Narrative and Morality

Narrative and Morality, Volume 1, provides a comprehensive analysis of philosophical and theological literature regarding the relationship between storytelling and moral understanding. Paul Nelson examines how individuals and traditions use narrative to shape identity and history, specifically exploring Alasdair MacIntyre's virtue ethics. This work of philosophy and ethics and moral philosophy addresses the tension between universal moral rules and the specific narratives of social groups, while investigating the risks of relativism and the freedom of moral agents.

This study of Christian theology and religion classifies theological narratives into liberal-universalistic and postliberal-particularistic traditions. By analyzing the work of Stanley Hauerwas, Nelson argues that while narrative is vital, it cannot replace narrative-independent features of morality. This volume of literary criticism and semiotics and theory serves as a scholarly guide for those studying the philosophy of religion, balancing coherentist and foundationalist insights to create a more adequate framework for ethics.