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An Intelligent Person's Guide to Christian Ethics
In this concise and lucid book, Alban McCoy considers the fundamental principles of morality in a Christian context. Starting from the widespread phenomenon of seemingly insuperable disagreement in discussion of the most basic moral issues, he locates the root cause of such disagreement in confusion about the essential nature of morality as such. What distinguishes a moral judgement from an historical or scientific judgment? Which considerations are relevant to moral issues as opposed to questions of a pragmatic or practical importance? What resources are available to us when weighing moral matters? Various critiques of morality such as amoralism, determinism, subjectivism and cultural relativism, as well as different moral theories such as utilitarianism and absolutism are considered and found wanting.
At the heart of the book, McCoy offers a rational account of morality rooted in virtue and character and human flourishing. He then sets this in a Christian context in order to show what difference Christian revelation makes to our understanding of morality. Writing clearly and without jargon, McCoy provides the non-specialist reader with a stimulating discussion of the fundamental concepts we employ in everyday consideration of moral questions. He manages to render difficult matters intelligible without oversimplification and his book will appeal to anybody interested in finding a way through the moral maze and to students of philosophy embarking on a study of ethics.
At the heart of the book, McCoy offers a rational account of morality rooted in virtue and character and human flourishing. He then sets this in a Christian context in order to show what difference Christian revelation makes to our understanding of morality. Writing clearly and without jargon, McCoy provides the non-specialist reader with a stimulating discussion of the fundamental concepts we employ in everyday consideration of moral questions. He manages to render difficult matters intelligible without oversimplification and his book will appeal to anybody interested in finding a way through the moral maze and to students of philosophy embarking on a study of ethics.
176 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2006
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October 16, 2023
As with the rest of the 'Intelligent Person's Guide to' series, this functions as a short introduction to the topic. McCoy gives the rough contours of the current state of ethics, running through the major strands and trying to highlight where they seem incoherent.
He starts with the foundations such as what ethics even is and the neccesary presuppositions for any rational study of them. In this section he also addresses several modern ideas that undermine the very idea of ethics and morality, such as subjectivism or relativism, although he doesn't make any reference to the post-modernists, which I might like to have seen.
Next he gives an outline of the three main approaches to ethics: deontological or duty ethics of Kant, Utilitarianism and Consequentialism of Benthem and finally the virtue ethics of Aristotle which have undergone a recent revival. Up to this point there is little 'Christian' influence and it could well have been called 'An Intelligent Person's Guide to Ethics'. However, in the third part he ties it more into Christianity.
McCoy then expands more upon virtue ethics which have been the traditional backbone of Catholic ethics. Perhaps the book should have been called 'Guide to Catholic Ethics' because McCoy is actually quite critical of what he considers the post-reformation focus on voluntarist ethics towards a type of legalism. The focus very much is on Catholic virtue ethics, with a focus on St Thomas Aquinas.
I would have liked to have seen more on specifically Christian concerns but perhaps I ask too much of a short introduction. It serves its purpose well in that regard and should do one well for a further study of ethics or a brief overview.
He starts with the foundations such as what ethics even is and the neccesary presuppositions for any rational study of them. In this section he also addresses several modern ideas that undermine the very idea of ethics and morality, such as subjectivism or relativism, although he doesn't make any reference to the post-modernists, which I might like to have seen.
Next he gives an outline of the three main approaches to ethics: deontological or duty ethics of Kant, Utilitarianism and Consequentialism of Benthem and finally the virtue ethics of Aristotle which have undergone a recent revival. Up to this point there is little 'Christian' influence and it could well have been called 'An Intelligent Person's Guide to Ethics'. However, in the third part he ties it more into Christianity.
McCoy then expands more upon virtue ethics which have been the traditional backbone of Catholic ethics. Perhaps the book should have been called 'Guide to Catholic Ethics' because McCoy is actually quite critical of what he considers the post-reformation focus on voluntarist ethics towards a type of legalism. The focus very much is on Catholic virtue ethics, with a focus on St Thomas Aquinas.
I would have liked to have seen more on specifically Christian concerns but perhaps I ask too much of a short introduction. It serves its purpose well in that regard and should do one well for a further study of ethics or a brief overview.
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