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Ethics of Everyday Life: Moral Theology, Social Anthropology, and the Imagination of the Human Reprint Edition

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 14 ratings

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Why do we have children and what do we raise them for? Does the proliferation of depictions of suffering in the media enhance, or endanger, compassion? How do we live and die well in the extended periods of debility which old age now threatens? Why and how should we grieve for the dead? And how should we properly remember other grief and grievances?

In addressing such questions, the Christian imagination of human life has been powerfully shaped by the imagination of Christ's life. Christ's conception, birth, suffering, death, and burial have been subjects of profound attention in Christian thought, just as they are moments of special interest and concern in each and every human life. However, they are also sites of contention and controversy, where what it is to be human is discovered, constructed, and contested. Conception, birth, suffering, burial, and death are occasions, in other words, for profound and continuing questioning regarding the meaning of human life, as controversies to do with IVF, abortion, euthanasia, and the use of bodies and body parts post mortem, indicate.

In
The Ethics of Everyday Life, Michael Banner argues that moral theology must reconceive its nature and tasks if it is not only to articulate its own account of human being, but also to enter into constructive contention with other accounts--in particular, it must be willing to learn from and engage with social anthropology if it is to offer powerful and plausible portrayals of the moral life and answers to the questions which trouble modernity. Drawing in wide-ranging fashion from social anthropology and from Christian thought and practice from many periods, and influenced especially by his engagement in public policy matters including as a member of the UK's Human Tissue Authority, Banner develops the outlines of an everyday ethics, stretching from before the cradle to after the grave.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The complex interactions between ancient and medieval theology and practice, contemporary bioethics and biotechnology, and social anthropology in The Ethics of Everyday Life are simply remarkable...His bibliography alone, not to mention his theological and moral imagination, are a gift to Christian ethicists seeking to befriend social anthropology and think more deeply about the ethics of the everyday. If the possibilities are as salient as Banner s work in bioethics, then may such friendships increase."--Reading Religion

"Michael Banner's work long been known for its theological depth and analytic acuity. Here we have a comprehensive Christian ethics of the "everyday,' inspired by his profound engagement with recent developments in anthropology, enriched by that discipline's empirical attentiveness and sharpened by its rigorous, but (for theologians) under-appreciated, theoretical self-awareness. There is no other account of Christian ethics as freshly illuminating, as intelligently displayed, or as systematically powerful as Banner's. I recommend this book to anyone wishing a more intelligent and perspicacious Christian ethics; they will not be disappointed." --Charles Mathewes, Carolyn M. Barbour Professor of Religious Studies, University of Virginia

"When moral topics are discussed, we spend too much time fiercely debating controversial questions and too little time reflecting on the meanings of the relations, feelings, institutions and practices which the questions presuppose. That is one of the valuable thoughts pursued in this book. And whether you come to it as a moral philosopher, a moral theologian or a social anthropologist there is much to be learned from Michael Banner's challenging and moving reflections." --Jane Heal, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Cambridge.

"This book is an interdisciplinary tour de force. Michael Banner is a first-rate moral philosopher and theologian who has learned to think about the intricacies of social life like a first-rate anthropologist. He has written that rare kind of work that not only can teach you new things about topics you thought you knew well, but can transform the very way you think about them. Anyone interested in socially grounded moral philosophy or in the anthropology of morality or of Christianity should read it as soon as they can." --Joel Robbins, Sigrid Rausing Professor of Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge

"We have lots of talk about the morality of particular acts, but little understanding of why we, Christian or not, are drawn to certain patterns of behavior, certain forms of life. Michael Banner's new book, The Ethics of Everyday Life: Moral Theology, Social Anthropology, and the Imagination of the Human, is a welcome corrective." --Comment

Book Description

An exploration of how Christianity has thought about what it is to live a human life

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; Reprint edition (June 14, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0198766467
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0198766469
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.2 x 0.5 x 6.1 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 14 ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2016
    The best book I read in 2015. Banner takes moral theology/bioethics beyond the "hard cases" to consider how morality is negotiated in everyday logics (which then shows up in the hard cases.) He leans into the work of social anthropology to discuss how moral theologians and ethicists can draw on the work of anthropological ethnography to consider these everyday moralities. The book comes out of a series of lectures Banner delivered in which he worked through the life of Christ in the Nicene Creed: conception, birth, life, suffering, and death. As the chaplain at Trinity College, Cambridge, the life of Christ is no mere rhetorical device, and there is a devotional, as well as scholarly, aspect to the work, deepening and enriching the thought in beautiful ways. Can't recommend this book highly enough for anyone interested in Christian ethics, theology and anthropology, and bioethics.
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2015
    In this well-written book that deserves to be widely read and considered, Banner proposes a new direction for the discipline of moral theology, and provides examples of how that new direction could enable Christian ethics to help people attend to the moral texture of their every day lives. It's a book for both the academic and the interested lay reader, weaving thoughtful arguments together with fascinating narrations of a wide array of cultural practices and events, teasing out their moral significance. He is rightly concerned that moral theology is at times, too enamored with moral philosophy or with hard ethical cases that fill textbooks but which, though important, hardly represent the kinds of decisions most people face in the normal unfolding of their lives. Moral theology could, however offer a plausible Christian narration of human life that could enable individuals, communities, and potentially societies, to indwell the regular moments of life in rich and meaningful ways.

    Banner's book sets out to help us think through a few of those key moments by moving from the narration of Christ's life in the Apostles' Creed to a thick exploration of 'every day' happenings: conception, birth, suffering, death, burial, mourning, and memory. For example, he moves from "conceived by the Holy Spirit" to reflections on IVF to reflections on family, godparents, why people have children in the first place, and how the Christian narrative helps us rethink these questions in order to indwell them anew in more consistent and flourishing ways.

    His deft use of social anthropology gives his discussions of these difficult issues a richness and depth they often otherwise lack, and keeps the book rooted in the lives of actual communities and individuals. Due to his decision to follow the narration of the Apostles' Creed, the book does focus on big moments of every day life, rather than on possibly more mundane, but no less morally fraught, activities like eating, befriending, loving, working, spending, learning, voting, playing, etc., but that's no fault of the book. It simply means there's more work to be done, and that our understanding and practice of each of these would benefit from the kind of attention and thought Banner models in this book.

    Even if one doesn't concur with every move of every argument Banner makes, his book is a significant and promising challenge to the discipline of moral theology that deserves to be explored, tested, deepened, and extended. All that and eloquently written to boot, which won't surprise any who know Banner's work or have heard him speak.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Brian Williams
    5.0 out of 5 stars Moral Narration of Everyday Life
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 12, 2015
    In this well-written book that deserves to be widely read and considered, Banner proposes a new direction for the discipline of moral theology, and provides examples of how that new direction could enable Christian ethics to help people attend to the moral texture of their every day lives. It's a book for both the academic and the interested lay reader, weaving thoughtful arguments together with fascinating narrations of a wide array of cultural practices and events, teasing out their moral significance. He is rightly concerned that moral theology is, at times, too enamored with moral philosophy or with hard ethical cases that fill textbooks but which, though important, hardly represent the kinds of decisions most people face in the normal unfolding of their lives. Moral theology could, however, offer a plausible Christian narration of human life that could enable individuals, communities, and potentially societies, to indwell the regular moments of life in rich and meaningful ways.

    Banner's book sets out to help us think through a few of those key moments by moving from the narration of Christ's life in the Apostles' Creed to a thick exploration of 'every day' happenings: conception, birth, suffering, death, burial, mourning, and memory. For example, he moves from "conceived by the Holy Spirit" to reflections on IVF to reflections on family, godparents, why people have children in the first place, and how the Christian narrative helps us rethink these questions in order to indwell them anew in more consistent and flourishing ways.

    His deft use of social anthropology gives his discussions of these difficult issues a richness and depth they often otherwise lack, and keeps the book rooted in the lives of actual communities and individuals. Due to his decision to follow the narration of the Apostles' Creed, the book does focus on big moments of every day life, rather than on possibly more mundane, but no less morally fraught, activities like eating, befriending, loving, working, spending, learning, voting, playing, etc., but that's no fault of the book. It simply means there's more work to be done, and that our understanding and practice of each of these would benefit from the kind of attention and thought Banner models in this book.

    Even if one doesn't concur with every move of every argument Banner makes, his book is a significant and promising challenge to the discipline of moral theology that deserves to be explored, tested, deepened, and extended. All that and eloquently written to boot, which won't surprise any who know Banner's work or have heard him speak.
  • David Williams
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great - thanks!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 25, 2016
    Good book, reasonable price, rapid delivery - thanks!
  • Skypilot
    5.0 out of 5 stars Moral Theology for everday, if not for everyone!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 17, 2015
    Amazon Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )
    Taking its direction from the Apostles Creed this novel work of moral theology seeks to move from the life of Christ to some of the difficult moral and ethical considerations of our lives. He moves carefully and precisely from the human experience of Jesus to major questions about the everyday events of the human condition, including conception, birth, pain and suffering, dementia, euthanasia, death, mourning and remembrance. This was, for me, the most valuable contribution of the book, encouraging a reflective engagement with these issues and questions relating to my own experiences and those of people I have loved. Not many books on ethics make that happen!

    This is not a casual read, though few people interested in ethics would be looking for such a work. Neverthless, the title suggests a work that is more of a popular primer for ethically minded Christians than I found this to be. It is carefully argued in intricate detail and need to be read slowly and reflectively. I think it will be read mainly by students of moral theology and ethics, including religious ministers and theologians. It will probably not be read by quite so many lay people but that is a shame. Perhaps a more accessible and popular introduction to this helpful line of ethical thought would be in order?
  • Sandford
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Start For Debate
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 1, 2015
    Amazon Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )
    If the title of this book had replicated the same of the lecture series, “Imagining Life: Christ and the Human Condition”, then it is highly unlikely that it would have attracted my attention. However, the altered title is a considered means by the author to invite a wider audience, which included me.

    As an atheist, study of moral theology holds little interest, but “ethics in everyday life” does. This book introduced me to this area of intellectual thought, where an uncomfortable dissonance exists between moral theology, moral philosophy and social anthropology. Their unique, respective attempts to provide answers to some of the ethical dilemmas experienced in daily life share little, if any, common ground. Michael Banner strongly encourages the need for intelligent conversation between these seemingly irreconcilable positions, and with impressive humility, suggests this book marks a start of a process, rather than claiming to be a substantive account of achievements to date.

    From moral theology’s perspective, the author places Jesus Christ in this discussion by suggesting his life mirrors our own existence. We are reminded that he too passed through the regular stages of human life as do us mortals, the comparison to which I initially found perplexingly obvious. However, I feel it is a stance deceptively helpful in emphasising how moral theology is both bogged down, and handicapped by, theological dogma. By relying on “hard cases” to explain dilemmas of everyday life, moral theology relies too heavily on the “rightness” or “wrongness” of issues. It isn’t compassionate enough, (my words) to adequately reflect the reality of everyday experience where many shades of shifting grey will always be fighting to be understood. Attempts to provide neatly packaged answers will inevitably fail to affect or impress.

    The ethical issues addressed in this book are clearly pointed out, and certainly cover the most contentious problems of living that we all experience at some points on our pathways. A most pertinent and brave comment from the author, is a conclusion that moral theology requires more therapeutic results, inferring that it really hasn’t really come up to the mark in succouring and helping everyday man come to terms and better understand such ethical dilemmas. This is a very well written book, and although initially I found it a rather formidable, it proved to be actually very accessible. It is of equal interest to the lay reader as for students/observers of the three intellectual disciplines.
  • Charlotte
    5.0 out of 5 stars Truly, an interdisciplinary tour-de-force!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 4, 2015
    Amazon Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )
    The Guardian online was less than taken with this title: "This book is a series of lectures about Christian morality as explained by an Anglican, adapted to book format. I’ve only just started reading this book, but already, I am somewhat annoyed by the author’s frequent self-interruptions as he tries to develop and express his ideas. The chapters tend to include many footnotes, some of which are quite lengthy. The prose is dense and at times, soporific."

    Was this judgement a little harsh? To start with, I'd say that the author's CV is extraordinarily diverse - alongside his academic work at the University of Cambridge he boasts an impressive range of external appointments; currently he is a member of the Ministry of Defence’s Advisory Committee on Less Lethal Weapons and of the Advisory Board of F&C Asset Management in the City of London.

    The scope of the book is similarly impressive - from IVF to euthanasia and Alder Hey. Clearly this is going to offer a challenging read.and a fusion of the different perspectives of moral theology & philosophy, and social anthropology. I'd recommend this book not only to the publisher's suggested readership of students and scholars of Christian theology, social anthropology & moral philosophy, but also the informed & committed lay reader, be they Christian, humanist or atheist.

    The book is well designed, and there are a small number of really beautiful colour plates, which are integral to the text. Footnotes and references abound, as might be expected!