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A guide to the complex subject of ethics explained in clear and
entertaining language. This new edition is fully revised and
updated. This popular introduction to the subject of ethics poses
vital contemporary questions and explores the approach of leading
thinkers. The authors take the reader, step by step, through the
complex arguments on issues such as animal an human rights,
environmental ethics and the morality of war. 'It is a great gift
to be able to make philosophy accessible to the general reader.
This is a wonderfully clear introduction both to moral philosophy
and to contemporary ethical concerns.' David Atkinson, Church Times
Almost everyone is directly affected by questions involving sex and
sexual ethics - yet few are aware of the background to current
views on topics such as sex before and after marriage, sex as
procreation and fulfilment, homosexuality, sexual abuse, rape and
contraception. This new edition offers added and up-to-date
material discussion burning current issues in a thoughtful,
reflective and challenging way.
An excellent overview of Christianity, suitable for students (and
teachers!) embarking on the new GCSE and 'A'-Level Religious
Studies specifications. Written in the same clear and engaging
style as the bestselling Puzzle of Ethics and Puzzle of God, this
book covers key content common to all the new specifications -
including: Jesus: His incarnation, life, ethical teaching,
crucifixion and resurrection, saving importance for Christians and
relationship with God; The development of Christianity through from
the Early Church to contemporary Global Christianity; The
similarities and differences between different types of
Christianity in terms of beliefs, teachings and practices; The use
and authority of the Bible and other sources of authority within
the Churches as well as how the Bible shapes Christian Ethics;
Christian responses to science, feminism, secularism, philosophy
and the new atheism as well as crises in social justice. Most
importantly, Vardy places these themes in context and helps
students to understand and appreciate Christianity, the largest
religious tradition in the UK and worldwide. Through this latest
book in Vardy's bestselling series, students will enjoy their
studies and see the relevance of taking the subject further.
How do we know the difference between right and wrong? How can we
make decisions about issues from germ-line genetic engineering to
the regulation of banking, from nuclear power to ethnic bioweapons,
from end-of-life care to global warming? What does it mean to live
a good life? Ethics Matters introduces students and general readers
to the business of making moral decisions, engaging them in
meaningful dialogue and inspiring them to find out more. Beginning
with a discussion of the question of truth in Ethics, Peter and
Charlotte Vardy outline and evaluate major approaches to doing
ethics from Natural Law and Virtue Ethics to Situation Ethics and
Postmodernism, considering how these might inform decision making
in today's world. Ethics Matters places the latest scholarship in
context, clarifying how it relates to today's biggest challenges,
without in any sense 'dumbing down'. The style is engaging and
accessible; good use is made of examples from film, literature and
current affairs to shine a light on the fundamental philosophic
questions which underpin practical dilemmas. A new web site,
www.what-matters.org provides recommendations for further reading,
a rich anthology of primary texts, questions for discussion and
related activities.
Peter Vardy's much acclaimed introduction to the study of ideas
about God -- now revised and updated. A clear, well-written guide
to philosophical thinking about God. Starting with the question of
what it means to say we believe in God, and looking at the nature
of truth, Peter Vardy goes on to examine ideas about God and their
influence on Christian thinking. Peter Vardy takes the reader
through the arguments, using amusing illustrations and analogies.
He writes for the lay person or student, not assuming any
specialist knowledge, and not imposing any particular view. 'This
is about the best elementary textbook in the philosophy of God I
have come across... an extremely useful book.' Hugh Meynell, The
Tablet 'This is a masterpiece of coherence. Step by step the reader
is led clearly and humorously through the philosophical maze which
confuses our thinking about God.' Linda Smith, Head of Religious
Education, King's College, London
Does the Bible really matter in today's multicultural,
scientifically informed and technologically enabled world? Does
Richard Dawkins have a point when he says that the Bible is plain
weird ... a chaotically cobbled-together anthology of disjointed
documents, composed, revised, translated, distorted and 'improved'
by hundreds of anonymous authors, editors and copyists"? Does
studying the Bible have any place in twenty-first-century
education, faith or life? Centuries of intensive biblical
scholarship have made the meaning of the Bible less, not more,
clear. Its authority and even importance has been called into
question as questions about its historical accuracy have been
raised and the apparent complexities of its authorship have been
exposed. In clear and straightforward language and with plenty of
lively examples, Bible Matters charts the development of Biblical
Criticism and explores the philosophical assumptions which underlie
Historical Criticism, more contemporary approaches to Biblical
Interpretation
Perhaps human beings are animals, driven by the will to survive and
reproduce, perhaps responsibility is a useful fiction and religion
is the opium of the masses. Perhaps death is the end, life is
ultimately meaningless, brutish and short. Perhaps man is the
measure of all things and beauty, truth and justice are open to
interpretation. Or, perhaps not. God matters. The choice over
whether and what to believe is inescapable because it determines
how we live our lives. Nothing matters more. Here is a book that
encourages and enables students and general readers to ask
fundamental questions about the nature and meaning of human life in
an open, engaging but academically rigorous way. Centuries of
scholarship in the Philosophy of Religion, from Jewish and Muslim
as well as Christian traditions, are put in context and critically
evaluated. Examples from art, film, and literature show the
contemporary relevance of debates which have raged throughout human
history. www.what-matters.org provides recommendations for further
reading, a rich anthology of primary texts, questions for
discussion and related activities.
"An Introduction to Kierkegaard" is an accessible introduction to
one of the most influential philosophers of the nineteenth century.
Peter Vardy is an internationally known scholar with several
bestselling titles.
Soren Kierkegaard died in Copenhagen, Denmark, at the age of
forty-two in 1855. His writings had little influence in his
lifetime and after his death; even with the translation of some of
his works into German, he was barely known. Yet today, he is
internationally accepted as one of the world's greatest thinkers
and is often considered the father of existentialism. The purposes
of this book are very similar to Kierkegaard's own purposes,
namely:
- to help you think through the meaning and purpose of your life
and what Christianity means today
- to reintroduce Christianity into a world that has largely
forgotten what the word means
- to show the limitation of reason and modern philosophy
Here, Peter Vardy makes Kierkegaard's often complex and difficult
thinking accessible to a wide audience. He sketches a few of the
central themes of Kierkegaard's thought and gives the reader a
feeling for the way he approaches problems and some sense of the
breadth of his work. This revised and expanded edition is an ideal
introduction to Kierkegaard for both students and the general
reader.
Religion is a central aspect of culture, as is the critical
evaluation of different types of religion. Since 9/11 religion and
different manifestations of it have been far more in the public eye
in western societies than they had been since the Enlightenment.
Yet, not all forms of religion are necessarily good for those who
adhere to them and for others. Some types of religion are
de-humanizing and need to be resisted whilst others are profoundly
humanizing and good. In "Good and Bad Religion" Peter Vardy, one of
the leading moral educators in the UK, seeks to provide criteria to
separate good and bad manifestations of religion - central to this
are United Nations declarations on rights and the broad agreement,
found in the Western and Eastern philosophical conditions, that
there is a single human nature which all human beings share and
certain types of attitudes and behaviour can be profoundly
damaging.
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