The Realization of Harmony in a Broken World: Reconsidering the Role of Ethics in Milbank's Ontology of Peace

Milbank's Christian ontology of peace indicates a way out of the contemporary crisis of Western democracies. Milbank argues that politics should have a positive and communitarian goal, and that contemporary liberalism fails insofar as it is preoccupied with the limitation of evil, and insofar a...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Alpers, Christiane 1987- (Author)
Format: Electronic/Print Article
Language:English
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Published: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group [2017]
In: Political theology
Year: 2017, Volume: 18, Issue: 8, Pages: 643-659
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Milbank, John 1952- / Schillebeeckx, Edward 1914-2009 / Concord / Politics / Ethics / Liberalism
IxTheo Classification:CG Christianity and Politics
KDB Roman Catholic Church
KDE Anglican Church
NCD Political ethics
Further subjects:B Schillebeeckx
B reactive ethics
B Ontology
B Radical Orthodoxy
B Politics
Online Access: Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:Milbank's Christian ontology of peace indicates a way out of the contemporary crisis of Western democracies. Milbank argues that politics should have a positive and communitarian goal, and that contemporary liberalism fails insofar as it is preoccupied with the limitation of evil, and insofar as it presupposes a fundamentally egoistic anthropology. Milbank's alternative harmonizing vision of reality and humankind has been criticized for preempting all too quickly a harmony which has not yet been realized, and for thereby undermining the crucial role of reactive ethical laws and human work for the realization of true harmony in a world marred by a tragic dimension. Contrary to this criticism, this article advances the claim that Milbank pays too little attention to the ways in which real harmony is already being realized in the world, which is why he presents his ontology as an ideal toward which an entire society should work, under the guidance of ethical laws. A reading of Schillebeeckx's more positive reception of liberalism will serve to illustrate the political consequences of a position that focuses more on the already realized harmony in this world than on an ideal harmony.
Item Description:Das Heft ist als Doppelheft erschienen: "Volume 18 Numbers 7-8 November-December 2017"
ISSN:1462-317X
Contains:Enthalten in: Political theology
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/1462317X.2017.1312142