Karen Lebacqz
David E. Guinn (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195178739
- eISBN:
- 9780199784943
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195178734.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
Thirty years ago, both the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research and the collaborative team of Tom L. Beauchamp and James Childress placed ...
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Thirty years ago, both the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research and the collaborative team of Tom L. Beauchamp and James Childress placed justice on a short list of principles that should undergird medical treatment and research. It is difficult to sort out contributions of religious or theological ethics to justice theory in bioethics. Nonetheless, some claims can be made both for the influence of religious ethics on the public discussion of bioethics and for the distinctive voice of religious or theological ethics in matters of justice. Taking a biblically based view of justice, it is argued at that a religious view (1) extends the scope of justice; (2) makes oppression and liberation primary categories for understanding justice; and (3) makes justice the first principle rather than the second or third.Less
Thirty years ago, both the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research and the collaborative team of Tom L. Beauchamp and James Childress placed justice on a short list of principles that should undergird medical treatment and research. It is difficult to sort out contributions of religious or theological ethics to justice theory in bioethics. Nonetheless, some claims can be made both for the influence of religious ethics on the public discussion of bioethics and for the distinctive voice of religious or theological ethics in matters of justice. Taking a biblically based view of justice, it is argued at that a religious view (1) extends the scope of justice; (2) makes oppression and liberation primary categories for understanding justice; and (3) makes justice the first principle rather than the second or third.
Russell Hardin
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199232567
- eISBN:
- 9780191715976
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199232567.003.0009
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This chapter pulls together the strands of argument that arise in throughout this book. It discusses Hume's sometimes explicit, sometimes implicit views of other moral theories — as opposed to ...
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This chapter pulls together the strands of argument that arise in throughout this book. It discusses Hume's sometimes explicit, sometimes implicit views of other moral theories — as opposed to strictly political theories. It also compares Hume to his forerunners, such as Hobbes, who seems to have set out the main initial problems for Hume's own theory of social order, and Locke, who is one of Hume's greatest antagonists in political philosophy, even while he is an important influence in Hume's epistemology.Less
This chapter pulls together the strands of argument that arise in throughout this book. It discusses Hume's sometimes explicit, sometimes implicit views of other moral theories — as opposed to strictly political theories. It also compares Hume to his forerunners, such as Hobbes, who seems to have set out the main initial problems for Hume's own theory of social order, and Locke, who is one of Hume's greatest antagonists in political philosophy, even while he is an important influence in Hume's epistemology.
Douglas V. Porpora
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195134919
- eISBN:
- 9780199834563
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195134915.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Argues that through a felt lack of religious experience, many Americans are emotionally detached from the sacred. Whereas religious ethics ought to be the inspired emulation of God's perceived ...
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Argues that through a felt lack of religious experience, many Americans are emotionally detached from the sacred. Whereas religious ethics ought to be the inspired emulation of God's perceived goodness, religious ethics too often degenerate into divine command theory, where ethical rules are followed simply because they have been commanded by God. This emotional estrangement from the sacred has been an overlooked element in the secularization debate.Less
Argues that through a felt lack of religious experience, many Americans are emotionally detached from the sacred. Whereas religious ethics ought to be the inspired emulation of God's perceived goodness, religious ethics too often degenerate into divine command theory, where ethical rules are followed simply because they have been commanded by God. This emotional estrangement from the sacred has been an overlooked element in the secularization debate.
Philip L. Quinn
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195138092
- eISBN:
- 9780199835348
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195138090.003.0017
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter surveys recent work on philosophical issues raised by religious diversity or pluralism. It focuses on four topics. The first is the epistemological challenge of religious diversity. ...
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This chapter surveys recent work on philosophical issues raised by religious diversity or pluralism. It focuses on four topics. The first is the epistemological challenge of religious diversity. The rationality of commitment to any particular religious tradition seems to be threatened by the existence of rival traditions. The second is the political problem of religious toleration. Religious conflict throughout the world suggests a need for better arguments against religious intolerance than those currently available. The third is the task of understanding the concept of religion. Religious pluralism fuels debate about whether the concept of religion can be defined in terms of necessary and sufficient conditions or, if it cannot, whether it must be analyzed in terms of family resemblances. And the fourth is the enterprise of making constructive comparisons in religious ethics. Similarities and differences between the virtue theories of diverse religious traditions illuminate strengths and weaknesses in the ethical thought of the religions subjected to comparison. The chapter argues from these examples to the conclusion that religious diversity gives rise to several exciting and important problems that ought to be high on the agenda of philosophy of religion.Less
This chapter surveys recent work on philosophical issues raised by religious diversity or pluralism. It focuses on four topics. The first is the epistemological challenge of religious diversity. The rationality of commitment to any particular religious tradition seems to be threatened by the existence of rival traditions. The second is the political problem of religious toleration. Religious conflict throughout the world suggests a need for better arguments against religious intolerance than those currently available. The third is the task of understanding the concept of religion. Religious pluralism fuels debate about whether the concept of religion can be defined in terms of necessary and sufficient conditions or, if it cannot, whether it must be analyzed in terms of family resemblances. And the fourth is the enterprise of making constructive comparisons in religious ethics. Similarities and differences between the virtue theories of diverse religious traditions illuminate strengths and weaknesses in the ethical thought of the religions subjected to comparison. The chapter argues from these examples to the conclusion that religious diversity gives rise to several exciting and important problems that ought to be high on the agenda of philosophy of religion.
Lawrence A. Scaff
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691147796
- eISBN:
- 9781400836710
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691147796.003.0010
- Subject:
- Sociology, Population and Demography
This chapter examines Max Weber's thoughts on American modernity based on his observations during his trip to New York City. It first considers Max and Marianne Weber's experience with religious ...
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This chapter examines Max Weber's thoughts on American modernity based on his observations during his trip to New York City. It first considers Max and Marianne Weber's experience with religious services in New York, including a Presbyterian service at the Marble Collegiate Church, the service of the First Church of Christ Scientist, and the service of the Ethical Culture Society. It then discusses Max's views about the social implications of religious faith and social capital, as well as Marianne's thoughts about Americanization. It also analyzes Weber's account of the “cool objectivity of sociation” and his ideas on the issues of class, race, and gender; the relationship between religious ethics and economic action; and cultural pluralism.Less
This chapter examines Max Weber's thoughts on American modernity based on his observations during his trip to New York City. It first considers Max and Marianne Weber's experience with religious services in New York, including a Presbyterian service at the Marble Collegiate Church, the service of the First Church of Christ Scientist, and the service of the Ethical Culture Society. It then discusses Max's views about the social implications of religious faith and social capital, as well as Marianne's thoughts about Americanization. It also analyzes Weber's account of the “cool objectivity of sociation” and his ideas on the issues of class, race, and gender; the relationship between religious ethics and economic action; and cultural pluralism.
Anna L. Peterson
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195183337
- eISBN:
- 9780199784691
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195183339.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter describes the religious, social, and environmental practices of Old Order Amish communities in the midwestern United States, focusing on the communities around Holmes County, Ohio. It ...
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This chapter describes the religious, social, and environmental practices of Old Order Amish communities in the midwestern United States, focusing on the communities around Holmes County, Ohio. It looks at the sustainability of Amish agricultural practices, the relations between social and environmental ethics in the Anabaptist tradition, and the ways that religious ethics are translated into practical guidelines for everyday life.Less
This chapter describes the religious, social, and environmental practices of Old Order Amish communities in the midwestern United States, focusing on the communities around Holmes County, Ohio. It looks at the sustainability of Amish agricultural practices, the relations between social and environmental ethics in the Anabaptist tradition, and the ways that religious ethics are translated into practical guidelines for everyday life.
Anna L. Peterson
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195183337
- eISBN:
- 9780199784691
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195183339.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter looks at the extent to which the Salvadorans and Amish settlements have achieved social justice, protection for vulnerable groups, and democratic institutions and processes in their ...
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This chapter looks at the extent to which the Salvadorans and Amish settlements have achieved social justice, protection for vulnerable groups, and democratic institutions and processes in their communities. It analyzes and compares the distinctive contributions of Anabaptist and progressive Catholic theology to these issues. Particular attention is given to the religious dimensions of social movements and other mechanisms for seeking political change, and to the interactions between religious ethics and the actual practices of religious communities.Less
This chapter looks at the extent to which the Salvadorans and Amish settlements have achieved social justice, protection for vulnerable groups, and democratic institutions and processes in their communities. It analyzes and compares the distinctive contributions of Anabaptist and progressive Catholic theology to these issues. Particular attention is given to the religious dimensions of social movements and other mechanisms for seeking political change, and to the interactions between religious ethics and the actual practices of religious communities.
Michael Jon Kessler
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199769285
- eISBN:
- 9780199345144
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199769285.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This chapter explores how political theology is, in a plural age, a necessarily comparative enterprise. Reflection about political practices and norms and political engagement require encounters with ...
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This chapter explores how political theology is, in a plural age, a necessarily comparative enterprise. Reflection about political practices and norms and political engagement require encounters with those of different normative viewpoints and those who are citizens of other political orders, necessitating communicative clarity across divergent background assumptions, worldviews, and legitimating norms. Political theology as a discipline has not yet developed a robust justification for the comparative enterprise. The chapter examines the challenges in the related field of comparative religious ethics—a field from which lessons can be drawn about the need for systematic and methodological clarity about the goals for and possibilities of comparative political theology.Less
This chapter explores how political theology is, in a plural age, a necessarily comparative enterprise. Reflection about political practices and norms and political engagement require encounters with those of different normative viewpoints and those who are citizens of other political orders, necessitating communicative clarity across divergent background assumptions, worldviews, and legitimating norms. Political theology as a discipline has not yet developed a robust justification for the comparative enterprise. The chapter examines the challenges in the related field of comparative religious ethics—a field from which lessons can be drawn about the need for systematic and methodological clarity about the goals for and possibilities of comparative political theology.
Thomas A. Lewis
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780198744740
- eISBN:
- 9780191805998
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198744740.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion, Religious Studies
Both participants and observers often conceive of “comparative religious ethics” (CRE) as a distinct subfield within the larger field of religious ethics. Against this conception, Lewis argues that ...
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Both participants and observers often conceive of “comparative religious ethics” (CRE) as a distinct subfield within the larger field of religious ethics. Against this conception, Lewis argues that it is time to move beyond thinking of a separate subfield for studies of two or more figures, texts, or groups. Instead, religious ethics as a whole should appreciate the methodological fruits of the body of literature labeled CRE over the last several decades—in particular the realization of the extent to which all interpretation involves comparison as well as the import of the work done in the scholar’s own mind. The resulting vision of religious ethics further undermines the hegemony of Christianity within religious ethics by engaging a variety of traditions and bringing that engagement into a common conversation whose guiding concepts and categories are continually supplemented and expanded through encounters with materials from a wide range of contexts.Less
Both participants and observers often conceive of “comparative religious ethics” (CRE) as a distinct subfield within the larger field of religious ethics. Against this conception, Lewis argues that it is time to move beyond thinking of a separate subfield for studies of two or more figures, texts, or groups. Instead, religious ethics as a whole should appreciate the methodological fruits of the body of literature labeled CRE over the last several decades—in particular the realization of the extent to which all interpretation involves comparison as well as the import of the work done in the scholar’s own mind. The resulting vision of religious ethics further undermines the hegemony of Christianity within religious ethics by engaging a variety of traditions and bringing that engagement into a common conversation whose guiding concepts and categories are continually supplemented and expanded through encounters with materials from a wide range of contexts.
Larry L. Rasmussen
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199917006
- eISBN:
- 9780199980314
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199917006.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
“The unit of survival of human society is not human society. Its unit of survival is nature comprehensively. Our origin, ongoing life, and destiny reside here. The belonging we are born to is ...
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“The unit of survival of human society is not human society. Its unit of survival is nature comprehensively. Our origin, ongoing life, and destiny reside here. The belonging we are born to is ecospheric and cosmic. Religions and moralities that do not account for these dimensions somewhere near their pulsing centers are now quaint and dangerous.” These lines, taken from the book, lead into the two-fold aim of this work. (1) To recast religious ethics so as to re-center the moral universe from (abstracted and disembodied) human society to the full community of life and its primal elements—earth, air, fire, water. And (2) to reconcile the deep traditions of spirituality—mysticism, sacramentalism, asceticism, prophetic/liberative practices, wisdom—with ecological ethics. Part I of the book undertakes the first aim, Part II the second. Both parts are precipitated by a planet in jeopardy at human hands, both parts are governed by the quest for Earth-honoring faith and morality, and both parts share the conviction that religious communities have indispensable resources for a robust Earth faith and ethics. Yet the millennial traditions of religions also require a conversion to Earth as they face their own ecological phase in a new geological era, the Anthropocene. All told, this is religious ethics in a new key, a song (Earth-honoring faith) of many different songs (multiple traditions) in a re-framed moral universe.Less
“The unit of survival of human society is not human society. Its unit of survival is nature comprehensively. Our origin, ongoing life, and destiny reside here. The belonging we are born to is ecospheric and cosmic. Religions and moralities that do not account for these dimensions somewhere near their pulsing centers are now quaint and dangerous.” These lines, taken from the book, lead into the two-fold aim of this work. (1) To recast religious ethics so as to re-center the moral universe from (abstracted and disembodied) human society to the full community of life and its primal elements—earth, air, fire, water. And (2) to reconcile the deep traditions of spirituality—mysticism, sacramentalism, asceticism, prophetic/liberative practices, wisdom—with ecological ethics. Part I of the book undertakes the first aim, Part II the second. Both parts are precipitated by a planet in jeopardy at human hands, both parts are governed by the quest for Earth-honoring faith and morality, and both parts share the conviction that religious communities have indispensable resources for a robust Earth faith and ethics. Yet the millennial traditions of religions also require a conversion to Earth as they face their own ecological phase in a new geological era, the Anthropocene. All told, this is religious ethics in a new key, a song (Earth-honoring faith) of many different songs (multiple traditions) in a re-framed moral universe.
Thomas A. Lewis
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780198744740
- eISBN:
- 9780191805998
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198744740.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion, Religious Studies
Philosophy of religion today is characterized by a lacuna: little recent work has engaged with or contributed to broader developments in the academic study of religion. The result has been ...
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Philosophy of religion today is characterized by a lacuna: little recent work has engaged with or contributed to broader developments in the academic study of religion. The result has been impoverishment on both sides: Broadly speaking, work in philosophy of religion is still strongly marked by an excessive focus on Christianity and, to a lesser extent, Judaism—almost to the exclusion of other religious traditions. Moreover, in many cases it has been confined to a narrow set of intellectual problems, without embedding these in their larger social, historical, and practical contexts. The book addresses this situation through a series of interventions intended to work against the gap that exists between much scholarship in philosophy of religion and important recent developments that speak to religious studies as a whole. Collectively, these chapters are conceived to signal new directions for the field. The book maps the contemporary landscape of philosophy of religion and argues for the importance of normativity, history, and comparison—to philosophy of religion as well as to religious studies more broadly. Examining the notion of religious literacy highlights that the broader field of religious studies remains constrained by notions of discrete religious traditions that do more organizational work than they should. The Conclusion reflects back on the conjunction of history and normativity, arguing that Hegel provides greater resources than Nietzsche for engaging our histories—including their triumphs and exclusions—in relation to our present commitments, ongoing arguments, and future prospects.Less
Philosophy of religion today is characterized by a lacuna: little recent work has engaged with or contributed to broader developments in the academic study of religion. The result has been impoverishment on both sides: Broadly speaking, work in philosophy of religion is still strongly marked by an excessive focus on Christianity and, to a lesser extent, Judaism—almost to the exclusion of other religious traditions. Moreover, in many cases it has been confined to a narrow set of intellectual problems, without embedding these in their larger social, historical, and practical contexts. The book addresses this situation through a series of interventions intended to work against the gap that exists between much scholarship in philosophy of religion and important recent developments that speak to religious studies as a whole. Collectively, these chapters are conceived to signal new directions for the field. The book maps the contemporary landscape of philosophy of religion and argues for the importance of normativity, history, and comparison—to philosophy of religion as well as to religious studies more broadly. Examining the notion of religious literacy highlights that the broader field of religious studies remains constrained by notions of discrete religious traditions that do more organizational work than they should. The Conclusion reflects back on the conjunction of history and normativity, arguing that Hegel provides greater resources than Nietzsche for engaging our histories—including their triumphs and exclusions—in relation to our present commitments, ongoing arguments, and future prospects.
Kathy L. Gaca
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520235991
- eISBN:
- 9780520929463
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520235991.003.0007
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
This chapter argues that Philo's religious sexual ethic is an innovative synthesis which combines the Pentateuchal laws and sexual poetics of spiritual fornication with the sexual-reform plans of the ...
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This chapter argues that Philo's religious sexual ethic is an innovative synthesis which combines the Pentateuchal laws and sexual poetics of spiritual fornication with the sexual-reform plans of the Pythagoreans and Plato. Despite the differences in the specific laws of Plato and Moses, Philo and the Christian Platonists such as Clement found it irresistible to regard Moses' Law and Plato's Laws as part one and part two of the same dispensation. Philo appropriates the Stoic terminology of the passions to recast the biblical danger of spiritual fornication in psychological terms. The chapter indicates that Philo develops a forceful new program against sexual desire through his synthesis of Hellenistic Jewish and Platonic ideas about wrongful desire. Philo's limited synthesis of his criteria of impermissible sexual activity is covered. Philo also lays the ground for a paradigm shift in biblical sexual norms, but he remains relatively conservative himself.Less
This chapter argues that Philo's religious sexual ethic is an innovative synthesis which combines the Pentateuchal laws and sexual poetics of spiritual fornication with the sexual-reform plans of the Pythagoreans and Plato. Despite the differences in the specific laws of Plato and Moses, Philo and the Christian Platonists such as Clement found it irresistible to regard Moses' Law and Plato's Laws as part one and part two of the same dispensation. Philo appropriates the Stoic terminology of the passions to recast the biblical danger of spiritual fornication in psychological terms. The chapter indicates that Philo develops a forceful new program against sexual desire through his synthesis of Hellenistic Jewish and Platonic ideas about wrongful desire. Philo's limited synthesis of his criteria of impermissible sexual activity is covered. Philo also lays the ground for a paradigm shift in biblical sexual norms, but he remains relatively conservative himself.
Robert Eisen
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190687090
- eISBN:
- 9780190687120
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190687090.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
When the state of Israel was established in 1948, it was immediately thrust into war, and rabbis in the religious Zionist community were challenged with constructing a body of Jewish law to deal with ...
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When the state of Israel was established in 1948, it was immediately thrust into war, and rabbis in the religious Zionist community were challenged with constructing a body of Jewish law to deal with this turn of events. Laws had to be “constructed” here because Jewish law had developed mostly during prior centuries when Jews had no state or army, and therefore it contained little material on war. The rabbis in the religious Zionist camp responded to this challenge by creating a substantial corpus of laws on war, and they did so with remarkable ingenuity and creativity. The work of these rabbis represents a fascinating chapter in the history of Jewish law and ethics, but it has attracted relatively little attention from academic scholars. The purpose of the present book is therefore to bring some of their work to light. It examines how five of the leading rabbis in the religious Zionist community dealt with key moral issues in the waging of war. Chapters are devoted to R. Abraham Isaac Kook, R. Isaac Halevi Herzog, R. Eliezer Waldenberg, R. Sha’ul Yisraeli, and R. Shlomo Goren. The moral issues examined include the question of who is a legitimate authority for initiating a war, why Jews in a modern Jewish state can be drafted to fight on its behalf, and whether the killing of enemy civilians is justified. Other issues examined include how the laws of war as formulated by religious Zionist rabbis compares to those of international law.Less
When the state of Israel was established in 1948, it was immediately thrust into war, and rabbis in the religious Zionist community were challenged with constructing a body of Jewish law to deal with this turn of events. Laws had to be “constructed” here because Jewish law had developed mostly during prior centuries when Jews had no state or army, and therefore it contained little material on war. The rabbis in the religious Zionist camp responded to this challenge by creating a substantial corpus of laws on war, and they did so with remarkable ingenuity and creativity. The work of these rabbis represents a fascinating chapter in the history of Jewish law and ethics, but it has attracted relatively little attention from academic scholars. The purpose of the present book is therefore to bring some of their work to light. It examines how five of the leading rabbis in the religious Zionist community dealt with key moral issues in the waging of war. Chapters are devoted to R. Abraham Isaac Kook, R. Isaac Halevi Herzog, R. Eliezer Waldenberg, R. Sha’ul Yisraeli, and R. Shlomo Goren. The moral issues examined include the question of who is a legitimate authority for initiating a war, why Jews in a modern Jewish state can be drafted to fight on its behalf, and whether the killing of enemy civilians is justified. Other issues examined include how the laws of war as formulated by religious Zionist rabbis compares to those of international law.
Madhuri M. Yadlapati
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252037948
- eISBN:
- 9780252095207
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252037948.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter examines four particular ways in which faith has been expressed as a commitment to one's responsibilities vis-à-vis one's community and God. It discusses Hindu epic illustrations of ...
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This chapter examines four particular ways in which faith has been expressed as a commitment to one's responsibilities vis-à-vis one's community and God. It discusses Hindu epic illustrations of dharma, or sacred duty; an allegorical extrapolation of Christian responsibility in C. S. Lewis's Narnia series as well as his discussion of the relationship between faith and works; Islamic understanding of human beings as God's caliphs (khalifa) and the responsibility for jihad; and Jewish articulations of human responsibility in a covenantal relationship with God. These examples concern a specific interface of religious ethics and the commitment to faith, by which one embraces a tremendous sense of responsibility for the very fate of the human world.Less
This chapter examines four particular ways in which faith has been expressed as a commitment to one's responsibilities vis-à-vis one's community and God. It discusses Hindu epic illustrations of dharma, or sacred duty; an allegorical extrapolation of Christian responsibility in C. S. Lewis's Narnia series as well as his discussion of the relationship between faith and works; Islamic understanding of human beings as God's caliphs (khalifa) and the responsibility for jihad; and Jewish articulations of human responsibility in a covenantal relationship with God. These examples concern a specific interface of religious ethics and the commitment to faith, by which one embraces a tremendous sense of responsibility for the very fate of the human world.
Laura M. Hartman
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- June 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780190456023
- eISBN:
- 9780190456054
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190456023.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter establishes flourishing as an ethical issue. The chapter explores unequal human flourishing, as well as human flourishing that comes at the cost of ecosystem health, both of which occur ...
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This chapter establishes flourishing as an ethical issue. The chapter explores unequal human flourishing, as well as human flourishing that comes at the cost of ecosystem health, both of which occur in a case study of the oil fields of the Niger Delta. The history of the concept of flourishing follows, from its origin as one translation of Aristotle’s central concept, eudaimonea—the goal of all human lives, the necessary effect of a life of virtue—to its expansion into religious belief. The chapter then introduces the book by reference to the fields of comparative religious ethics and religious environmental ethics. Finally, the chapter introduces the method and contents of the volume.Less
This chapter establishes flourishing as an ethical issue. The chapter explores unequal human flourishing, as well as human flourishing that comes at the cost of ecosystem health, both of which occur in a case study of the oil fields of the Niger Delta. The history of the concept of flourishing follows, from its origin as one translation of Aristotle’s central concept, eudaimonea—the goal of all human lives, the necessary effect of a life of virtue—to its expansion into religious belief. The chapter then introduces the book by reference to the fields of comparative religious ethics and religious environmental ethics. Finally, the chapter introduces the method and contents of the volume.
Ji Zhang
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824835545
- eISBN:
- 9780824871291
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824835545.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Religious Studies
This chapter talks about Ge Hong's attempt to systematize the Western Han's beliefs in immortality, to defend them against detractors, and to insist on their core value for his tradition. Ge Hong ...
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This chapter talks about Ge Hong's attempt to systematize the Western Han's beliefs in immortality, to defend them against detractors, and to insist on their core value for his tradition. Ge Hong argues that physical immortality is possible and can be attained through the practice of instrumental alchemy; he builds his ethics and political philosophy on the basis of these beliefs. Ge Hong's doctrine of immortal beings insists, on one hand, that suffering and death can be avoided. On the other hand, it forms an ethical platform upon which he presents his religious ethics by defining what life is and how it ought to be lived. The doctrine of immortal beings professes that by preserving the One, the continuity of ontological life, humans are capable of embarking on the journey of return from the many to the One.Less
This chapter talks about Ge Hong's attempt to systematize the Western Han's beliefs in immortality, to defend them against detractors, and to insist on their core value for his tradition. Ge Hong argues that physical immortality is possible and can be attained through the practice of instrumental alchemy; he builds his ethics and political philosophy on the basis of these beliefs. Ge Hong's doctrine of immortal beings insists, on one hand, that suffering and death can be avoided. On the other hand, it forms an ethical platform upon which he presents his religious ethics by defining what life is and how it ought to be lived. The doctrine of immortal beings professes that by preserving the One, the continuity of ontological life, humans are capable of embarking on the journey of return from the many to the One.
Stephen S. Bush
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199387403
- eISBN:
- 9780199387427
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199387403.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Religious Studies, Philosophy of Religion
The concluding chapter of this book presents a summary overview, drawing from the points developed in prior chapters, of what is involved in thinking of religion as a social practice that ...
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The concluding chapter of this book presents a summary overview, drawing from the points developed in prior chapters, of what is involved in thinking of religion as a social practice that incorporates experience, meaning, and power. One important upshot is that any particular religious event, object, or action must be understood in the broader social practical context in which it occurs. Another is that experience, meaning, and power must not be neglected in the studies of religious people. Then the chapter discusses the benefits to the study of religion of such a theory of religion, with reference to various subfields in religious studies: ethnography, history, textual studies, philosophy of religion, religious ethics, and religious thought.Less
The concluding chapter of this book presents a summary overview, drawing from the points developed in prior chapters, of what is involved in thinking of religion as a social practice that incorporates experience, meaning, and power. One important upshot is that any particular religious event, object, or action must be understood in the broader social practical context in which it occurs. Another is that experience, meaning, and power must not be neglected in the studies of religious people. Then the chapter discusses the benefits to the study of religion of such a theory of religion, with reference to various subfields in religious studies: ethnography, history, textual studies, philosophy of religion, religious ethics, and religious thought.
Laura Hartman (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- June 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780190456023
- eISBN:
- 9780190456054
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190456023.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Can humans flourish without destroying the earth? In this book, experts on many of the world’s major and minor religious traditions address the question of human and earth flourishing. Each chapter ...
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Can humans flourish without destroying the earth? In this book, experts on many of the world’s major and minor religious traditions address the question of human and earth flourishing. Each chapter involves specific religious ideas and specific environmental harms. Chapters were paired and the authors have created dialogues to exemplify a dialogical method of comparative religious ethics. Taken as a whole, the chapters reveal that the question of flourishing is deceptively simple. Most would agree that humans should flourish without destroying the earth. But not all humans have equal opportunities to flourish. Additionally, on a basic physical level any human flourishing must, of necessity, cause some harm. These considerations of the price and distribution of flourishing raise unique ontological questions about the status of humans and nature. This book represents a step toward reconciliation: that people and their ecosystems may live in peace, that people from different religious worldviews may engage in productive dialogue; in short, that all may flourish.Less
Can humans flourish without destroying the earth? In this book, experts on many of the world’s major and minor religious traditions address the question of human and earth flourishing. Each chapter involves specific religious ideas and specific environmental harms. Chapters were paired and the authors have created dialogues to exemplify a dialogical method of comparative religious ethics. Taken as a whole, the chapters reveal that the question of flourishing is deceptively simple. Most would agree that humans should flourish without destroying the earth. But not all humans have equal opportunities to flourish. Additionally, on a basic physical level any human flourishing must, of necessity, cause some harm. These considerations of the price and distribution of flourishing raise unique ontological questions about the status of humans and nature. This book represents a step toward reconciliation: that people and their ecosystems may live in peace, that people from different religious worldviews may engage in productive dialogue; in short, that all may flourish.
Ellen Muehlberger
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- March 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190459161
- eISBN:
- 9780190459185
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190459161.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
Late antiquity saw a proliferation of Christian texts dwelling on the emotions and physical sensations of dying—not as a heroic martyr in a public square or a judge’s court but as an individual, at ...
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Late antiquity saw a proliferation of Christian texts dwelling on the emotions and physical sensations of dying—not as a heroic martyr in a public square or a judge’s court but as an individual, at home in a bed or in a private room. In sermons, letters, and ascetic traditions, late ancient Christians imagined the last minutes of life and the events that followed death in elaborate detail. This book traces how, in late ancient Christianity, death came to be thought of as a moment of reckoning: a physical ordeal whose pain is followed by an immediate judgment of one’s actions by angels and demons and, after that, fitting punishment. This emphasis on the experience of death ushered in a new ethical sensibility among Christians, in which one’s death was to be imagined frequently and anticipated in detail. This was initially meant as a tool for individuals: preachers counted on the fact that becoming aware of a judgment arriving at the end of one’s life tends to sharpen one’s scruples. But, as this book argues, the change in Christian sensibility toward death did not just affect individuals. Death imagined as the moment of reckoning created a fund of images and ideas within late ancient Christian culture about just what constituted a human being and how variances in human morality should be treated. This had significant effects on the Christian adoption of power in late antiquity, especially in the case of power’s heaviest baggage: the capacity to authorize violence against others.Less
Late antiquity saw a proliferation of Christian texts dwelling on the emotions and physical sensations of dying—not as a heroic martyr in a public square or a judge’s court but as an individual, at home in a bed or in a private room. In sermons, letters, and ascetic traditions, late ancient Christians imagined the last minutes of life and the events that followed death in elaborate detail. This book traces how, in late ancient Christianity, death came to be thought of as a moment of reckoning: a physical ordeal whose pain is followed by an immediate judgment of one’s actions by angels and demons and, after that, fitting punishment. This emphasis on the experience of death ushered in a new ethical sensibility among Christians, in which one’s death was to be imagined frequently and anticipated in detail. This was initially meant as a tool for individuals: preachers counted on the fact that becoming aware of a judgment arriving at the end of one’s life tends to sharpen one’s scruples. But, as this book argues, the change in Christian sensibility toward death did not just affect individuals. Death imagined as the moment of reckoning created a fund of images and ideas within late ancient Christian culture about just what constituted a human being and how variances in human morality should be treated. This had significant effects on the Christian adoption of power in late antiquity, especially in the case of power’s heaviest baggage: the capacity to authorize violence against others.
Damien Keown
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- June 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190499778
- eISBN:
- 9780190499792
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190499778.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, General
This essay explores the paradox of how a religion as ethical as Buddhism appears to have no ethics, or at least to lack the philosophical discipline that normally goes by that name. Buddhism is ...
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This essay explores the paradox of how a religion as ethical as Buddhism appears to have no ethics, or at least to lack the philosophical discipline that normally goes by that name. Buddhism is rightly admired for its moral teachings, but the tradition itself has shown a curious lack of interest in critical reflection on those teachings. Ethical dilemmas are rarely explored, and discussion of meta-ethical issues is almost entirely lacking. Instead Buddhist intellectual energy appears to have been channeled predominantly into metaphysics and certain related fields like logic and epistemology. Not until modern times has a discipline of Buddhist ethics emerged. The background to this situation is explored in section 1.2, and in section 1.3 a number of possible explanations for the contrast between the Buddhist and Western philosophical traditions are suggested.Less
This essay explores the paradox of how a religion as ethical as Buddhism appears to have no ethics, or at least to lack the philosophical discipline that normally goes by that name. Buddhism is rightly admired for its moral teachings, but the tradition itself has shown a curious lack of interest in critical reflection on those teachings. Ethical dilemmas are rarely explored, and discussion of meta-ethical issues is almost entirely lacking. Instead Buddhist intellectual energy appears to have been channeled predominantly into metaphysics and certain related fields like logic and epistemology. Not until modern times has a discipline of Buddhist ethics emerged. The background to this situation is explored in section 1.2, and in section 1.3 a number of possible explanations for the contrast between the Buddhist and Western philosophical traditions are suggested.