God's Call: Moral Realism, God's Commands, and Human Autonomy [Paperback]

Mr. John E. Hare (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 31, 2001

There has been a debate between modern ethicists who see moral judgments as objectively corresponding to a moral reality independent of human opinion and those who insist that moral judgments are essentially expressions of our will. In this excellent philosophical work John Hare outlines a theory that combines the merits of both views, arguing that what makes something right is that God calls us to it. In the first chapter Hare gives a selective history of the sustained debate within Anglo-American philosophy over the last century between moral realists and moral expressivists. Best understood as a disagreement about how objectivity and subjectivity are related in value judgment, this debate is of particular interest to Christians, who necessarily feel pulled in both directions. Christians want to say that value is created by God and exists whether we recognize it or not, but they also want to say that when we value something, our hearts' fundamental commitments are also involved. Hare suggests "prescriptive realism" as a way to bring both perspectives together. The second chapter examines the divine command theory of John Duns Scotus, looking particularly at the relationship that Scotus established between God's commands, human nature, and human will. Hare shows that a Calvinist version of the divine command theory of obligation can be defended via Scotus against natural law theory as well as against contemporary challenges. A significant theme treated here is the view that the Fall disordered our natural inclinations, rendering them useless as an authoritative source of guidance for right living. In the last chapter Hare moves to the key philosophical juncture between the medieval period and our own time -- the moral theory of Immanuel Kant in the late eighteenth century. Modern moral philosophy has largely taken Kant's work as a refutation of divine command theory and a refocusing of the discussion on human aut

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Based on lectures, Hare's brief book provides an informative history of one major controversy in twentieth-century ethics, that between moral realists and moral expressivists. Hare understands the controversy as a disagreement about "how objectivity and subjectivity are related in moral judgment." This reading of the controversy leads to illuminating discussion of, among others, Iris Murdoch, whose influence reached a significant audience through her fiction as well as her philosophical writing. Hare then takes the late-medieval theorist John Duns Scotus as an ally in defending divine command theory against theories based in natural law. Finally, he engages Kant, who is widely believed to have refuted divine command theory, in a conversation that allows Hare to defend such a theory and to affirm human autonomy. The discussion may be a bit dense for general readers, but the controversy at its heart is a live one in ethics and of particular concern to theological descendants of Calvin and to those concerned with natural law in Catholic moral theology. Steven Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 132 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (July 31, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802849970
• ISBN-13: 978-0802849977
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,032,171 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fresh breakthrough in ethics:, October 20, 2001

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Leonard Sidharta (Surabaya, Indonesia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: God's Call: Moral Realism, God's Commands, and Human Autonomy (Hardcover)

A splendidly and clearly argued book! Hare not only defends and elaborates the rationality of Divine Command Theory, he also shows convincingly that not only contemporary analytical philosophy moves toward the solution of the problems of autonomy (by reconciling realist moral standard and autonomous endorsement), but Immanuel Kant in his ethical theory is actually a Divine Command theorist. He presents a brief and yet a strong case here, a must read for all Christians and students of ethics and philosophy!