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Title: The Philosophical and Theological Foundations of Ethics: An Introduction to Moral Theory and Its Relation to Religious Belief by Peter Byrne ISBN: 0-312-07937-0 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 01 July, 1992 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $69.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (1 review)
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent overview of relationship between religion & ethics
Comment: Peter Byrne is the editor of the prestigious journal RELIGIOUS STUDIES. His book, THE PHILOSOPHICAL AND THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF ETHICS, is simply an outstanding introductory text on the relationship between religion and morality. I have learned much from this book, and I highly recommend it to others.
As an atheist, I was particularly interested in Byrne's chapter on "Morality without Religion." Byrne considers a number of issues related to this subject, including: (i) naturalistic ethics, motivation, and evil; and (ii) the metaphysics and epistemology of secular ethics. Concerning (i), Byrne considers "the objection to secular ethics ... that it can offer the individual who respects morality no guarantee of anything other than a life of disappointment and self-sacrifice." However, he notes that the secular moralist can offer three points to mitigate this objection. First, virtuous living remains a partial good even if it exists in isolation from the ideal whole. Second, the social dimension of morality shows that the best chance for attaining the complete good will be in a morally ordered community where moral rules are well-respected. Third, concern for moral considerations is not wholly derived from desire to attain an ultimate good. Byrne concludes, "We can see from this discussion of moral motivation that what is and is not a proper and sufficient motive for moral action is a complex matter--much more complex than neat proofs of the unsatisfactoriness of this or that moral outlook allow."
As for (ii), Byrne considers arguments which attempt to show that if we are doubtful of theism, we must be doubtful of the truth of moral principles. Here Byrne notes that if the secular moralist is allowed use of the notions of truth and reason in general, then objections about the source and nature of secular morality collapse. (Byrne lists personal choice, social custom, and evolution as examples of sources of secular moral standards.) He writes, "So long as the secular thinker can point to good reasons which back a judgement such as 'Do not steal', the question of whence this moral standard arises is of no more philosophical interest than the question 'Where do the principles of arithmetic come from?'"
The book is written at an intermediate level, so that it is useful to scholars and students alike. I highly recommend it.
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Title: God?: A Debate Between a Christian and an Atheist (Point/Counterpoint Series (Oxford, England).) by William Lane Craig, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong ISBN: 0195165993 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture: The Effect of Early Christological Controversies on the Text of the New Testament by Bart D. Ehrman ISBN: 0195102797 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 01 February, 1996 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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Title: When Jesus Became God: The Struggle to Define Christianity during the Last Days of Rome by Richard E. Rubenstein ISBN: 0156013150 Publisher: Harvest Books Pub. Date: 10 July, 2000 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: His Dark Materials Trilogy: The Golden Compass / The Subtle Knife / The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman ISBN: 0440238609 Publisher: Laurel-Leaf Books Pub. Date: 09 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $20.97 |
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