RT Article
T1 The Ethics of Nuclear Energy: Technological Advancements and the Need for Revised Theological Guidance
JF New blackfriars
VO 106
IS 3
SP 187
OP 202
A1 Doherty, David
LA English
YR 2025
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1926063856
AB This article explores some ethical implications of nuclear energy from a theological perspective. The key point argued for is that the few texts in the literature that address nuclear energy from a theological perspective do not give adequate weight to the importance of the potential benefits of nuclear energy as part of climate change mitigation strategies. The same also applies to the possible role of nuclear energy in providing compensation for future generations in terms of energy resource durability. The texts thus fail to address matters of importance for intergenerational justice. I examine first an article by Jame Schaefer that discusses Aquinas’ conception of prudence in relation to nuclear energy. I then discuss the relevant sections of the papal encyclical, Laudato Si’ and the Japanese Bishops Conference’s document, Abolition of Nuclear Power. All these texts fail to articulate the potential benefits of nuclear energy pertaining to some perspectives on intergenerational justice, because they do not take sufficient note of advances in nuclear technology that would allay some of the concerns expressed within the texts with which I take issue.
K1 Prudence
K1 intergenerational solidarity
K1 intergenerational justice
K1 ethics of nuclear energy
K1 Climate Change
DO 10.1017/nbf.2025.11