Ethics is the critical reconstruction and normative evaluation of the variety of life-forms in which humans lead their lives. Deep pluralism therefore represents a signature of ethical life in our contemporary situation. Following an insight of John Dewey, democracy does not only mean the "idea of community life itself", regarding its basic values of individual self-realization in mutual cooperation, but receives its relevance by balancing different life-forms and value-convictions. No less, the task of theological ethics can be seen in the analysis and reconstruction of our life-forms against the background of Christian tradition. Thereby faith does not refer to a separate life-form by itself, but to the general attitude of the awareness of human finitude, fallibility, and improvement in the light of the Gospel in which life-forms can be shaped. The article closes with an exemplary reconstruction of schools as both, institutions of education and "miniature societies" (Dewey) on the one and as lived life-forms on the other hand.

Enthalten in:
Zeitschrift für Theologie und Kirche; 2018/3 (2018)

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Serie / Reihe: Zeitschrift für Theologie und Kirche

Personen: Polke, Christian

Schlagwörter: Glaube Bildung Schule Pluralismus Ethik Lebensführung Pragmatismus Lebensform