Covenants of Life [electronic resource] : Contemporary Medical Ethics in Light of the Thought of Paul Ramsey / edited by Kenneth L. Vaux, Sara Vaux, Mark Stenberg
The intense fervor of a Mississippi Methodist preacher, the meticulous reasoning of an Oxford logician, the dogged persistence of a head longshoreman, the unflagging humor of a Rabelaisian satirist. To have met Paul Ramsey at a lecture in a medical university; a heady conference at Hastings-onยญ Hudson; a congressional hearing; deliberations at a church assembly; or a bull session in some coffee shop was to be confronted with a gentleman of unforgettable energy, insight, and delight. In many roles--as a young instructor in religious studies at Princeton University, a concerned moral theologian commenting on the ethics of the "sit-ins" and nuclear issues, an observer and dialogue partner with physicians at Georgetown and other medical centers, a faithful editor and analyst of Jonathan Edwards' ethical writings, a trustee of the Hastings center, a voluminous correspondent with others who would join to disciplined pursuit of values--Paul Ramsey in all roles was indefatigable in zeal, rigorous in demand and gracious in coadventuring (to use one of his wonderful metaphors). This volume captures a unique exchange between Paul Ramsey and his most prominent colleagues. In one sense it remains a Festschrift in his honor, characterized, at times, by a markedly informal tone
CONTENT
Introduction: The Theological, Medical and Philosophical Contexts of Paul Ramseyโ{128}{153}s Medical Ethics -- Covenant-Centered Ethics: The Theological Context Of Paul Ramseyโ{128}{153}s Medical Ethics -- Paul Ramseyโ{128}{153}s Ethic of Covenant Fidelity -- Discerning Stewardship: Contemporary Philosophy and the Legacy of Paul Ramseyโ{128}{153}s Medical Ethics -- I: Fundamental Issues -- Keeping Body and Soul Together -- The Right to Life and Human Dignity -- Applied Ethics and Communities of Value: The Distinctiveness of Medical Ethics -- Response I -- II: Theological Issues -- In Partnership With God: Health, Healing, and Jewish Tradition -- Technology and Tragedy: An Evangelical Theology of Care -- Response II -- III: Medical Issues -- The Devilโ{128}{153}s Being Godโ{128}{153}s Best Inspiration: The Boundary between Research and Care -- Telling and Keeping Still; Reviving and Letting Go: The Ethics of โ{128}{156}Do Not Resuscitateโ{128}{157} Procedures -- Ramsey as Trellis: Paul Ramsey and the Evolution of Pediatric Medical Ethics -- Response III -- Should Physicians Hasten the Death Angel when She Paused In Her Flight? Peter T. Bohan Lecture in the Philosophy of Medicine -- An Interview With Paul Ramsey