A profound inquiry into what prompts human beings to act morally
Most foundational texts on theological ethics address either the person or society. In The Moral Life, James F. Keenan, SJ, posits that these two are inextricably linked. He presents eight stages of preparing for the moral life, describing vulnerability as the foundation for contemporary ethics. He understands vulnerability to be what establishes the human capacity for recognizing and responding to others rather than a compromised state of being. Mutual recognition emerges as the first moral act of the vulnerable human. He shows how conscience guides the activity of one who has first vulnerably recognized others.
The Moral Life offers scholars and students of Christian ethics a novel perspective on what we need to know not only to be and live morally but also to teach and share with others what they need to know.
Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. Grief
2. Vulnerability
3. Recognition
4. Conscience
5: Discipleship
6. Grace and Sin
7. The Virtue
8. The Communion of Saints, the Works of Mercy, and the Beatitudes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
Reviews
"The Moral Life is a tour de force that probes the fundamental question of what prompts humans to act morally. Profound, original, challenging, and full of hope, Keenan’s magisterial voice is evident on every page as he makes the case that our deepest connections, forged in shared vulnerability, are foundational for the moral life."—Linda Hogan, professor of ecumenics, Trinity College Dublin
"The Moral Life offers a beautiful and inspiring Christian interpretation of grief."—The Stream
"It is hard to imagine a reader who will not find new resources and dialogue partners for his or her scholarship in Keenan's text....Historically grounded and attentive to contemporary challenges, personally revealing and analytically rigorous, wide-ranging in its sources and focused regarding its central thesis, Keenan's text brings the anthropology of Christian social ethics to fundamental moral theology."—Theological Studies
"[The Moral Life] is an author's journey (both personally and professionally) of shared vulnerability while being an extended exercise in the virtue of hospitality. We are indebted to Keenan for sharing that journey and, in so doing, this collection enables us to be enlightened, enriched, and encouraged in the process."—The Australasian Catholic Record
About the Author
James F. Keenan, SJ, Canisius Professor of Theology, director of the Jesuit Institute, and vice provost of global engagement at Boston College. He founded Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church, an international network of ethicists. He also received the John Courtney Murray Lifetime Achievement Award from the Catholic Theological Society of America and is the past president of the Society of Christian Ethics. He has published a number of books, including A History of Catholic Theological Ethics (2022), and is the founding editor of Georgetown University Press’s Moral Traditions Series.
