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The Responsible Self: An Essay in Christian Moral Philosophy
The Responsible Self was H. Richard Niebuhr's most important work in Christian ethics. In it he probes the most fundamental character of the moral life and it stands today as a landmark contribution to the field. The Library of Theological Ethics series focuses on what it means to think theologically and ethically. It presents a selection of important and otherwise unavailable texts in easily accessible form. Volumes in this series will enable sustained dialogue with predecessors though reflection on classic works in the field.
200 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1978
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232 people want to read
About the author
H. Richard Niebuhr
52 books46 followersHelmut Richard Niebuhr was one of the most important Christian theological-ethicists in 20th century America, most known for his 1951 book Christ and Culture and his posthumously published book The Responsible Self. The younger brother of theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, Richard Niebuhr taught for several decades at Yale Divinity School. His theology (together with that of his colleague at Yale, Hans Wilhelm Frei) has been one of the main sources of post-liberal theology, sometimes called the "Yale school". He influenced such figures as James Gustafson and Stanley Hauerwas.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 5, 2018
Four stars! This splendid work maps, at least for me, very well to "Engaging the "Race Question" - Accountability and Equity in U.S. Higher Education," by Alicia C. Dowd and Estela Mara Bensimon. At the first level we have "man-the-maker" (Homo faber) driven by his teleological goals: this corresponds to giving each individual equal access. At the second level we have "man the citizen" (Homo politicus) driven by law; this corresponds to applying equal resources to each individual. At the third level we have "the responsible citizen"; this corresponds to working with each individual to assure that they have the opportunity to achieve their potential.
The treatment of Stoicism, on p. 170 - 172, is very good.
"The responsible self or community apprehends others not as enemies but as fellow members of a comprehensive moral community as wide and deep as being itself" (p. xiii). William Schweiker (Forward)
INTRODUCTION
"But he was clear about what could and could not be expected from ethics as an intellectual discipline . . . . or for some assurance that the Christian community is by definition of its existence in Christ a community of superior responsibility. These things he will not find. . . . .
There is no proof that the morals of the Christian community are finally any better than those of other communities, or even that the basic principles of the community are better" (p. 13 - 14).
"The Christian community is as capable of false rationalizations, of perverted and distorted purposes, as any other community" (p. 24).
"Indeed, his view of revelation did not permit him to divide God's activity along some dispensational time line; . . . ." (p. 29).
I see Heiddeger on p. 32 - 33.
"God acts redemptively, but there is no redemption until free men respond to the divine act" (p. 38). No. As with other Christian writers this is inconsistent with what precedes it.
PROLOGUE: ON CHRISTIAN MORAL PHILOSOPHY
THE MEANING OF RESPONSIBILITY
RESPONSIBILITY IN SOCIETY
"But no one is so independent of his social culture that he can meet and interpret the events we call nature without some the words, categories, and relations supplied by his society. . . . . My action takes place as responsive and responsible in the midst of these interpretations and anticipations of reaction from both society and nature" (p. 81 - 82).
THE RESPONSIBLE SELF IN TIME AND HISTORY
"The Epicurean with his ideal of a quiet, undisturbed life, devoid of the perturbations of extreme pleasure not less than of pain, presents to men a shrewd plan for an existence that must end with death" (p. 90).
"They have found that if present relations of selves to others are to be reorganized, if the responses of selves to others and to themselves in interactions with others, are to be made constructive rather than destructive, if they are to fit better into the total process of interpersonal life, then the past must not be forgotten but remembered, accepted, and reinterpreted" (p. 104).
RESPONSIBILITY IN ABSOLUTE DEPENDENCE
". . . . we are like Chanticleer attributing the sunrise to his crowing" (p. 114).
"Responsibility affirms: "God is acting in all actions upon you. So respond to all actions upon youas to respond to his action"" (p. 126).
RESPONSIBILITY IN SIN AND SALVATION
"There is the similar paradox in the reflection that the action of the redeemed must be obedient to the will of another than the self, namely, God, and yet that if redeemed it be done in freedom, namely, the doing of one's own will" (p. 131)
"The responsible self we see in Christ and which we believe is being elicited in all our race is a universally and eternally responsive I, answering in universal society and in time without end, in all actions upon it, to the action of the One who heals all our diseases, forgives all our iniquities, saves our lives from destruction, and drowns us with everlasting mercy" (p. 144 - 145).
SELECTED PASSAGES FROM THE EARL LECTURES ON THE RESPONSIBLE SELF
RESPONSIBILITY AND CHRIST
"Thus man thinks of things anthropomorphically, or mechanomorphically, or mathematico-morphically, without always being aware that his patterns are not copies of the reality to which the reacts but products of an art of knowing in which subject and object interact" (p. 161)
"Christians undertaking to act in some fashion in conformity with Christ find themselves doing something like what some others, conforming to other images, are doing" (p. 168).
The treatment of Stoicism, on p. 170 - 172, is very good.
"The responsible self or community apprehends others not as enemies but as fellow members of a comprehensive moral community as wide and deep as being itself" (p. xiii). William Schweiker (Forward)
INTRODUCTION
"But he was clear about what could and could not be expected from ethics as an intellectual discipline . . . . or for some assurance that the Christian community is by definition of its existence in Christ a community of superior responsibility. These things he will not find. . . . .
There is no proof that the morals of the Christian community are finally any better than those of other communities, or even that the basic principles of the community are better" (p. 13 - 14).
"The Christian community is as capable of false rationalizations, of perverted and distorted purposes, as any other community" (p. 24).
"Indeed, his view of revelation did not permit him to divide God's activity along some dispensational time line; . . . ." (p. 29).
I see Heiddeger on p. 32 - 33.
"God acts redemptively, but there is no redemption until free men respond to the divine act" (p. 38). No. As with other Christian writers this is inconsistent with what precedes it.
PROLOGUE: ON CHRISTIAN MORAL PHILOSOPHY
THE MEANING OF RESPONSIBILITY
RESPONSIBILITY IN SOCIETY
"But no one is so independent of his social culture that he can meet and interpret the events we call nature without some the words, categories, and relations supplied by his society. . . . . My action takes place as responsive and responsible in the midst of these interpretations and anticipations of reaction from both society and nature" (p. 81 - 82).
THE RESPONSIBLE SELF IN TIME AND HISTORY
"The Epicurean with his ideal of a quiet, undisturbed life, devoid of the perturbations of extreme pleasure not less than of pain, presents to men a shrewd plan for an existence that must end with death" (p. 90).
"They have found that if present relations of selves to others are to be reorganized, if the responses of selves to others and to themselves in interactions with others, are to be made constructive rather than destructive, if they are to fit better into the total process of interpersonal life, then the past must not be forgotten but remembered, accepted, and reinterpreted" (p. 104).
RESPONSIBILITY IN ABSOLUTE DEPENDENCE
". . . . we are like Chanticleer attributing the sunrise to his crowing" (p. 114).
"Responsibility affirms: "God is acting in all actions upon you. So respond to all actions upon youas to respond to his action"" (p. 126).
RESPONSIBILITY IN SIN AND SALVATION
"There is the similar paradox in the reflection that the action of the redeemed must be obedient to the will of another than the self, namely, God, and yet that if redeemed it be done in freedom, namely, the doing of one's own will" (p. 131)
"The responsible self we see in Christ and which we believe is being elicited in all our race is a universally and eternally responsive I, answering in universal society and in time without end, in all actions upon it, to the action of the One who heals all our diseases, forgives all our iniquities, saves our lives from destruction, and drowns us with everlasting mercy" (p. 144 - 145).
SELECTED PASSAGES FROM THE EARL LECTURES ON THE RESPONSIBLE SELF
RESPONSIBILITY AND CHRIST
"Thus man thinks of things anthropomorphically, or mechanomorphically, or mathematico-morphically, without always being aware that his patterns are not copies of the reality to which the reacts but products of an art of knowing in which subject and object interact" (p. 161)
"Christians undertaking to act in some fashion in conformity with Christ find themselves doing something like what some others, conforming to other images, are doing" (p. 168).
March 2, 2009
Provides the ethic of responsibility as another way of understanding Christian morality. As opposed to the dominant ethics, teleology, which understands right and wrong in comparison to ends (telos), and deontology, which sees right and wrong in terms of laws/commands, the ethic of responsibility sees right and wrong as the fitting response to the action--in community--of the One who reconciled us through his trust to the point of death and answered in the resurrection. It is an easier read than his older brother's, Reinhold, but is at times lofty and abstract. Nevertheless, there is much that is helpful here.
November 25, 2025
I read this in conjunction with a recent book on “When Stories Wound”. This is an extended essay that is a mix of philosophy and theology that develops the idea of responsibility as a construct in a theory of ethical behavior. The focus is on an interactive mechanism to help explain ethical decisions such that the choices people make are seldom absolute according to some goal or normative standard but rather responsive to the demands faced in particular situations. The right decision is what is right for a given situation, interacting with others, and influenced by a host of influencing factors. This is a lot to digest but seems at first take to reflect how conscientious people go about their decisions.
The author was a distinguished professor of theology at Yale and highly influential. I had not read him before but I will try to read more after this essay.
The author was a distinguished professor of theology at Yale and highly influential. I had not read him before but I will try to read more after this essay.
December 31, 2020
Haven’t been impressed with books more geared towards philosophy of religion/ in most cases Christianity specifically. Never really get much out of these books as I grasp on to anything I can and pray that I don’t lose grip. If you need a book supporting a theological studies thesis consider this, but not one for thinking differently about God.
March 14, 2025
A very thoughtful book about Christian moral philosophy. This is a theological book, not a book about ministry or personal devotions. However, H Richard Niebuhr covers topics such as eschatology and teleology, Christian symbolism, philosophy, and much more very well.
I recommend this book for scholars in philosophy and theology, as well as students of theology.
I recommend this book for scholars in philosophy and theology, as well as students of theology.
May 16, 2018
In which Niebuhr pares moral concerns down to "What's happening?" and "Now what fits?"
April 14, 2025
I picked this up on a lark and read most of it over a camping trip, and it reoriented entirely the trajectory of my moral thought.
December 6, 2014
Unclear that the "responsible" symbol accomplishes things that the "man as maker" or teleological approach cannot do. Especially with regards to Niebuhr's claim about the self as communal and historical - these seem like things that an Aristotelian / Teleological approach are also capable of embodying.
Want to read
August 23, 2007I read this book a really long time ago. I want to reread to form a solid impression.
October 27, 2007
I think this is one of his better works, albeit ignored. Focuses on what responsibility means in our society and culture.
January 21, 2008
Revolutionized the way I think about ethics. The Niebuhr's (either one of them) always impress.
Want to read
March 17, 2012old hardback 1963Harper & Row
September 6, 2012
Bewildered Amazement
June 6, 2014
nothing
February 13, 2024
I love this book.
July 18, 2017
An excellent work of Ethical philosophy from an Existentialist Christian perspective.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews