Living With Other People: An Introduction to Christian Ethics Based on Bernard Lonergan (Saint Paul University Series in Ethics)

In "Living with Other People" Kenneth Melchin goes beyond merely translating Lonergan. He provides readers with basic tools for moral self-understanding and deliberation by offering an entrance into moral living that is innovative and refreshing, given years of moral casuistry, moral manuals, rules, and precepts. Melchin not only understands Lonergan accurately, but has inventively applied his work in a variety of ways. Thus, his role with regard to Lonergan studies goes well beyond "exegeting" Lonergan to "applying" Lonergan. Due to his astute grasp and creative use of Lonergan, this account of moral life is put into language that is "accessible" and uses examples to draw readers in. Melchin begins with the ordinary person's experience and builds on that piece by piece, adding to the basic notion of moral "skills" the elements of social context, the problem of evil, the Christian response to it, and, therefore, the role of faith in moral decision making. Eventually he discusses "principles": justice, the common good, the preferential option for the poor, the dignity of persons. But this comes only after the dynamic structure of living--knowing, deciding, and acting--has been carefully outlined.