401 - Christian Ethics: Imagination: A Theological Inquiry

Christian Ethics and Imagination: A Theological Inquiry
By Philip S. Keane, S.S.
Ramsey, N.J., Paulist, 1984. 212 pp. $8.95.

While theoretical and functional studies of imagination have been carried out in recent years, especially by behavioral scientists and theologians (for example, David Tracy, The Analogical Imagination), little has been done with it in the field of ethics. It is true that the imagination of the moral agent enables a keener perception of moral dilemmas and bridges the gap between contemporary moral dilemma and those resources, sometimes ancient, that we call upon to aid us in making the right decisions. Yet, there is a reluctance to attend to this reality, since the modern study of ethics has been largely discursive and rationalistic with a resulting demotion, even denial, of the more subjective aspects of moral discourse.

Keane, a Roman Catholic moral theologian, attempts to correct this imbalance. While not wanting to give up the more discursive elements of moral discourse, he argues that unless the theme of imagination is also elevated and included in decision-making, our moral principles and their application will become inflexible and irrelevant.

In making his case, Father Keane situates his systematic analysis of imagination first in the context of theological and philosophical perspectives on "non-discursive" elements within the developing Christian tradition. His survey is articulate and comprehensive, recovering from the Western philosophical and Roman Catholic theological traditions a compelling foundation for the integration of morality and imagination.

402 - Christian Ethics: Imagination: A Theological Inquiry

There is even an attempt to bring innovative approaches to contemporary biblical studies (for example, canonical criticism) into his essentially theological analysis of imagination.

Having constructed a theory of moral imagination, Keane demonstrates it in the context of various moral dilemmas-biomedical, sexual, and issues related to peace and justice. He argues that even as realism is a characteristic of one's imagination (one cannot imagine in a vacuum), so also creativity should characterize ones analysis of reality. The result of Keane's efforts to integrate imagination and a realistic assessment of complex global issues is quite provocative, yielding new perceptions and resolutions of longstanding concerns (for example, nuclear disarmament, premarital sex).

Throughout this "practical" description of imagination, the importance of a "liberal" education is forwarded as the context where imagination is developed. There, where student encounters the arts, the sciences, and great literature rather than the unreflective technological training of modern education, one finds the resources which shape the various dimensions of imagination. The development of imagination parallels the development of morality, each feeding the other in discrete ways-an intriguing advance on Kohlberg's theory.

The heart of Keane's book is his discussion of imagination within the framework of Catholic fundamental moral theology-what moral imagination is and why it is important. Building upon Aquinas and Ricoeur, Keane argues that imagination stimulates two necessary movements in making moral choices. First, imagination "concretizes" moral principles. It allows the moral agent to "re-image" moral principles in ways which have new significance unavailable to the principles alone. Human imagination creatively relates principles to life in ways which are relevant and useful to the moral agent. Second, imagination tends to suspend judgment and allows the moral agent to "play" with various possibilities (which are creatively positioned in the future). This movement rejects a simplistic legalism and the status quo and makes one more open to alternative responses to dilemmas. In this way, while moral principles provide the boundaries for moral discourse, they "cannot accomplish their purpose unless they spring from and move us toward a continuous process of moral imagination.... In every moral decision we need both moral principles and moral imagination."

Father Keane has written a cogent and comprehensive apologia for moral imagination, which also includes helpful notes and indexes. It is an important work because imagination is a neglected although necessary contour of moral reflection. My hope is that this book will be widely read (and used) by pastors and professors alike.

With this hearty endorsement on the table, let me express the following reservations. First, while the need Keane addresses is ecumenical, he writes primarily for a Roman Catholic audience from a Roman Catholic theological and historical perspective. This will surely limit the books influence. Second, the variety of ways in which Keane speaks of

404 - Christian Ethics: Imagination: A Theological Inquiry

moral imagination are not adequately differentiated. One can speak of imagination as a characteristic of the moral agent or of moral discourse. A person might be "creative"-a capability which allows one to make moral choices. But this is different from a "creative" solution to a moral dilemma, for instance. Distinctions and their implications need to be drawn at this and similar points. Third, I was disappointed that he did not expand more on the role imagination plays in hermeneutics. How does the interpreter move from ancient, sacred texts to contemporary moral dilemmas? What are the limits to a creative handling of those texts in justifying moral claims? Finally, while appreciative of his efforts to move recent discussions of scriptural exegesis into the discussion of moral imagination, Keane's analysis of contemporary biblical studies lacks the precision and synthesis which characterizes his summaries of his theological and philosophical sources. For example, it is not at all evident how "canonical criticism" helps one understand moral imagination. Is it because canonical criticism is an "imaginative" (different or even non-rationalistic) method of biblical exegesis? Or is it because imagination is a specific ingredient of that method, making that method a model for moral reflection? Keanes discussion of canonical criticism is not informed by B.S. Childs or James Dunn and suffers because of it.

This book's importance, again, is that it brings moral imagination into the field of Christian ethics, thus correcting a discipline shaped in recent years by a discursive rationality. Innovative paths have been charted which direct the believing community to new horizons, theologically and ethically, and promise important gains.

Robert W. Wall
Seattle Pacific University
Seattle, Washington