Autonomous morality and christian faith
A discussion with William K. Frankena

Publisher: Eburon, Delft
280 pages, ISBN 90-51668678
€ 26,-

- abstract

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Abstract

Is morality a phenomenon that stands on its own? Is it separated from Christian faith by definition? The distinguished American moral philosopher William K. Frankena (1908-1994) answered both questions in the affirmative. Frankena's moral-point-of-view theory gets an extensive reconstruction, explaining how and why morality should be conceived autonomously.
Frankena's conception of an independent morality functions as a means to an end, namely to simultaneously safeguard morality's objective normativity and the ideal of personal autonomy.

Jos Kole counters that at least sometimes and for some people, morality and Christian faith are inseparable. A theory of moral justification should be able to recognize this fact of ordinary moral life. To prove this he dismantles Frankena's suppositions: autonomous morality cannot function as means and the end of objective moral normativity and the ideal of personal autonomy are both problematic. In his counter-argument Kole sketches an account that aims to recognize the possibility of intertwined morality and Christian faith without claiming that religion is always necessary to morality.

Moral Autonomy and Christian Faith is a meta-ethical study focusing on moral justification. The book is for those, interested in the relation between morality and religion, the moral philosophy of William K. Frankena, and theory of moral justification. It is relevant to Christian ethicists and to moral philosophers.

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