Biology and Christian Ethics

New Studies in Christian Ethics

by Stephen R.L. Clark

This stimulating and wide-ranging book mounts a profound enquiry into some of the most pressing questions of our age, by examining the relationship between biological science and Christianity. The history of biological discovery is explored from the point of view of a leading philosopher and ethicist. What effect should modern biological theory and practice have on Christian understanding of ethics? How much of that theory and practice should Christians endorse? To what extent can "nature" set our standards? Professor Clark takes a reasoned look at biological theory since Darwin and argues that an orthodox Christian philosophy is better able to accommodate the truth of such theory than is the sort of progressive, meliorist interpretation of Christian doctrine that is usually offered as the properly "modern" option.

Genres: Theology, Philosophy

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[James Chin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why should we suppose that any ingrained, 'natural' morality will be enough to maintain civility, once our young are taught that there are no true 'objective' values, and that our 'instincts', if we have them, are only the survivors of a Darwinian winnowing? 'What beauty can be found in a moral system formed, and governed by chance, fate or any other blind, unthinking principle?' If the young are taught that they are only animals, will they not behave as they think 'animals' behave?
pp. 38-9

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

An idiosyncratic perspective on the issues. Clark is a Christian Platonist defender of animal rights who accepts Darwinian evolution. Well worth reading, though Clark's prose style is a bit hard to follow at times.