Abstract
This chapter introduces the nature, relevance and scope of the subject, inviting a consideration of the mixed influences on ethical decision-making and formation, both at personal and societal levels. The nature of the book is to explore common and divergent influences on ethical theory and practice both in dominant western secular paradigms and within religious traditions and communities. The religions considered will include Christianity, Islam and Judaism from the ‘Abrahamic tradition’ and Hinduism and Buddhism from the dharmic traditions. The extent to which ethics in religious paradigms and worldviews also overlap with or include understandings that are now viewed as secular is explored. Correspondingly the religious influences on aspects of secular and philosophical ethics are also considered. The methodology used will draw on texts from particular faiths and illustrative writers from those traditions, recognizing that no community, religious or secular, is homogenous. The chapter will conclude with an outline of the structure of the book and conclude with an invitation to a dialogue to explore the issues further. As a way to assist this exploration the chapter will also include some questions and exercises to prompt further reflection by readers.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
‘Western’ is used to distinguish the European philosophical revolution that rejected religion from public life & ethics from enlightenment in other e.g. dharmic traditions. Space precludes use of the term each time.
- 2.
Imported into English law via the Human Rights Act 1998.
- 3.
Davie G. The Sociology of Religion. Sage Publishing, 2007, pp. 135–180 (Davie 2007).
- 4.
e.g. Dawkins R. The God Delusion. Black Swan, 2007 (Dawkins 2007).
- 5.
Holloway R. Godless Morality. Canongate Publishing, 2004 (Holloway 2004).
- 6.
- 7.
Habermas J. Between Naturalism and Religion. Cambridge Polity Press, 2008. pp. 114–147 (Habermas 2008) re-evaluation of total exclusion of religion from the public square.
- 8.
Holloway R. Godless Morality: Keeping Religion Out of Ethics. Edinburgh University Press, 1999 (Holloway 1999).
- 9.
Banchoff T & Wuthnow R. Religion and the Global Politics of Human Rights. Oxford University Press, 2011, p. 4 (Banchoff and Wuthnow 2011).
- 10.
Fasching DJ, Dechant D & Lantigua DM. Comparative Religious Ethics: A Narrative Approach to Global Ethics. Wiley Blackwell, 2011, pp. 9–20 (Fasching et al. 2011).
- 11.
e.g. Pierre Bordieu’s theory of the habitus, Bourdieu Pierre. The Logic of Practice. Polity Press, 1990 (Bourdieu 1990).
- 12.
e.g. Morgan P & Lawton C. Ethical Issues in Six Religious Traditions, 2nd edition. Edinburgh University Press, 2007 (Lawton 2007).
- 13.
Niebuhr RH. Christ and Culture. Bravo Limited Press, 2002 (Niebuhr 2002).
- 14.
Ward K. Religion and Community. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2000 (Ward 2000).
- 15.
Roald AS. Research on Muslims, pp. 5–22. In Women in Islam: The Western Experience. London: Routledge, 2001 (Roald 2001).
- 16.
- 17.
Matthew 5: 17 NRSV.
- 18.
e.g. Ephesians 2: 15 NRSV; Sanders EP. Paul, the Law and the Jewish People. Augsburg Fortress Press, 1983 (Sanders 1983).
- 19.
Reason and natural law are explored further in Chapters 2 and 3 respectively.
- 20.
- 21.
Fasching Darrell & Dechant Dell. Comparative Religious Ethics. Oxford: Blackwell, 2000.
- 22.
The fact that Christianity is perceived as a ‘western religion’ is ironic given that its genesis was in the Middle East and some of its early spread was in Africa; Augustine was a Bishop of Hippo, north Africa.
- 23.
Hauerwas Stanley & Wells Samuel (Eds.). The Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2006 (Hauerwas and Wells 2006).
- 24.
A contentious point, challenged by some sociologists as summarized by Grace Davie in A Sociology of Religion: A Critical Agenda. Sage Publishing, 2013 (Davie 2013), yet a view still promoted for example by Bruce e.g. in Bruce S. The demise of Christianity in Britain. In Predicting Religion: Christian, Secular and Alternative Futures, Eds. Davie G, Heelas P & Woodhead L. Religion & theology in interdisciplinary perspective, Ashgate, Aldershot, United Kingdom, 2003, pp. 53–63 (Bruce 2003). See too Sharpe M & Nickelson D. Secularisations and Their Debates: Perspectives on the Return of Religion in the Contemporary West. Springer Press, 2013 (Sharpe and Nickelson 2013).
Bibliography
Bailey, T, and V Gentile. Rawls and Religion. Columbia University Press, 2015.
Banchoff, T, and R Wuthnow. Religion and the Global Politics of Human Rights. Oxford University Press, 2011.
Bourdieu, Pierre. The Logic of Practice. Polity Press, 1990.
Bruce, S. “The Demise of Christianity in Britain.” In Predicting Religion: Christian, Secular and Alternative Futures. Religion & theloogy in interdisciplinary perspective. Eds. G Davie, P Heelas, and L Woodhead. UK: Ashgate, Aldershot, 2003.
Davie, G. The Sociology of Religion. Sage Publishing, 2007.
Davie, G. A Sociology of Religion: A Critical Agenda. Sage Publishing, 2013.
Dawkins, R. The God Delusion. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006 and Black Swan 2007.
Esposito, J, and D Mogaded. Who Speaks for Islam. Gallup Press, 2007.
Fasching, DJ, D Dechant, and DM Lantigua. Comparative Religious Ethics: A Narrative Approach to Global Ethics. Wiley Blackwell, 2011.
Freud Kandell, M, and N De Lange. Modern Judaism an Oxford Guide. Oxford University, 2005.
Habermas, J. Between Naturalism and Religion. Cambridge Polity Press, 2008.
Hauerwas, Stanley, and Samuel Wells. Eds. The Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2006.
Holloway, R. Godless Morality: Keeping Religion Out of Ethics. Edinburgh University Press, 1999.
Holloway, R. Godless Morality. Canongate Publishing, 2004.
Lawton, CA. “Judaism.” In Ethical Issues in Six Religious Traditions, 2nd Edition, Eds. P Morgan and C Lawton, 168–215. Edinburgh University Press, 2007.
Niebuhr, RH. Christ and Culture. Bravo Limited Press, 2002.
Rawls, J. “Public Reason Re-visited.” University of Chicago Law Review 64 (Summer 1997): 765–807.
Roald, AS. Women in Islam: The Western Experience. London: Routledge, 2001.
Sanders, EP. Paul, the Law and the Jewish People. Augsburg Fortress Press, 1983.
Sharpe, M, and D Nickelson. Secularisations and Their Debates: Perspectives on the Return of Religion in the Contemporary West. Springer Press, 2013.
Ward, K. Religion and Community. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2000.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Shelley, C. (2017). Introduction to Philosophical and Theological Ethics. In: Ethical Exploration in a Multifaith Society. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46711-5_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46711-5_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-46710-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-46711-5
eBook Packages: Religion and PhilosophyPhilosophy and Religion (R0)