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Contemporary Jewish Ethics and Morality: A Reader » (1st Edition)

Book cover image of Contemporary Jewish Ethics and Morality: A Reader by Elliot N. Dorff

Authors: Elliot N. Dorff, Elliot N. Dorff
ISBN-13: 9780195090666, ISBN-10: 0195090667
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Date Published: March 1995
Edition: 1st Edition

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Author Biography: Elliot N. Dorff

University of Judaism

Carleton College

Book Synopsis

Over the past decade much significant new work has appeared in the field of Jewish ethics. While much of this work has been devoted to issues in applied ethics, a number of important essays have explored central themes within the tradition and clarified the theoretical foundations of Jewish ethics. This important text grew out of the need for a single work which accurately and conveniently reflects these developments within the field.
The first text of its kind in almost two decades, Contemporary Jewish Ethics and Morality presents wide-ranging and carefully organized recent essays on Jewish ethical theory and practice. Serving as an introduction to Jewish ethics, it acquaints the student with the distinctive methodological issues involved and offers a sampling of Jewish positions on contemporary moral problems. The book features work from both traditionalist and liberal contributors, making this the only volume which encompasses the full range of contemporary Jewish ethical perspectives. Writers such as Harold Schulweis, Judith Plaskow, David Novak, David Hartman, and Blu Greenberg discuss law and ethics, natural law, humility, justice, sex and the family, euthanasia, and other vital issues relating to modern Judaism. Many of the readings appear here for the first time, making this important text the most timely sourcebook in its field. Uniquely qualified to reflect the high level and depth of contemporary work in this area of study, Contemporary Jewish Ethics and Morality is an essential contribution to any course dealing with Jewish ethics.

Table of Contents

Introduction3
The Literature and Context of Jewish Ethics12
1The Structure of Jewish Ethics12
Theoretical Issues in Traditional Jewish Ethics25
2Judaism: From Either/Or to Both/And25
3Natural Law, Halakhah, and the Covenant38
4The Covenant: The Transcendent Thrust in Jewish Law59
5Ethics as Law, Law as Religion: Reflections on the Problem of Law and Ethics in Judaism79
Reconceptualizing Jewish Ethics in Modern Times94
6Modernizing American Jewish Ethics: The Liberal Dilemma94
7The Jewish Self106
8Jewish Tradition and Political Action118
Methodological Problems: The Case of Jewish Medical Ethics129
9How to Draw Guidance from a Heritage: Jewish Approaches to Mortal Choices129
10Woodchoppers and Respirators: The Problem of Interpretation in Contemporary Jewish Ethics140
11A Methodology for Jewish Medical Ethics161
12Cases and Principles in Jewish Bioethics: Toward a Holistic Model177
Alternative Visions of Jewish Ethics194
13Jewish Ethics after the Holocaust194
14Emmanuel Levinas's Talmudic Commentaries: The Relation of the Jewish Tradition to the Non-Jewish World212
15An Ethics of Encounter: Public Choices and Private Acts219
Traditional Jewish Values and Virtues249
16The Meaning of Jewish Existence259
17Toward a Definition of Humility284
Jewish Perspectives on Sex and Family271
18Some Aspects of Sex, Society, and God in Judaism271
19Down-to-Earth Judaism: Sexuality289
20Jewish Family Ethics in a Post-halakhic Age300
21The Theoretical Basis of Women's Equality in Judaism315
Jewish Perspectives on Social Problems327
22Ecology and the Judaic Tradition327
23A Jewish View of Economic Justice336
24The Jewish Tradition and Capital Punishment344
Jewish Perspectives on Medical Ethics350
25Euthanasia350
26A View of Euthanasia363
27This Matter of Abortion382
28Judaism and the Justification of Abortion for Nonmedical Reasons392
Jewish Perspectives on Politics and Power: The State of Israel403
29The Ethics of Jewish Power403
30Israel: Toward a New Concept of Community422
31Living with Conflicting Values432
32The Ethics of Ruling a Jewish State with a Large Non-Jewish Minority441
Epilogue: The Future of Jewish Ethics and Morals455
Contributors463
Suggestions for Further Reading467

Subjects

Philosophy Ethics & Moral Philosophy
Christianity Judaism & Judaica General & Miscellaneous Judaism
Christianity Judaism & Judaica History - Judaism
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Christianity Judaism & Judaica Jewish Life
Christianity Judaism & Judaica Jewish Philosophy
Christianity All Religion General & Miscellaneous Religion
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Philosophy General & Miscellaneous Philosophy Jewish Philosophy
Philosophy Major Branches of Philosophical Study Ethics & Moral Philosophy
Religion Books Judaism & Judaica General & Miscellaneous Judaism
Religion Books Judaism & Judaica History - Judaism
Religion Books Judaism & Judaica Jewish Law
Religion Books Judaism & Judaica Jewish Life
Religion Books Judaism & Judaica Jewish Philosophy
Religion Books All Religion General & Miscellaneous Religion
Science & Nature Social Sciences Jewish Studies
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Social Sciences Jewish Studies Jewish Life
Social Sciences Jewish Studies Jewish Philosophy
Christianity Christianity All Religion
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