In Dworkin’s master work, the central thesis is that all areas of value depend on one another. This is one, big thing that the hedgehog knows, in contrast to the fox, who knows many little things. Dworkin’s understanding of the relationship—between ethics, morality, and political morality—is significantly revised and also greatly elaborated. He argues that “dignity” is the essential core of living well and that a satisfactory account of dignity would, in turn, point to two principles. The first states that it is objectively important that each person’s life go well; and the second that each person has a special responsibility for identifying what counts as success in his or her own life. Dworkin believes that values cohere and that in order to defend that coherence he has to take up a broad variety of philosophical issues that are not normally treated in one book. He discusses the metaphysics of value, the character of truth, the nature of interpretation, the conditions of agreement and disagreement, the phenomenon of moral responsibility and the problem of free will as well as more substantive issues of ethical, moral and legal theory.

Internationally renowned lawyer and philosopher Ronald Dworkin addresses the crucially related acts of abortion and euthanasia in a brilliantly original book that examines their meaning in a nation that prizes both life and individual liberty. From Roe v. Wade to the legal battle over the death of Nancy Cruzan, no issues have opened greater rifts in American society than those of abortion and euthanasia. 
At the heart of Life's Dominion is Dworkin's inquest into why abortion and euthanasia provoke such controversy. Do these acts violate some fundamental "right to life"? Or are the objections against them based on the belief that human life is sacred? Combining incisive moral reasoning and close readings of indicidual court decisions with a majestic interpretation of the U.S. Constitution itself, Dworkin gives us a work that is absolutely essential for anyone who cares about the legal status of human life.

Robert Merrihew Adams has been a leader in renewing philosophical respect for the idea that moral obligation may be founded on the commands of God. This collection of Adams' essays, two of which are previously unpublished, draws from his extensive writings on philosophical theology that discuss metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical issues surrounding the concept of God--whether God exists or not, what God is or would be like, and how we ought to relate ourselves to such a being. Adams studies the relation between religion and ethics, delving into an analysis of moral arguments for theistic belief. In several essays, he applies contemporary studies in the metaphysics of individuality, possibility and necessity, and counterfactual conditionals to issues surrounding the existence of God and problems of evil.

A thought-provoking, original appraisal of the meaning of religion by the host of public radio's On Being

Krista Tippett, widely becoming known as the Bill Moyers of radio, is one of the country's most intelligent and insightful commentators on religion, ethics, and the human spirit. With this book, she draws on her own life story and her intimate conversations with both ordinary and famous figures, including Elie Wiesel, Karen Armstrong, and Thich Nhat Hanh, to explore complex subjects like science, love, virtue, and violence within the context of spirituality and everyday life. Her way of speaking about the mysteries of life-and of listening with care to those who endeavor to understand those mysteries--is nothing short of revolutionary.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

An insightful explanation for why belief-not religion-keeps us in a perilous state of willful ignorance

Through careful , creative analysis, James P. Carse's The Religious Case Against Belief reveals a surprising truth: What is currently criticized as religion is, in fact, the territory of belief. Looking to both historical and contemporary crises, Carse distinguishes religion from belief systems and pinpoints how the closed-mindedness and hostility of belief has corrupted religion and spawned violence the world over. Drawing on the lessons of Galileo, Martin Luther, Abraham Lincoln, and Jesus Christ, Carse creates his own brand of parable and establishes a new vocabulary with which to study conflict in the modern world. Carse uses his wide-ranging understanding of religion to find a viable and vital path away from what he calls the Age of Faith II and toward open-ended global dialogue.

Becoming a Mensch is a 'user's guide' to becoming a better person, taking readers through a process of personal growth by means of modern-day vignettes that draw upon the Talmud's ancient wisdom. By examining character traits such as 'kindness and compassion,' 'self-mastery and self discipline,' and 'humility and flexibility,' readers of any or no faith learn what it takes to become a 'mensch' —- a decent and honorable human being. Readers are introduced to the greatest sages of the Talmudic era and many modern masters of ethical behavior. Becoming a Mensch is not only a guidebook for personal growth —- it is also a useful guide for parents who want to foster the ethical development of their children.

The Journey from Doubt to Faith will help you address your doubts and work through them to a wholesome and vibrant faith. When doubts cloud our thinking we grope in a fog of uncertainty and pessimism. We long for beliefs that will provide our ""reason to be"" and give direction to our living. Our Christian beliefs must be more than a ""hand-me-down"" from parents or church traditions. Beliefs must be ""ours"" because we have thought them through.

We need beliefs that will guide our thinking so we can act with confidence and inward peace. Since doubt is a common human condition, we can use our doubts to raise questions and to research so our beliefs become well defined. Indeed doubt is one of God's most effective methods for producing a practical, working faith. 

Despite the recent ferocious public debate about belief, the concept most central to the discussion—God—frequently remains vaguely and obscurely described. Are those engaged in these arguments even talking about the same thing? In a wide-ranging response to this confusion, esteemed scholar David Bentley Hart pursues a clarification of how the word “God” functions in the world’s great theistic faiths.

Ranging broadly across Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Vedantic and Bhaktic Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism, Hart explores how these great intellectual traditions treat humanity’s knowledge of the divine mysteries. Constructing his argument around three principal metaphysical “moments”—being, consciousness, and bliss—the author demonstrates an essential continuity between our fundamental experience of reality and the ultimate reality to which that experience inevitably points.

Thoroughly dismissing such blatant misconceptions as the deists' concept of God, as well as the fundamentalist view of the Bible as an objective historical record, Hart provides a welcome antidote to simplistic manifestoes. In doing so, he plumbs the depths of humanity’s experience of the world as powerful evidence for the reality of God and captures the beauty and poetry of traditional reflection upon the divine.

This first book in the series provides a glimpse into life's choices and challenges as Apostle Sharon Loving Ruff receives a Rhema word from God that He had hidden within her a "seed" that had been passed down from generations upon generations which was now being brought forth for His divine purposes. God then sends her to the Republic of Liberia and the Federal Republic of Nigeria in West Africa on a one-way airline ticket after audibly pronouncing the reason why she is alive, "I saved your seed from slavery and raised you up. I am sending you to be a blessing to your people."

This book explodes into a treasure chest of discoveries, astounding revelations and awesome adventures as Apostle Sharon arrives in Liberia on the date chosen by God and learns that only hours earlier, Charles Taylor led rebel forces to invade the country and Liberia is officially in a state of war. In spite of the dangers surrounding her during the first two months of Liberia's fourteen year civil war, this book continues to chronicle her bold walk of faith as she connects to the plight of the Liberian people and to her ancestral roots in the Kpelle' tribe. Intense spiritual warfare, amazing natural and supernatural encounters and the receipt of profound prophetic words from the Almighty God are among many awesome experiences captured in this book.

No matter the gender, age or religious affiliation, reading this book provides the reader with truths and helps direct them to answers for many of life's perplexing questions, including, "Who and I?" and "Why am I here?"

More big questions – and more interesting answers – from Gay Byrne’s hugely popular RTÉ TV show

We all look for meaning in our lives and here twenty well-known public figures share what gives their lives meaning, prompting us to ponder the question ourselves and perhaps even find some answers.

Following last year’s bestselling The Meaning of Life, Gay Byrne is back with more insightful discussions on the big themes that bind us all: childhood, love, faith, disbelief, morality, religion, grief.

Based on his popular and long-running RTÉ TV show, The Meaning of Life 2 explores life’s big questions with an array of fascinating public figures, among them Ronan Keating, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, Ian Paisley and Imelda May.

With Peter McVerry he ponders whether life is shaped by accidents or by the way people respond to accidents. Mary Robinson reveals the beliefs and values that fuel her formidable moral engine. Eamon Dunphy’s early experiences led him to believe that ‘everyone is magnificent in their own way’, and Edna O’Brien discusses her struggles with the Catholic Church after the infamous banning of The Country Girls.

’There are many pearls of wisdom to be harvested from the human oysters featured here who share with me the beliefs, values, thoughts and experiences that have shaped, or been shaped by, their lives.’
Gay ByrneThe Meaning of Life 2: Table of ContentsPreface by Gay Byrne
Imelda MayPeter McVerryMary RobinsonBrian CodyIan PaisleyJ. P. DonleavyEmily O’ReillyJohn LonerganRonan KeatingMaureen GaffneySean O’SullivanChristina NobleMicheál Ó MuircheartaighFionnula FlanaganColm TóibínMary ByrneColm WilkinsonCeline ByrneEdna O’BrienEamon Dunphy

For each book sold, a donation will be made to The Peter McVerry Trust and The Christina Noble Children’s Foundation.

En Justicia para erizos se postula una teoría de la justicia que parte de la idea de que los valores éticos y morales son una gran unidad conceptual que determina tanto nuestra existencia individual como nuestra convivencia con los demás. Para sostener es

En esta obra, que retoma las Conferencias Einstein impartidas por Ronald Dworkin en la Universidad de Berna en 2011, se invita al lector a reconocer que lo que une a teístas y ateos es mucho más grande de lo que tradicionalmente los separa: unos y otros e

In Dworkin’s master work, the central thesis is that all areas of value depend on one another. This is one, big thing that the hedgehog knows, in contrast to the fox, who knows many little things. Dworkin’s understanding of the relationship—between ethics, morality, and political morality—is significantly revised and also greatly elaborated. He argues that “dignity” is the essential core of living well and that a satisfactory account of dignity would, in turn, point to two principles. The first states that it is objectively important that each person’s life go well; and the second that each person has a special responsibility for identifying what counts as success in his or her own life. Dworkin believes that values cohere and that in order to defend that coherence he has to take up a broad variety of philosophical issues that are not normally treated in one book. He discusses the metaphysics of value, the character of truth, the nature of interpretation, the conditions of agreement and disagreement, the phenomenon of moral responsibility and the problem of free will as well as more substantive issues of ethical, moral and legal theory.

Internationally renowned lawyer and philosopher Ronald Dworkin addresses the crucially related acts of abortion and euthanasia in a brilliantly original book that examines their meaning in a nation that prizes both life and individual liberty. From Roe v. Wade to the legal battle over the death of Nancy Cruzan, no issues have opened greater rifts in American society than those of abortion and euthanasia. 
At the heart of Life's Dominion is Dworkin's inquest into why abortion and euthanasia provoke such controversy. Do these acts violate some fundamental "right to life"? Or are the objections against them based on the belief that human life is sacred? Combining incisive moral reasoning and close readings of indicidual court decisions with a majestic interpretation of the U.S. Constitution itself, Dworkin gives us a work that is absolutely essential for anyone who cares about the legal status of human life.

Politics in America are polarized and trivialized, perhaps as never before. In Congress, the media, and academic debate, opponents from right and left, the Red and the Blue, struggle against one another as if politics were contact sports played to the shouts of cheerleaders. The result, Ronald Dworkin writes, is a deeply depressing political culture, as ill equipped for the perennial challenge of achieving social justice as for the emerging threats of terrorism. Can the hope for change be realized? Dworkin, one the world's leading legal and political philosophers, identifies and defends core principles of personal and political morality that all citizens can share. He shows that recognizing such shared principles can make substantial political argument possible and help replace contempt with mutual respect. Only then can the full promise of democracy be realized in America and elsewhere.

Dworkin lays out two core principles that citizens should share: first, that each human life is intrinsically and equally valuable and, second, that each person has an inalienable personal responsibility for identifying and realizing value in his or her own life. He then shows what fidelity to these principles would mean for human rights, the place of religion in public life, economic justice, and the character and value of democracy. Dworkin argues that liberal conclusions flow most naturally from these principles. Properly understood, they collide with the ambitions of religious conservatives, contemporary American tax and social policy, and much of the War on Terror. But his more basic aim is to convince Americans of all political stripes--as well as citizens of other nations with similar cultures--that they can and must defend their own convictions through their own interpretations of these shared values.