About the Book
The book, published online on June 17, 2025, presents an innovative approach to Catholic social teaching's natural law ethic through the lens of agroecology. In response to the ecological crisis, Catholic social teaching has increasingly appealed to ecology and natural ecosystems as models for creation care. However, critics have challenged this natural law ethic and its emphasis on ecological "balance and harmony" as overly idealized.
Rather than abandoning natural law approaches entirely, Dr. Whelan proposes a middle path. He argues that ecological dynamism and ambiguity need not preclude appeals to ecology for ethical guidance. Instead, the natural law ethic should be thoughtfully revised. The book demonstrates how agroecology provides a compelling model that "accommodates dynamism and ambiguity, while also discerning ecological principles and processes that are mimicked agriculturally."
