In this engaging study, the authors put casuistry into its historical context, tracing the origin of moral reasoning in antiquity, its peak during the sixteenth and early seventeenth century, and its subsequent fall into disrepute from the mid-seventeenth century.
The Abuse of Casuistry A History of Moral Reasoning
About the Book
Reviews
"The book will lead to a reinterpretation of the history of western morals. . . . It's an excellent book."—Baruch A. Brody, Baylor College of MedicineTable of Contents
Preface
Prologue: The Problem
PART I. BACKGROUND
1. Theory and Practice
2. The Roots of Casuistry in Antiquity
3. Cicero: Philosopher, Orator, Legislator
PART II. THE PRECURSORS
4. Christian Origins
5. The Canonists and Confessors
6. The Theologians
PART III. HIGH CASUISTRY
7. Sumrnists and Jesuits
8. Texts, Authors, and Methods
PART IV. THREE SAMPLES OF CASUISTRY
9. Profit: The Case of Usury
10. Perjury: The Case of Equivocation
11. Pride: The Case of the Insulted Gentleman
PART V. THE CRISIS
12. Casuistry Confounded: Pascal's Critique
13. The Achievement of Casuistry
PART VI. THE FUTURE OF CASUISTRY
14. After The Provincial Letters
15. Philosophy and the Springs of Morality
16. The Revival of Casuistry
17. Epilogue: Conscience and the Claims of Equity
Appendix
Notes
Name Index
Subject Index