The Essential Paul Ramsey

Walter Jost, Michael J. Hyde

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Year: 1995
• eBook ISBN: 9780300159363
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Philosophy History & Theory

Paul Ramsey was one of this century's most important ethicists. From the publication of his classic Basic Christian Ethics in 1950 until his death in 1988, his writings decisively shaped moral discourse and reflection in the areas of theology, law, politics, and medicine.

This collection of Ramsey's most important essays on Christian, political, and medical ethics displays the scope and depth of his vision, highlighting both the character of his theological commitments and the continuing significance of his work for the pressing moral problems of our day. Selections deal with such issues as race relations, sexuality and marriage, war, the meaning of Christian love, abortion, and medical care for the sick and dying. A general introduction by William Werpehowski and Stephen Crocco evaluates Ramsey's career and accomplishments and reviews contemporary criticism of his output and legacy. Shorter introductions to each selection point out crucial themes and lines of development in Ramsey's thought.

The late Paul Ramsey was Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University and the author of many books, among them The Patient as Person, Fabricated Man, and Ethics at the Edges of Life. William Werpehowski is associate professor of religion at Villanova University. Stephen D. Crocco is librarian and associate professor of bibliography at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Introduction
• 1. What the Christian Does Without a Code
• 2. The Biblical Norm of Righteousness
• 3. Self-Love, Love of Happiness, Love to God and to Neighbor
• 4. Christian Vocation and Resistance
• 5. Justice in War
• 6. The Case for Making "Just War" Possible
• 7. The Uses of Power
• 8. The Limits of Nuclear War
• 9. The Created Destination of Property Right
• 10. The Christian Use of Economic Pressure to Transform Race Relations
• 11. The Covenant of Marriage and Right Means
• 12. Reference Points in Deciding about Abortion
• 13. Preface to The Patient as Person
• 14. Consent as a Canon of Loyalty, with Special Reference to Children in Medical Investigations
• 15. On (Only) Caring for the Dying
• 16. The Indignity of "Death with Dignity"
• 17. Justice and Equal Treatment
• A Paul Ramsey Bibliography
• Index