Abstract
The basic aim of this chapter is to explore how different conceptions of God or the divine can affect our manner of understanding ourselves and influence our ideas about the one we want to become. I will thus examine different interpretations of the divine through the lens of virtue ethics: What virtues might reflect certain images of God? What qualities does a particular image of God show that humans would want to acquire? I will look at three interpretations of the Christian Trinity to demonstrate how a particular conception of God can influence what we think about ourselves. I take my examples from three Christian theologians: John Zizioulas (Greek Orthodox), Elizabeth Johnson (Roman Catholic) and Catherine Keller (Protestant). For each theologian, I suggest a virtue that his or her interpretation of God implies. For Zizioulas, the virtue is wonder, for Johnson, self-esteem, and for Keller, open-endedness.
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© 2015 Elizabeth Lee
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Lee, E. (2015). Godly Virtues: Ethical Implications of Our Conception of the Divine. In: Irigaray, L., Marder, M. (eds) Building a New World. Palgrave Studies in Postmetaphysical Thought. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137453020_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137453020_9
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