puerto Rico is hard to easily categorize: Coqui Y Sus Amigos appears a bilingual children's book but also holds many hard-to-find images and natural history facts for adults, thus is reviewed here, recommended for adult audiences as well. Color photos of insects and lizards are accompanied by natural history descriptions in both English and Spanish. Bright and unusual.

This was by far one of the greatest books that I have ever read on psychology. It was funny, touching, sweet, but most of all thought provoking. As an aspiring artist, it helped me to comprehend myself a little better. The book is a compilation of essays, interviews, and writings by different creative individuals. From the flamboyant Maya Angenlou to the brilliant Federico Fellini. Probably the most moving and amusing segment of the book was the segment written by Frank Zappa, who explains creativity in a way that no other could. Sure genius.

Galileo's masterpiece comes through to all who are blessed enough to read it. Copernicus would be proud.

this book contains an excellent explanation for every value, each one is ilustrated by a collection of little stories to reflect on it, those stories are small fragments from other books and authors like Victor Hugo, Hans Christian Andersen, Dante Alighieri and Gibran Jalil Gibran. This is just a great book for every one. It talks about goodness, grateful, responsability, freedom, friendship, beauty, Peace, labouriousity, and justice.

Sólo la intervención del Papa Juan Pablo II, en lo que muchos calificaron como un milagro, logró evitar que el 22 de diciembre de 1978 la zona del canal Beagle se transformara en el teatro inicial de una guerra entre Chile y Argentina cuyas consecuencias habrían sido catastróficas.
El diferendo por la soberanía de tres islas en la zona oriental del Beagle -Picton, Lennox y Nueva- era un problema limítrofe que se arrastraba por varias décadas entre ambas naciones, el que fue zanjado a través de un laudo arbitral que la corona de Gran Bretaña falló a favor de nuestro país el 2 de mayo de 1977.
Si bien esa determinación, de acuerdo a los tratados internacionales, tenía carácter de definitiva, las autoridades argentinas de la época declararon -el 25 de enero de 1978- que para ese país el laudo arbitral no tenía validez.
Lo anterior no era mas que una muestra de los difícil que resultaba para Argentina y Chile encontar una solución al diferendo. Ambos países argumentaban su derecho a la soberanía de las islas, Chile por la presencia histórica en la región y Argentina porque veía en la posesión chilena de esa zona una amenaza a su soberanía en el Atlántico. De hecho, a nivel diplomático se reiteraba que nuestro país asumía una política expansionista, que para Argentina no era posible tolerar, bajo ningún concepto.
El libro del periodista Luis Alfonso Tapia "Esta noche: la guerra" grafica con ese título cuan cerca estuvo la posibilidad de un conflicto armado. Tapia, quien reporteó de cerca los acontecimientos relacionados con el conflicto, tanto a niveles diplomáticos como en el mismo escenario del potencial encuentro bélico, señala en su texto que "desde el miércoles 13 y hasta el viernes 22 de diciembre de 1978, las repúblicas de Chile y Argentina vivieron lo que en los altos niveles de las respectivas cancillerías se calificó como el período quizás mas crítico de la relación histórica entre ambos pueblos y gobiernos".
En esa época de tensiones y de fuertes declaraciones, comenzaron a ambos lados de la frontera los preparativos para un encuentro armado como única salida a un problema que aparecía insoluble por las vías de la negociación. Ese proceso también incluyó el traslado de importantes cantidades de hombres y armas a la zona austral y de la mayor parte de las Armadas de los dos países.
Era una época en la que además ambos gobiernos -encabezados por militares- enfrentaban serios problemas internos. Chile por un lado era cuestionado en la comunidad internacional por las violaciones a los derechos humanos mientras que Argentina enfrentaba serios problemas económicos que derivaban en un descontento generalizado de la población.
En ese caso, además, la desconcentración del poder, que descansaba mas en la junta militar que en el Presidente, generaba continuos roces entre los altos mandos proclives a una intervención armada en el extremo austral y aquellos que preferían insistir en las negociaciones.
En ese escenario la Santa Sede ya buscaba hace tiempo la forma de intervenir en la búsqueda de una solución pacífica al diferendo. De hecho, el Papa Juan Pablo I había adoptado una posición mediadora que no llegó a concretarse debido a su temprano fallecimiento. Sin embargo, los esfuerzos diplomáticos de la Santa Sede no terminaron allí.

Máxima tensión

El 21 de diciembre de 1978 había triunfado la posición mas belicista en las fuerzas armadas argentinas y la orden de atacar se había dado. El texto de Luis Alfonso Tapia señala que "cerca de la medianoche la guerra era inevitable". De hecho, el autor asegura que aviones chilenos habían detectado el avance de naves de guerra argentinas en la zona del Cabo de Hornos.
"Con la llegada de la madrugada del día 22 de diciembre, se anunció desde la zona crítica que un frente de mal tiempo se había desencadenado en el sector de Cabo de Hornos", señala el libro.
Ese frente de mal tiempo, que muchos calificarían de milagroso, obligó a los barcos de guerra a volver a sus posiciones originales porque hizo imposible que lanzaran un ataque.
Pocas horas después de ese hecho se produjo la intervención del Papa, quien gracias a las nunciaturas y las conferencias episcopales de Chile y Argentina seguía cada detalle de la tensa situación. Para la Iglesia era vital evitar el enfrentamiento de dos paises mayoritariamente católicos en una zona en la que, a raíz del potencial conflicto, podían activarse antiguas rencillas entre los países.
Según el libro "Esta noche: la guerra", ese 22 de diciembre en Roma, Juan Pablo II anunció que "mi deseo es enviar a las dos capitales un representante especial mio para obtener mas directas y concretas informaciones sobre las posiciones y para buscar juntos la posibilidad de un honorable arreglo pacífico al problema".
Ese honorable acuerdo pacífico llegaría en 1984, cuando los cancilleres de ambos Estados firmaron en el Vaticano y en presencia del Papa el tratado de paz y amistad, que rige hoy.