The article illustrates how community relationships can influence an individual's behavior. Human... more The article illustrates how community relationships can influence an individual's behavior. Humans develop their moral selves within the framework of communities and relationships, and so it is not right to reduce moral formation to a solitary intellectual act or a process disconnected from community involvement. Belonging to diverse communities, including family, religious congregations, educational institutions, and even virtual communities, and affiliation with them can transcend physical proximity. The liturgical acts within religious communities contribute to moral formation by reminding individuals of their Christian identity and moral responsibilities. The article emphasizes the multifaceted ways in which communities impact the moral development of individuals, from the transmission of values and narratives to the influence of moral role models and accountability mechanisms.
Joseph Selling, professor emeritus from KU Leuven, Belgium, recently made a significant contribut... more Joseph Selling, professor emeritus from KU Leuven, Belgium, recently made a significant contribution towards ethical methodology. It is in fact a continuation of the in-house conversations that have been in vogue about methods in moral reasoning since Vatican II in the discipline called theological ethics. What is specific about Selling's attempt is that he reorients or reframes the evaluation of the moral event to consider human intentionality or motivation before considering human behavior or human acts. He convincingly establishes his method by a meticulous reading of Thomas Aquinas. This paper is a response to the goal-oriented ethics that he has posited. As illustrated below, this paper evaluates the goal-oriented approach as solid and sufficient. While fully endorsing this approach, this paper argues that the process of ethical goal-setting is to be framed concretely. In a concrete historical context, so that a goal-oriented approach fully serves its purpose, this paper proposes that it is to be reinforced by four supportive pillars, which are in fact assumed by Selling in his work. They are openness to human sciences, conversation among various narratives, positing a theological frame for ethical reasoning, and recourse to non-discursive reasoning.
The article illustrates how community relationships can influence an individual's behavior. Human... more The article illustrates how community relationships can influence an individual's behavior. Humans develop their moral selves within the framework of communities and relationships, and so it is not right to reduce moral formation to a solitary intellectual act or a process disconnected from community involvement. Belonging to diverse communities, including family, religious congregations, educational institutions, and even virtual communities, and affiliation with them can transcend physical proximity. The liturgical acts within religious communities contribute to moral formation by reminding individuals of their Christian identity and moral responsibilities. The article emphasizes the multifaceted ways in which communities impact the moral development of individuals, from the transmission of values and narratives to the influence of moral role models and accountability mechanisms.
Joseph Selling, professor emeritus from KU Leuven, Belgium, recently made a significant contribut... more Joseph Selling, professor emeritus from KU Leuven, Belgium, recently made a significant contribution towards ethical methodology. It is in fact a continuation of the in-house conversations that have been in vogue about methods in moral reasoning since Vatican II in the discipline called theological ethics. What is specific about Selling's attempt is that he reorients or reframes the evaluation of the moral event to consider human intentionality or motivation before considering human behavior or human acts. He convincingly establishes his method by a meticulous reading of Thomas Aquinas. This paper is a response to the goal-oriented ethics that he has posited. As illustrated below, this paper evaluates the goal-oriented approach as solid and sufficient. While fully endorsing this approach, this paper argues that the process of ethical goal-setting is to be framed concretely. In a concrete historical context, so that a goal-oriented approach fully serves its purpose, this paper proposes that it is to be reinforced by four supportive pillars, which are in fact assumed by Selling in his work. They are openness to human sciences, conversation among various narratives, positing a theological frame for ethical reasoning, and recourse to non-discursive reasoning.
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Papers by Illathuparampil Mathew