Ethics at the Edges of Law
Christian Moralists and American Legal Thought
Cathleen Kaveny
Reviews and Awards
"In the end, while Kaveny's book and its conceptually rich mining of the disciplines of law and religious ethics is directed, in the first instance, toward the revitalization of the field of religious ethics, Kaveny's many reflections on legal pedagogy suggest that interdisciplinary approaches can benefit the study of law, as well." -- M. Christian Green, Emory University, Journal of Law and Religion
"Cathleen Kaveny's collection of essays, Ethics at the Edges of Law, provides abundant practical wisdom about pressing issues by showing how the legal tradition can serve as a source of insight for Christian ethicists and for the morally serious general public as well. Those of us who seek inspiring examples of how careful and articulate thinking can advance the quality of public life should be grateful for books like Kaveny's [...] In sum, both the range of issues in this book and the depth of wisdom and learning that Kaveny brings to them are consistently impressive." -- Mark R. Schwehn, Commonweal Magazine
"Ethics at the Edges of Law is a sophisticated plea for ethicists to take law seriously in their pursuit of justice, with implications that extend far beyond simple adjustments to method or approach." --Nathaniel Grimes, Reading Religion
"In Ethics at the Edges of Law, Cathleen Kaveny makes a robust and compelling case that the methodology and categories of the law would help theologians clarify their work and navigate the controversies which beset them." --Matthew Lee Anderson, Journal of Church and State
"Cathleen Kaveny's new work brilliantly demonstrates not only that law can be a fruitful conversation partner for theological ethics, but that it is a necessary one. Her mastery of the fields of law, ethics, and theology is marshaled throughout as she probes perennially vexing problems and explores new questions. Highly original, sometimes provocative, always illuminating, Ethics at the Edges of Law is a tour de force." --Linda Hogan, Professor of Ecumenics and former Vice-Provost of Trinity College Dublin
"Ethics at the Edges of Law is one of the most important recent books at the intersection of law and theology. Kaveny's thoughtful and at times unconventional engagement with some of the major twentieth-century figures in these two disciplines offers glimmers of both tragedy and hope-and a reminder that our lived experiences unfold in the shadow of both."--John D. Inazu, Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion, Washington University in St. Louis
"Cathleen Kaveny is one of the most important scholars in the interdisciplinary field of law and religion since the field began to flourish about forty years ago. Ethics at the Edges of Law is a superb book. In it, Kaveny succeeds in doing precisely what she set out to do, namely, 'jump start . . . a complementary interdisciplinary conversation . . . centered in religious studies and theology and reaching out to the legal field.'"--Michael J. Perry, Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Law, Emory University
