Is morality merely a matter of personal preference and cultural convention, or is it grounded in the very structure of reality itself? In this lucid and original work, mathematician and philosopher William S. Hatcher argues for the latter — presenting a compelling vision of "authentic morality" as the deliberate pursuit of genuine relationships between the self, others, society, and God.

Drawing on science, philosophy, and the teachings of the Bahá'í Faith, Hatcher rejects the easy substitutes for true moral life — ideology, legalism, romanticism, and the ruthless pursuit of power — and offers in their place a practical model of moral development: the gradual actualisation of the capacities of mind, heart, and will through ever more accurate engagement with reality. At the heart of the book lies a striking thesis: that altruistic love is the most powerful force in existence, and that justice is the instrument by which that love is made effective in human affairs.

Neither a dry academic treatise nor a collection of pious exhortations, Love, Power, and Justice invites readers to see moral growth as a creative, lifelong discipline — one in which true happiness is achieved by aligning ourselves with the law of cause and effect that operates in the realm of values just as surely as in the realm of physical facts. This second edition includes new appendices, among them Hatcher's celebrated axiomatic sketch of a proof of the existence of God, rooted in the work of Avicenna, and an exposition of "the virtuous cycle" of moral transformation.

A rewarding read for students of ethics and moral education, seekers of every background, and anyone who suspects that the modern verdict of moral relativism deserves a serious challenge.