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date: 07 March 2021

Abstract and Keywords

The nexus between ecology and religious reflection has been on the agenda for discussion among theologians since the 1970s, which were characterized by an increased social, public, and political awareness of environmental questions arising specifically from human activities. This article engages with the values that arise within ecology to offer an illustrative analysis of current ecological challenges, and to highlight debates within Christian theological ethics as to how best to respond to such challenges. It argues for a virtue-ethics approach to complex questions in ecology, drawing specifically on the classical tradition of Thomas Aquinas and including the virtues of wisdom, prudence, justice, and fortitude alongside the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Finally, the article offers pointers towards the way the field might develop in the future.

Keywords: virtue ethics, ecology, Thomas Aquinas, Christian theological ethics, religious reflection

Celia Deane‐Drummond

Celia Deane‐Drummond is Professor of Theology and Biological Sciences at University College Chester.

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