Michael Lamb

A bold new interpretation of Augustine’s virtue of hope and its place in political life When it comes to politics, Augustine of Hippo is renowned as one of history’s great pessimists, with his sights set firmly on the heavenly city rather than the public square. Many have enlisted him to chasten political hopes, highlighting the realities of evil and encouraging citizens instead to cast their hopes on heaven. A Commonwealth of Hope challenges prevailing interpretations of Augustinian pessimism, offering a new vision of his political thought that can also help today’s citizens sustain hope in the face of despair. Amid rising inequality, injustice, and political division, many citizens wonder what to hope for in politics and whether it is possible to forge common hopes in a deeply polarized society. Michael Lamb takes up this challenge, offering the first in-depth analysis of Augustine’s virtue of hope and its profound implications for political life. He draws on a wide range of Augustine’s writings—including neglected sermons, letters, and treatises—and integrates insights from political theory, religious studies, theology, and philosophy. Lamb shows how diverse citizens, both religious and secular, can unite around common hopes for the commonwealth. Recovering this understudied virtue and situating Augustine within his political, rhetorical, and religious contexts, A Commonwealth of Hope reveals how Augustine’s virtue of hope can help us resist the politics of presumption and despair and confront the challenges of our time.

Augustine's Political Thought

A Commonwealth of Hope

Jonathan Brant

Edward Brooks

Across the globe, educators are grappling with how best to prepare a new generation to engage the challenges and opportunities of the twenty-first century. Along with knowledge and skills, many are now emphasizing the importance of character. Yet, while there has been a robust movement to educate character among children and adolescents, much less attention has been given to the ethical formation of college and university students. What is the role of colleges and universities in educating the character of students? Should universities even attempt to cultivate virtue? If so, how can they do so effectively in a pluralistic context? Cultivating Virtue in the University seeks to answer these questions by gathering diverse perspectives on character education within twenty-first century universities. With essays from some of the world's leading scholars, this volume catalyzes a critical debate about the possibilities and limits of character education in the university while offering theoretical and practical perspectives on what such education could look like in increasingly global and intercultural institutions. By engaging insights from education, history, literature, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and theology, the volume encourages scholars and educators to embrace the opportunities and challenges of cultivating virtue in the university.

Cultivating Virtue in the University

Drawn from experiences of staying on a croft outside the fishing village of Mallaig, these poems are not only reflections upon a way of life in transition, but also of the impact of that upon the author in his own evolution both as an individual and as a writer. Of particular interest to those who know the western seaboard of Scotland, these poems will appeal to all who appreciate the drama of nature; the simplicity and values of an era as it confronts progress and modernity; and who themselves attempt to see beyond the ephemeral in a search for meaning and belonging in a complex world. Divided into seven thematic sections, the work is enhanced by the author's own foreword and by the inclusion of a glossary highlighting place names and pronunciations.

Poems from Mallaig and Beyond

The Blue Vale

It seems like violence and trauma follow Mercedes everywhere she goes. As a young woman studying to become a lawyer, her family suffers a shocking, tragic loss. Then her entire life is uprooted when her father unexpectedly relocates Mercedes, her twin sisters, and their younger brother from the South Side of Atlanta, Georgia back to their hometown of Philadelphia. After struggling to adjust to the drastic changes in her life and dealing with another unexpected loss of a loved one, Mercedes eventually finds comfort in the arms of a young hustler named Kam. Things seem to have finally changed for the better until the past comes back to haunt Mercedes in ways she never imagined. Hidden truths come to light, old vendettas are reignited, and Mercedes can't seem to break free from the vicious cycle of drama, violence, and deceit. She is trying her best to live a healthy, stable life but the trials she endures leaves Mercedes fending for herself and trying to wrap her brain around matters a neurosurgeon would find difficult to comprehend. It's enough to leave a young woman feeling Unsteady?

Unsteady

Brian A. Williams

What might we learn if the study of ethics focused less on hard cases and more on the practices of everyday life? In Everyday Ethics, Michael Lamb and Brian Williams gather some of the world’s leading scholars and practitioners of moral theology (including some GUP authors) to explore that question in dialogue with anthropology and the social sciences. Inspired by the work of Michael Banner, these scholars cross disciplinary boundaries to analyze the ethics of ordinary practices—from eating, learning, and loving thy neighbor to borrowing and spending, using technology, and working in a flexible economy. Along the way, they consider the moral and methodological questions that emerge from this interdisciplinary dialogue and assess the implications for the future of moral theology.

Michael Lamb

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