Overview

The first book to argue for the concept of tragic dilemmas in Christian ethics Moral dilemmas arise when individuals are unable to fulfill all of their ethical obligations. Tragic dilemmas are moral dilemmas that involve great tragedy. The existence of moral and tragic dilemmas is debated in philosophy and often dismissed in theology based on the notion that there are effective strategies that completely solve hard ethical situations. Yet cases from real-life events in war and bioethics offer compelling evidence for the existence of tragic dilemmas. In Tragic Dilemmas in Christian Ethics, Jackson-Meyer expertly explores the thought of Augustine and Aquinas to show the limits of their treatment of hard cases, as well as where their thought can be built on and expanded in relation to tragic dilemmas. She recognizes and develops a new theological understanding of tragic dilemmas rooted in moral philosophy, contemporary case studies, and psychological literature on moral injury. Jackson-Meyer argues that in tragic dilemmas moral agents choose between conflicting nonnegotiable moral obligations rooted in Christian commitments to protect human life and the vulnerable. Personal culpability is mitigated due to constrained situations and society is also culpable when tragic dilemmas are a result of structural sin. In response, Jackson-Meyer implores Christian communities to offer individual and communal healing after tragic dilemmas and to acknowledge their own participation in injustice. Tragic Dilemmas in Christian Ethics offers practical strategies that Christian communities can use to provide healing to those who have acted in tragic dilemmas and to transform the unjust structures that often cause these tragedies.

Full Product Details

9781647122669

Table of Contents

Reviews

Jackson-Meyer’s book is a wonderful meditation on what she recognizes as true moral dilemmas. * Catholic Books Review * Jackson-Meyer's work accomplishes something difficult to do; it sheds new light on a much-discussed subject matter…. [H]er work invites such further discussion while at the same time clarifying the difficulty of acting well in a broken world. It is a work well worth reading and pondering, by oneself and even more with others. * SCOTTISH JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY *

Jackson-Meyer’s book is a wonderful meditation on what she recognizes as true moral dilemmas. * Catholic Books Review * Jackson-Meyer's work accomplishes something difficult to do; it sheds new light on a much-discussed subject matter. [H]er work invites such further discussion while at the same time clarifying the difficulty of acting well in a broken world. It is a work well worth reading and pondering, by oneself and even more with others. * SCOTTISH JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY * Scholars and graduate students in both philosophy and theology will find the whole argument—which is laid out in the first few pages and reprised in more detail in the conclusion—clear, comprehensive, challenging, and valuable. The rich, focused individual chapters could easily be assigned in seminars for graduate students or advanced undergraduates. * Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics * Jackson-Meyer's work accomplishes something difficult to do; it sheds new light on a much-discussed subject matter It is a work well worth reading and pondering, by oneself and even more with others. * SCOTTISH JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY *

Jackson-Meyer’s book is a wonderful meditation on what she recognizes as true moral dilemmas. * Catholic Books Review * Jackson-Meyer's work accomplishes something difficult to do; it sheds new light on a much-discussed subject matter. [H]er work invites such further discussion while at the same time clarifying the difficulty of acting well in a broken world. It is a work well worth reading and pondering, by oneself and even more with others. * SCOTTISH JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY * Scholars and graduate students in both philosophy and theology will find the whole argument—which is laid out in the first few pages and reprised in more detail in the conclusion—clear, comprehensive, challenging, and valuable. The rich, focused individual chapters could easily be assigned in seminars for graduate students or advanced undergraduates. * Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics * Jackson-Meyer's work accomplishes something difficult to do; it sheds new light on a much-discussed subject matter It is a work well worth reading and pondering, by oneself and even more with others. * SCOTTISH JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY * Jackson-Meyer's argument is refreshing because it is both critical and appreciative in its engagement with moral philosophy and theology. * Studies in Christian Ethics * Tragic Dilemmas in Christian Ethics offers an important contribution to contemporary Christian ethics by introducing a concept, tragic dilemmas, which has been overlooked for too long. * Reading Religion *

Author Information

Kate Jackson-Meyer is a member of the faculty in the Theology Department at Boston College. Her scholarship and teaching are focused on theological ethics, bioethics, and the ethics of war and peacemaking.

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