It’s the Thought That Counts
This chapter explores the primacy of ideas in dominant ethical theories, focusing on several influential religious and secular traditions: Lutheran Christianity, including its roots in the thought of both Paul and Augustine, and Kantian philosophy. Despite their differences, these models agree that the agent’s intentions are the key to moral evaluation; what makes a decision morally good or bad is in the actor’s head. Augustine and Luther, following Paul, frame this in terms of faith, will, and love, while Kantians emphasize decision-making processes, which must be completed prior to any actions. As a result of the priority placed on attitudes and intentions, all these models marginalize practice. This chapter, as throughout the book, compares religious and secular approaches, showing how they influence each other, historically and currently, and how neither alone can fully account for either academic or popular thinking about ethics.