Doing justice

Drawing on the work of Alasdair McIntyre, John Milbank, and Franklin Gamwell, this departure in ethical theory argues that modern and postmodern moral theory is fundamentally inadequate, and that the current crisis of values can be resolved only on the basis of a substantive vision of the Good. But it goes beyond these thinkers to argue that such a vision must be grounded metaphysically in a revitalized doctrine of Being. The result is a radically historicized natural-law ethics which argues that not only human individuals but human societies and indeed the universe as a whole grow and develop toward God. The fundamental moral law is to act in such a way as to promote this development. The author draws out the implications of this insight for our understanding of the virtues as well as for social justice.