Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
In the twenty-first century the basic questions of ethics are no longer the abstract terms of ethical theory, but the concrete and burning issues related to the influence of life sciences, the impact of a globalized economy, and the consequences of present decisions for the future of humankind. Ethics: The Fundamental Questions of Our Lives analyzes twenty ethical issues that address education and culture, labor and economy, the environment and sustainability, democracy and cosmopolitanism, peace and war, and life and death. Each chapter describes a concrete example showing the relevance of the fundamental ethical question, then provides an explanation of how one can think through possible responses and reactions. Huber emphasizes the connections between personal, professional, and institutional ethics and demonstrates how human relationships lie at the center of our ethical lives. His aim is to articulate a theology of what he calls "responsible freedom" that transcends individualistic self-realization and includes communal obligations.
Synopsis
Wolfgang Huber is Germany's most important theological ethicist, and this is a translation of his 2013 book published with CH Beck. Acknowledging our pluralistic world, Huber analyzes twenty ethical issues that emerge during the course of our lives: the future of the family, genetic handicaps and genetic enhancement, combatting global hunger and poverty, environmental degradation, religious freedom, the right to health, the expanding influence of the media, the true purpose of business, what we owe our descendants, global conflict and war and peace, the role of science, extending life and accepting death, and so on. In each chapter he provides a concrete example showing the relevance of the fundamental ethical question, then explains how one can think through possible responses and reactions. Huber is firmly within the Protestant tradition and takes philosophical cues from Kant. As such, he emphasizes the connections between personal, professional, and institutional ethics and demonstrates how human relationships lie at the center of our ethical lives. His aim is to articulate a theology of what he calls "responsible freedom" that transcends individualistic self-realization and includes communal obligations.