Goods For Whom? Defining Goods and Expanding Solidarity in Catholic Approaches to Violence

Roman Catholic social ethics traditionally has affirmed moral objectivity, universal moral goods, and progressive social reform - premises that guide just war theory. In recent decades these guiding values have been challenged by contemporary critical philosophies, confessional or communitarian reli...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Cahill, Lisa Sowle 1948- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Wiley-Blackwell 1997
In: Journal of religious ethics
Year: 1997, Volume: 25, Issue: 3, Pages: 183-219
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Summary:Roman Catholic social ethics traditionally has affirmed moral objectivity, universal moral goods, and progressive social reform - premises that guide just war theory. In recent decades these guiding values have been challenged by contemporary critical philosophies, confessional or communitarian religious ethics, and the fact of cultural pluralism. I A the middle of this century, thinkers like John Courtney Murray gave Catholic ethics a more historical turn, while retaining an essentially realist and meliorist approach to morality and politics. Now this confidence and optimism are questioned anew by ethnopolitical violence, the ambiguities of humanitar- ian intervention, and uncertain attempts at reconciliation and restoration. Such developments show that the central quandary of Christian and po- litical ethics is not the achievement of agreement on basic human goods; it is the expansion of the circle of solidarity in which basic goods are shared in practice. I will suggest that Christian symbols can help evoke the sense of human solidarity that is necessary to sustain peace, and that transformative efforts toward peace in violence-torn societies can be successful.
ISSN:1467-9795
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of religious ethics