Power Value And Conviction

""Schweiker's reflections are strikingly original and they ought to be required reading for everyone in the field of theological ethics."" -Douglas F. Ottati, Professor of Theology and Ethics, Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education ""With this new work, Schweiker continues his vital exploration of hermeneutical realism, responsibility ethics, moral formation, and the lives we live in our complex late modern cultures. This is a bracing, complex text that richly rewards those who engage it with the care it requires."" -Jean Bethke Elshtain, Laura Rockefeller Professor of Social and Political Ethics, University of Chicago, and author of Augustine and the Limits of Politics ""Schweiker has a comprehensive knowledge of contemporary moral thought--philosophical and theological, applied and theoretical. He brings a wealth of material together with a unifying theological perspective that sharpens our questions and renews our hope. This is an outstanding achievement."" -Robin W. Lovin, Dean and Professor of Ethics, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University William Schweiker is the Edward L. Ryerson Distinguished Service Professor of Theological Ethics at the University of Chicago. Born in Des Moines, Iowa (1953) he holds degrees from Simpson College, Duke University and also the University of Chicago. Besides teaching at Chicago, he has also been guest professor at Uppsala University and the University of Heidelberg. Schweiker ́s writings engage theological and ethical questions attentive to global dynamics, comparative religious ethics, the history of ethics, and hermeneutical philosophy. Schweiker has published five books, numerous articles and award-winning essays, as well as edited and contributed to six volumes, including A Companion to Religious Ethics (2004), a comprehensive and innovative work in the field of comparative religious ethics. He is currently working on a volume, Religious Ethics: Meaning and Method. Ongoing research is for a book on theological ethics and the integrity of life.

Power, Value, and Conviction constructs a realistic Christian ethic while tackling the twin challenges of our time -- namely, moral pluralism in a time of globalization, and increased human power by means of technology.

This book addresses the fundamental ethical and legal aspects, penal consequences, and social context arising from a citizen's acceptance of guilt. The focus is upon sentencing people who have pleaded guilty; in short, post-adjudication, rather than issues arising from discussions in the pretrial phase of the criminal process. The vast majority of defendants across all common law jurisdictions plead guilty and as a result receive a reduced sentence. Concessions by a defendant attract more lenient State punishment in all western legal systems. The concession is significant: At a stroke, a guilty plea relieves the State of the burden of proving the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and in open court. Plea-based sentencing has become even more visible in recent years. The book provides insightful commentary on the following questions: - If an individual voluntarily accepts guilt, should the State receive this plea without further investigation or any disinterested adjudication? - Is it ethically acceptable to allow suspects and defendants, to self-convict in this manner, without independent confirmation and evidence to support a conviction? - If it is acceptable, what is the appropriate State response to such offenders? - If the defendant is detained pretrial, the ability to secure release in return for a plea may be particularly enticing. Might it be too enticing, resulting in wrongful convictions?

The inside story of Thomas Mulcair’s rise from modest beginnings to the threshold of power. Discover the man behind the headlines, who he is, how he thinks, and the struggles he faced — from fighting sexual misconduct, to protecting our environment, to his work alongside Jack Layton leading the NDP to a historic breakthrough in Quebec.