The Good and the Right: A Christian Introduction to Moral Philosophy

Move beyond uncritical choices.

The Good and the Right is a Christian introduction to the major theories of ethics in the history of philosophy, such as relativism, egoism, utilitarianism, Kantian deontology, social contract theory, natural law theory, virtue theory, and divine command theory. Philosophers J. Caleb Clanton and Kraig Martin offer a lucid survey of each ethical framework, and they carefully reconstruct and critically evaluate the case for and against each view. Along the way, the authors engage with the presuppositions, affirmations, and implications of the Christian faith in a way that takes the Christian tradition seriously. Ultimately, the authors rediscover and incrementally develop a unique but classically Christian framework for thinking about the moral life and making ethical decisions.

J. Caleb CLanton is the Distinguished University Chair in Philosophy and Humanities and a professor of philosophy at Lipscomb University.

Kraig Martin is an associate professor of philosophy at Harding University.