In this volume, Josef Fuchs has brought together 12 important essays which consider various aspects of the relationship between Christian morality and human behavior. Among the subjects he discusses are the connections between moral theology and Christian experience, the absolute character of moral norms, and the importance of ethical reflection in shaping the future of the human race.

The Responsible Self was H. Richard Niebuhr's most important work in Christian ethics. In it he probes the most fundamental character of the moral life and it stands today as a landmark contribution to the field. The Library of Theological Ethics series focuses on what it means to think theologically and ethically. It presents a selection of important and otherwise unavailable texts in easily accessible form. Volumes in this series will enable sustained dialogue with predecessors though reflection on classic works in the field.

Why should we avoid doing moral wrong? The inability of philosophy to answer this question in a compelling manner—along with the moral skepticism and ethical confusion that ensue—result, Stephen Darwall argues, from our failure to appreciate the essentially interpersonal character of moral obligation. After showing how attempts to vindicate morality have tended to change the subject—falling back on non-moral values or practical, first-person considerations—Darwall elaborates the interpersonal nature of moral obligations: their inherent link to our responsibilities to one another as members of the moral community. As Darwall defines it, the concept of moral obligation has an irreducibly second-person aspect; it presupposes our authority to make claims and demands on one another. And so too do many other central notions, including those of rights, the dignity of and respect for persons, and the very concept of person itself. The result is nothing less than a fundamental reorientation of moral theory that enables it at last to account for morality’s supreme authority—an account that Darwall carries from the realm of theory to the practical world of second-person attitudes, emotions, and actions.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 540-542) and indexes.

Faith & Morals Here - carefully documented, footnoted, and indexed - is not only what the Church teaches but also why it is obligated to do so. And, why its members are obligated to examine and to apply that teaching. This updated and expanded edition of a text long trusted and widely used in colleges, universities, and seminaries (as well as in high schools and parish religious-education programs), offers the latest Catholic teaching on moral theology, including: Moral theology: its nature, purpose, and biblical foundation Human dignity, free human action, virtue, and conscience Natural law, moral absolutes, and sin Christian faith and our moral life Read why - and how - living what the Church teaches can transform hearts, minds, and souls.