Our systems are now restored following recent technical disruption, and we’re working hard to catch up on publishing. We apologise for the inconvenience caused. Find out more

Recommended product

Popular links

Popular links


Responsibility and Christian Ethics

Responsibility and Christian Ethics

Responsibility and Christian Ethics

Author:
William Schweiker, University of Chicago
Published:
March 1999
Availability:
Available
Format:
Paperback
ISBN:
9780521657099

Looking for an examination copy?

This title is not currently available for examination. However, if you are interested in the title for your course we can consider offering an examination copy. To register your interest please contact collegesales@cambridge.org providing details of the course you are teaching.

$49.00
USD
Paperback

    The purpose of this book is to formulate a way of thinking about issues of power, moral identity, and ethical norms by developing a theory of responsibility from a specifically theological viewpoint; the author thereby makes clear the significance for Christian commitment of current reflection on moral responsibility. The concept of responsibility is relatively new in ethics, but the drastic extension of human power through various technological developments has lately thrown into question the way human beings conceive of themselves as morally accountable agents. It is this radical extension of power in our time which poses the need for a new paradigm of responsibility in ethics. Schweiker engages in an informed way with what is therefore a highly topical discussion. By developing a coherent theory of responsibility, and inquiring as to its source, the author demonstrates the unique contribution of Christian faith to ethics in our time.

    • Provides a thorough discussion of the main theories of responsibility in contemporary thought and the history of Christian ethics
    • Examines the relation between power, value, and responsibility in terms of current ethics and moral problems such as ecological questions, theory of punishment and business ethics
    • Presents a new theory of responsibility necessary for Christian thought to address moral questions facing us in the coming century

    Reviews & endorsements

    '… admirably fulfils the intention of the series to engage the secular debate at the highest possible intellectual level … his range of reference is wide as he roots his enquiry in contemporary moral philosophy as well as theological ethics, bringing them into a necessary dialogue ...'. Theology

    ' … deserves serious attention from anyone in the fields of ethics or moral theology, and it will be essential reading for anyone who is interested in responsibility ethics.' Modern Theology

    'This book makes an important contribution to the continuing debate about Christian ethics and post modernism.' Theological Book Review

    'Schweiker handles this extremely complex topic with an analytical care, breadth, and synthetic imagination unsurpassed in the literature on responsibility. He provides a broad philosophical framework within which responsibility can be fruitfully interpreted, a tightly constructed theory of responsibility based on a notion of integrity, and an account of the theistic source of responsibility … It is a brilliant and creative synthesis that ought to and will be read by anyone seriously concerned about the nature, source, and implications of responsibility.' Theological Studies

    'Schweiker's book is ambitious in scope and provocative in its constructive proposal. It should be read by many ethicists and by all theological ethicists. It could become a benchmark proposal for theological ethics.' The Journal of Religion

    See more reviews

    Product details

    March 1999
    Paperback
    9780521657099
    272 pages
    216 × 138 × 15 mm
    0.32kg
    Available

    Table of Contents

    • General editor's preface
    • Acknowledgements
    • Introduction
    • Part I. The Context of Responsibility:
    • 1. Responsibility and moral confusion
    • 2. A new ethics of responsibility
    • Part II. The Theory of Responsibility:
    • 3. The idea of responsibility
    • 4. Theories of responsibility
    • 5. Moral values and the imperative of responsibility
    • 6. Freedom and responsibility
    • 7. Responsibility and moral identity
    • Part III. The Source of Responsibility:
    • 8. Power, responsibility, and the divine
    • 9. Responsibility and Christian ethics
    • Notes
    • Select bibliography
    • Index.
      Author
    • William Schweiker , University of Chicago