Aristotle et al. Readings for philosophers and Catholics
http://www.nd.edu/Departments/Maritain/etext/
These Web pages form part of the Jacques Maritain Center website of the University of Notre Dame, Indiana. They provide a collection of texts written by the Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain and others on various subjects, but particularly on Thomism and St. Thomas Aquinas. The works by Maritain at the site include: "St. Thomas Aquinas"; "Reflections on America"; "Art and Scholasticism"; "The Frontiers of Poetry"; "The Responsibility of the Artist"; "Moral Philosophy"; and "The Range of Reason"; there are also some transcripts of manuscripts from Maritain's papers. A section of the site headed 'The Thomistic Revival' includes texts from a number of different authors writing about scholasticism and the renewal of interest in medieval philosophy in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A list of links to external websites dealing with issues of Catholic theology and philosophy concludes the contents of the site. The texts themselves are presented as plain HTML, and are divided by chapter.
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BBC : religion and ethics
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/
The BBC Religion and Ethics website provides an informative introduction to all major religions of the world as well as to some of the most vexing contemporary ethical quandaries facing society. The site also offers links to the most recent relevant BBC news stories from around the world. The list of religions addressed by the website includes: Christianity; Bahá'í; Buddhism; Islam; Judaism; Hinduism; Paganism; and atheism. Ethical issues discussed include: the ethics of war; euthanasia; human cloning; and genetic engineering. The site is well presented, accessible, and tries to assume a neutral, encyclopaedic tone when discussing various religions and issues. For those wishing to express their own view, however, the site features several message boards grouped under rubrics corresponding to the major religions and/or to specific issues.
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BBC : religion and ethics : ethical issues : euthanasia
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/ethics/euthanasia/
This online resource by the BBC contains short articles on the topic of euthanasia. The articles are displayed under the following headings: Basics; Types of Euthanasia; Death; The Arguments Against; The Arguments For; Legislation; and Religions. The first three explores issues such as the moral questions raised by euthanasia; the doctrine of double effect; living wills; and the differences between active, passive, voluntary and non-voluntary euthanasia. The following two sections look at the different arguments that have frequently been forwarded by those in favour of euthanasia and those opposing it. The next heading reports on the Director of Public Prosecution's guidance on assisted suicide; the progress of the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill (also known as the Joffe Bill) and the situation in a number of other countries. The last section looks at how Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Sikhism deal with the subject. The information available on this website provides a useful overview of the issues surrounding this controversial topic.
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Buddhist Peace Fellowship
http://www.bpf.org/
The Buddhist Peace Fellowship (BPF) is an organisation for the promotion of socially engaged Buddhism, including peace and human rights campaigning and environmental work. The site offers full details of the Fellowship's aims and activities, but academic users are likely to find the resource centre and the Think Sangha pages of most use. The former offers a bibliography of works on socially engaged Buddhism, and a series of essays and reflections. Think Sangha is a think tank affiliated to the BPF, offering papers and programme reports on a range of issues related to social action, justice, and Buddhism. This is a helpful resource for those interested in exploring this aspect of the Buddhist tradition.
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Can charitable choice work? Covering religion's impact on urban affairs and social services
http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/csrpl/Charitable%20Choice%20book/contents.htm
This is the online version of 'Can Charitable Choice Work? Covering Religion's Impact on Urban Affairs and Social Services'. The book was edited by Andrew Walsh, and published in 2001 by the Pew Program on Religion and News Media and the Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life. The following are the 8 chapter headings: Still-Gathering After All These Years: Congregations in US Cities; Religion and Regional Culture in Modern America; After the Urban Exodus: Jews, Protestants and the Erosion of Catholic Exceptionalism 1950-2000; Latino Catholics and American Public Life; Historical Perspectives on Religion, Government and Social Welfare in America; Religion Congregations and Welfare Reform: Assessing the Potential; Black Churches and Civic Traditions: Outreach, Activism and the Politics of of Public Funding of Faith-Based Ministries; and Charitable Choice: The Law As It Is and May Be. In the Appendix can be found a collection of articles by staff of the Greenberg Center.
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Canadian Medical Association journal : religion, spirituality
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/collection/religion_spirituality
This website contains a useful compilation of works published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) which relate to religion and spirituality. The collection dates from December 1999 and areas looked at include bioethics from the Islamic, Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, Hindu and Sikh perspectives. Other issues discussed include: Jehovah's Witnesses and artificial blood; mental illness and religion; the Hajj in modern times; brain death; and consent. The full-text of all materials in the collection can be accessed from this website without charge. Those interested in the intersection between medicine and religion would find this resource useful.
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Center for applied Christian ethics
http://www.wheaton.edu/CACE/
The Center for Applied Christian Ethics (CACE) based at Wheaton College is an evangelical research centre dedicated to encouraging the consideration of contemporary practical ethics from the standpoint of traditional Christian values. The centre bases its research around an annual theme and sponsors related projects, publications, and conferences. Past themes have included, for example: community and freedom; lying and censorship; and ethical challenges of globalization. Information on centre activity and past conferences is available online. A resource page includes online articles in PDF, and a links page provides access to related sites of interest. An ejournal is available by free subscription.
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Center for global ethics
http://astro.temple.edu/~dialogue/geth.htm
The Center for Global Ethics is an organisation that coordinates the international contributions of scholars and activists who are working toward and promoting responsible global citizenship. The efforts of the Center gravitate around the formation of a declaration of global ethics. Particular attention is given to the thought of the influential theologian, Hans Küng, as well as Leonard Swidler. The Center is working toward improving, and possibly synthesising, existing declarations of global ethics. The Center also works towards well thought out and more individualised global ethics statements for various specific groups around the world. The site is well presented.
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Center for the Study of Law and Religion
http://cslr.law.emory.edu/
The Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University, established in 2000, is dedicated to supporting research that explores themes at the intersection of law, religion, and society. CSLR sponsors research, publications, colloquia, and conferences. The Center's website provides information on current projects, upcoming events, and a list of publications by the Center fellows. Past projects include Sex, Marriage, and Family and the Religions of the Book and The Child in Law, Religion, and Society.
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Centre for spirituality, health and disability
http://abdn.ac.uk/cshad/
This is the homepage of the Centre for Spirituality, Health and Disability at the University of Aberdeen. The centre was set up to explore the relationship between spirituality, health and healing; and to study the theology of disability. This website provides information about the academic programmes on offer and the research projects undertaken by staff members. There are details of recent centre publications and links to relevant websites. The site also makes available resources like papers; essays; bibliographies of print-based materials; audio-recordings of interviews and presentations; reports; booklets; and book reviews. The centre is directed by Professor John Swinton. The resource would be helpful to those interested in the role of spirituality in healthcare practices and the lives and care of disabled patients.
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Christian ethics today
http://www.christianethicstoday.com/
This is the home page of the journal Christian Ethics Today, published six times a year by the Christian Ethics Today Foundation based at Baylor University. The journal is intended specifically for laypersons, educators, and ministers who wish to engage with contemporary ethical issues facing the church specifically and society more broadly. The full contents and articles of all past issues of the journal, beginning with its inception in April 1995, are made freely available online. The archive of past issues is searchable by keyword, author, or topic. The site is easily navigable and accessible.
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Duke institute on care at the end of life
http://www.iceol.duke.edu/
This is the homepage of the Institute on Care at the End of Life (ICEOL) at Duke University. The institute was established in 2000 to improve the care of patients who are dying by advancing and applying knowledge about caring for those at the end of life with particular attention paid to spiritual support and care. This website contains several resources that would be of interest to students of medical ethics in general and those researching on end of life issues in particular. These include access to the institute's newsletters; e-books; commentaries (presented in PDF); annual reports; annotated links to the homepages of relevant organizations; and information about news, events and the institute's programmes. A search engine is available. The centre is directed by Dr Richard Payne.
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Emmanuel Lévinas page
http://polylogos.org/philosophers/levinas/levinas-e.html
This website is dedicated to Lithuanian-born Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Lévinas (1906-1995). Famous for the assertion that ethics should replace ontology as 'first philosophy,' Lévinas' works have been influential for a generation of French philosophers including Jacques Derrida and Jean-Luc Marion. This gateway to further Lévinas resources on the web has been compiled by a Japanese enthusiast, Gen Nakayama, and contains much useful information, including: a comprehensive bibliography of Lévinas' writings, a biography written by Levinas' step-son Georges Hansel, as well as links to sites grouped under such subject headings as: Judaism, Anti-Semitism, and Holocaust. Although not a comprehensive scholarly guide to online Lévinas resources, this site does contain some helpful introductory material not found elsewhere on the Internet.
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Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC)
http://www.eppc.org/
The website of the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) provides information about the Center's mission to elucidate the relationship between the Judeo-Christian ethic and contemporary domestic and foreign policy issues in America. Based in Washington, D.C., the Center was established in 1976. Its principal efforts include: working to examine how religiously-based principles inform political decisions, analysing the ethical and political stance of various organised religions, and seeking to broaden political debate across differing ideologies. The site contains information on upcoming events of the EPPC, as well as various EPPC programmes, including: Evangelicals in Civic Life; Islam and American Democracy; and Biotechnology and American Democracy. The site is well presented and highly accessible.
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First things : the journal of religion, culture, and public life
http://www.firstthings.com/
First Things is a journal dedicated to the study of all aspects of religion and public life in contemporary society. The First Things website provides free online access to the contents of all past issues from March 1990 until the two most recent issues (a subscription is necessary to view these). The journal is published by the Institute on Religion and Public Life, and edited chiefly by the Christian theologian, Richard John Neuhaus, along with a large editorial board. Common issues dealt with include: Just War theory; Islam and the west; assisted suicide and euthanasia; religion and human rights; church-state jurisprudence; and so on. The site also features a blog called 'On the Square', which offers articles responding to issues in the news. The journal is a resource of tremendous value to all audiences, whether scholarly or general, interested in the role of religion in contemporary society. The site is well presented, organised and highly accessible.
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Forum on religion and ecology
http://fore.research.yale.edu/
The Forum on Religion and Ecology (FORE) is an interreligious, interdisciplinary and multicultural project on the environment. This home page contains information about the project itself and details about publications and events on religion and ecology. It includes material that explores the interaction between humans and the environment from the perspective of Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Daoism, Hinduism, indigenous traditions, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, and Shinto. It also includes discussions of science, ethics, public policy, gender, and economics. And in line with its aim to establish religion and ecology as an academic discipline, resources like course syllabi and speakers list are also provided.
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Golden rule, The
http://www.jcu.edu/philosophy/gensler/goldrule.htm
This resource focuses on the golden rule that we are to treat others as we would want to be treated. It is maintained by Harry J. Gensler who teaches Philosophy at John Carroll University, Cleveland. The site provides a short essay and guides to longer studies on the principle. There is also a section which informs visitors of how Gensler first took an interest in the golden rule, and the books he has written on the subject. Web exercises, based on the themes explored in a number of these books, are accessible from here. The site further indicates where the rule appears in the New Testament, and links are given to other online resources.
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Ideas and issues
http://www.stpt.usf.edu/hhl/i&i.htm
Ideas and Issues was an American radio programme hosted by Hugh LaFollette that ran between 1995 and 2003. Most of the guests featured on the show were academics, many of them philosophers or political scientists. Ideas and Issues catered for a general audience, although it was perhaps more academically inclined than some of its rivals. Guests included well-known authors such as Richard Dawkins, Matt Ridley, Michael Ignatieff, and Stanley Fish. This website hosts the archives of the show, which may be downloaded in RealAudio format or, in some cases, mp3. There is some grouping of shows by broad subject area in some parts of the 'list of shows' section, but there is no search engine provided. Episodes include: 'Why I am a Secular Humanist'; 'Why I am a Theist'; 'Greed'; 'The Origins of Virtue'; 'Punishment'; 'Pseudoscience'; 'Atheism'; 'Evolution'; 'The Significance of Community'; 'Relativity Theory'; 'Why Abortion is Immoral'; and 'Deconstruction'.
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Institut d'études lévinassiennes
http://www.levinas.fr/
The Institut d'études lévinassiennes, based in both Paris and Jerusalem, is a research centre dedicated to discussion and analysis of the Lithuanian-born Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Lévinas (1905-1995). Famous for the assertion that ethics should replace ontology as 'first philosophy,' Lévinas's works have been influential for a generation of French philosophers including Jacques Derrida and Jean-Luc Marion. The Institut d'études lévinassiennes is an excellent source of information for the Lévinas scholar, containing extensive biographical and bibliographical details as well as access to some useful online articles and information on the activities of the Institute itself (its courses, seminars, and an online forum). All information is provided in French and is available free of charge. Highly recommended.
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Institute for theology and peace
http://www.ithpeace.de/
The Institute for Theology and Peace is a research institute established by the Catholic Military Chaplaincy dedicated to developing a theologically based peace ethic, and to addressing questions of peace from a theological-ethical point of view. The site provides an impressive and extensive online theological and ethical bibliography containing more than 100,000 titles indexed according to subject. The Institute has several projects in progress. These include: Reconciliation in Bosnia-Herzegovina; The role of the church in processes of transformation from war to peace; and Controlling arms transfers as a problem of political ethics. The site is well presented and accessible.
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Inter-Islam
http://www.inter-islam.org/
'Inter-Islam' is a website that conveys the message of Islam and its doctrines through bringing to the readers information from Hadith, Qur'an, biography of the prophet and its disciples, and the Islamic view about controversial moral issues. There is information about: the Hajj, fasting, praying, and alms giving, in addition to views on alcohol; gambling; music; TV; suicide; drugs; smoking; and many other issues. Also included are recitations of some suuras of the Qur'an and some religious preaching. The site is presented in several languages and interested users can download articles, books, and audio recordings for free. However, when downloading audio recordings, disconnection from the site may be encountered.
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Islamic medicine
http://www.islam-usa.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=263&I
'Islamic Medicine' is an online book edited by Dr Shahid Athar, a clinical associate professor of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology at Indiana University School of Medicine. It features a compilation of articles previously published in the Journal of Islamic Medical Association as well as a few of Dr Shahid's own work. Articles include: historical notes; Islamic philosophy of medicine; Islamic view of the well-being of man; the Quran and the psyche; Islamic perspective on medical ethics; and the role of the Muslim doctor.
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James Alison : theology
http://www.jamesalison.co.uk/
'James Alison: Theology' is a substantial online collection of articles, talks, and book excerpts by the contemporary British Catholic theologian James Alison. Much of Alison's work centres on the areas of scripture, faith and sexuality: many of the articles on this site deal with gay issues, and in particular Alison's response to the Catholic Church's attitude to homosexuality. Other topics covered include Alison's theological application of René Girard's anthropological theory of mimetic desire and violence. The site is not maintained by Alison himself, but everything here appears with his permission. As well as texts in English, articles in Spanish and Belarusian are offered. An interesting and thought-provoking resource, particularly (though by no means exclusively) for those engaged in the study of theology and sexuality.
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Journal for Christian theological research
http://www.luthersem.edu/ctrf/JCTR/
The Journal for Christian Theological Research is a mainstream online peer reviewed journal published in association with the Christian Theological Research Fellowship, and dedicated to all aspects of systematic and moral theology. Topics addressed include, for example: the Incarnation; the Trinity; the Resurrection; theodicy; and so on. The journal is edited chiefly by Alan G. Padgett of Luther Seminary. The full contents of all issues of the journal, beginning with Volume 1, 1996, are made freely available. Older papers are presented in HTML format, more recent ones as PDF files. Also available are the abstracts of various papers presented at the annual meeting of the Christian Theological Research Fellowship. The site is well presented and accessible. For those interested, guidelines are provided on how to submit articles for publication.
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Journal of Buddhist ethics
http://www.buddhistethics.org/
The Journal of Buddhist Ethics (JBE) is a wholly-online, peer-reviewed journal (ISSN: 1076-9005). It is divided into annual volumes which run back to 1994. Areas dealt with include: Vinaya and jurisprudence; medical ethics; philosophical ethics; human rights; ethics and psychology; ecology and the environment; social and political philosophy; cross-cultural ethics; ethics and anthropology; and interfaith dialogue on ethics. The journal also carries a substantial number of book reviews. The website presents full information about submitting to the journal, plus details of the editorial board, policy, and coverage. The Journal of Buddhist Ethics is also a gateway to online resources for the study of Buddhism in general. There is an extensive (though unannotated) list of websites, and the scholarly resources section includes links to bibliographies and other reference materials. The site further acts as the primary distributor of a public domain version of the Pali Canon in electronic form (in association with the Sri Lanka Tripitaka Project). Additional fonts may be required in order to display the texts in Pali. The site also includes a search engine.
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