ePub Thomas Aquinas’s "Summa theologiae": A Biography (Lives of Great Religious Books) by Bernard McGinn in History

Description

The idea and practice of sacrifice play a profound role in religion; ethics; and politics. In this brief book; philosopher Moshe Halbertal explores the meaning and implications of sacrifice; developing a theory of sacrifice as an offering and examining the relationship between sacrifice; ritual; violence; and love. On Sacrifice also looks at the place of self-sacrifice within ethical life and at the complex role of sacrifice as both a noble and destructive political ideal. In the religious domain; Halbertal argues; sacrifice is an offering; a gift given in the context of a hierarchical relationship. As such it is vulnerable to rejection; a trauma at the root of both ritual and violence. An offering is also an ambiguous gesture torn between a genuine expression of gratitude and love and an instrument of exchange; a tension that haunts the practice of sacrifice. In the moral and political domains; sacrifice is tied to the idea of self-transcendence; in which an individual sacrifices his or her self-interest for the sake of higher values and commitments. While self-sacrifice has great potential moral value; it can also be used to justify the most brutal acts. Halbertal attempts to unravel the relationship between self-sacrifice and violence; arguing that misguided self-sacrifice is far more problematic than exaggerated self-love. In his exploration of the positive and negative dimensions of self-sacrifice; Halbertal also addresses the role of past sacrifice in obligating future generations and in creating a bond for political associations; and considers the function of the modern state as a sacrificial community.