The Ethics of Discernment

In The Ethics of Discernment, Patrick H. Byrne presents an approach to ethics that builds upon the cognitional theory and the philosophical method of self-appropriation that Bernard Lonergan introduced in his book Insight, as well as upon Lonergans later writing on ethics and values. Extending Lonergans method into the realm of ethics, Byrne argues that we can use self-appropriation to come to objective judgements of value. The Ethics of Discernment is an introspective analysis of that process, in which sustained ethical inquiry and attentiveness to feelings as intentions of value leads to a rich conception of the good. Written both for those with an interest in Lonergans philosophy and for those interested in theories of ethics who have only a limited knowledge of Lonergans work, Byrnes book is the first detailed exposition of an ethical theory based on Lonergans philosophical method.