Parables in Times of Moral Conflict

Why do our most important moral debates seem to go so badly? Sometimes, of course, trolls or manipulative influencers undermine good-faith conversations--where people get 'destroyed' on TikTok and 'cancelled' on Instagram--but often these debates go badly for a more mundane reason: they are hard work and it takes practice to get good at them. Part I relays the bad news about these fights: the old peace plans will not help us. We tried to solve our disagreements by getting emotions, ideology, or God out of the picture; such strategies have often been a cure worse than the disease. John Perry demonstrates why our previous attempts to make peace in the face of modern pluralism have not helped, and shows how we can improve with practice. This is the good news of Part II: Perry uncovers a canon of 'parables'--thought experiments or analogies--that can help humanize and rationalize our discussions before our violent passions take over. Some of these parables are well-known, like Philippa Foot's Trolley Problem, which she devised to help calm one aspect of the abortion debate. Some are less well-known including analogies about food and sex, disability and alcoholism, foetuses and acorns, eugenics and The Last of the Mohicans, and even conservation hunting for black rhinos. Writing with an impressive depth of learning in ethics, psychology, theology, and politics, Perry tackles controversial issues like marriage, euthanasia, public reason, and the Bible, all with a mix of sensitivity and good humor.

John Perry is Senior Lecturer at the University of St Andrews, where he writes and teaches on theological ethics (evangelical, Anglican, Catholic), philosophical ethics (Locke, Hume, Mill, Singer), and three applied ethical areas (medical, sexual, political). His previous posts were at the University of Oxford and the University of Notre Dame.