"A book that has been needed for several years. It certainly will be one of the most important evangelical books of the year. Its exploration of possible Christian answers to some of the basic problems of philosophy is thoughtful, well-written, and bears all the marks of having been written by a highly competent philosopher."--Ronald H. Nash, Western Kentucky University.

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Arthur Holmes addresses the questions: What is good? What is right? How can we know? In this second edition, he also surveys a variety of approaches to ethics, including cultural relativism, emotivism, ethical egoism and utilitarianism—all with an acknowledgment of the new postmodern environment.

Whitehead’s rejection of a coercive divine lawgiver is well known, but the underlying ethic which led him in that direction needs to be examined. Arguing that he is an ethical naturalist with an aesthetic theory of value, and an act utilitarian, I find that this gives priority to eros over agape, limits moral responsibility, and obscures the depth of moral evil.

Reacting to contemporary thinkers who celebrate a liberation from absolute truth, Arthur Holmes explores historical ways of grounding moral values objectively in the nature of reality and reconnecting to objective and universal moral norms.