Christopher Derek Michael Jones

_In two parts, this review essay focuses on the question of contradiction between a universal ethic and its partial application. Following the presentation of Kant’s position the author’s key reframing arguments are discussed in relation to the globalizing eighteenth-century economy. A persistent problem of translation will conclude part one. Part two argues for a wider historical framework that includes the eighteenth century’s emancipatory theory and practice. The reviewer supports the author’s call for further teaching and research into the book’s themes._ _ _.

Eastern Orthodox accounts of acedia are often neglected in Catholic and Protestant circles, yet offer a range of insights for contemporary virtue ethics and moral psychology. Acedia is a complex concept with shades of apathy, hate, and desire that poses grave problems for the moral life and human wellbeing. This is because acedia disorders reasoning, desiring, willing, and acting, and causes various harms to relationships. Evagrius Ponticus and John Cassian discuss acedia in the context of a virtue ethic ordered to human flourishing that includes practices to combat vices and build character. The result is an Orthodox conception of virtue and moral psychology that rewards ecumenical attention.