FWS25: Light in the Darkness

·43 min·4 clips

How do modern methods of ethical thinking differ from the past, and what do Christian philosophers Oliver O'Donovan and Charles Taylor reveal about it?

The episode begins with a prayer and introduces the topic of moral thinking in Western culture. The speaker notes that modern answers to identity questions differ not just in content but in method from the past. Key ethical issues discussed include the left's idea of universal moral obligation, as exemplified by Peter Singer, and its application to debates over gay marriage and transgender rights. The speaker references Nicola Sturgeon's view on transgender disadvantage. Gender theory is explored, focusing on Judith Butler's performative concept of gender, which denies biological sex as constitutive. Ancient philosophy is invoked, particularly the Greek distinction between physis (nature) and nomos (convention), to frame the debate. Christian wisdom is presented as living rightly in God's created world, with scriptural references from Ephesians and Colossians. Oliver O'Donovan's work, especially 'Resurrection and Moral Order', is cited to explain how redemption grants moral authority and freedom to apply God's word creatively. Charles Taylor's arguments are detailed, emphasizing that moral frameworks are objective and inescapable for human agency, challenging naturalist and expressivist views. The speaker traces historical shifts from Plato and Augustine to Descartes and the Enlightenment, highlighting how internalization of moral sources led to modern autonomy. Modern morality's features, such as valuing autonomy, avoiding suffering, non-elitism, and seeking meaningful life, are contrasted with past eras. The concept of disenchantment and loss of meaning is discussed, with mention of Jonathan Pajot's perspectives. Taylor's analysis of how the modern self emerged without a moral framework is summarized. The episode concludes that modern moral certainties, like universal justice, lack a basis without a real moral universe, leading to political conflicts and the need for a grounded ethical foundation.

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A Christian account of identity, freedom, and moral certainty in Western culture.

This episode follows the shift in Western moral thought through a deceptively simple question: what it means to be who you are. It tracks changing answers across time, but also changing ways of arriving at those answers, before drawing Protestant philosopher Oliver O'Donovan and…

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If you want to understand why moral certainty feels politically combustible, press play.

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