Overview

There are two driving questions informing this book. The first is where does our moral life come from? It presupposes that considering morality broadly is inadequate. Instead, different aspects need to be teased apart. It is not sufficient to assume that different virtues are bolted onto a vicious animality, red in tooth and claw. Nature and culture have interlaced histories. By weaving in evolutionary theories and debates on the evolution of compassion, justice and wisdom, it showa a richer account of who we are as moral agents. The second driving question concerns our relationships with animals. Deane-Drummond argues for a complex community-based multispecies approach. Hence, rather than extending rights, a more radical approach is a holistic multispecies framework for moral action. This need not weaken individual responsibility. She intends not to develop a manual of practice, but rather to build towards an alternative philosophically informed approach to theological ethics, including animal ethics. The theological thread weaving through this account is wisdom. Wisdom has many different levels, and in the broadest sense is connected with the flow of life understood in its interconnectedness and sociality. It is profoundly theological and practical. In naming the project the evolution of wisdom Deane-Drummond makes a statement about where wisdom may have come from and its future orientation. But justice, compassion and conscience are not far behind, especially in so far as they are relevant to both individual decision-making and institutions.

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9780198843344

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A tour de force ... this stunningly interdisciplinary volume paves the way for what will surely be a fascinating trilogy on multispecies communities and theological ethics, and it is well worth the reader's time and commitment. * Christiana Zenner, Theological Studies Journal *

Author Information

Celia Deane-Drummond is Senior Fellow and Director of the Laudato Si' Research Institute at Campion Hall, University of Oxford. Prior to this appointment she was Professor of Theology and Director of the Center for Theology, Science, and Human Flourishing at the University of Notre Dame, USA. She holds two doctorates, one in plant physiology and one in systematic theology. Her research work is at the intersection of theology, ethics and the biological and evolutionary sciences. She is a well established internationally renowned speaker and leader in the field and has published hundreds of book chapters and scholarly articles as well as numerous academic books and edited volumes alongside more pedagogical materials.

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