Abstract

The concept of "ressentiment" has a twofold value in religious ethics. First, "ressentiment" functions as a critical tool that illuminates a persistent moral problem arising between different religious communities. The concept orients the student of religious ethics to look for the specific causes of animosity and mistrust between the members of different religious and moral traditions. Second, the problem created by religious "ressentiment" explains the meaning and the significance of certain "public" virtues affirmed by religious traditions. This essay's conception of public virtues builds on the work of Alasdair MacIntyre, yet public virtues are contrasted with MacIntyre's understanding of virtues as arising within and being normative for only a particular community. A critical analysis of certain narratives provides significant insights into forms of "ressentiment" and into the nature of the public virtues.