Mining Morality

Reviews / Votes

William P. George has written a wise and penetrating book on the ethics of mining- underground, underwater, and in outer space. Deeply concerned about injustice and the ecological threat, he is not driven by ideology or pre-conceived solutions but invites the reader into careful reflection on an industry that has received too little attention in Christian ethics. -- Daniel Finn, Clemens Professor of Economics and Professor of Theology, St. John's University & The College of St. Benedict Mining Morality is a remarkable and necessary book, yet an unexpected one. Remarkable, because it scrutinizes the ethics of five international mining cases within a unifying Christian vision; necessary because mining trails great international evils such as armed violence, trafficking, government corruption, and vast poverty; and unexpected because mining, as the author rightly notes, is daunting territory, to date left virtually untouched by theologians and philosophers. George's analyses flash brilliance and expand horizons. Mining Morality should not be missed by any Christian social ethicist. Its concreteness and often personal tone will be a gift to students in undergraduate, graduate and seminary classrooms. -- Lisa Cahill, Boston College George has written a wonderful book about an unlikely topic: the ethics of mining. It is an entrancing book, blending fact and law, philosophy and religion, all in the context of George's personal experience and ethical passion. No one reading it will doubt for a second that the ethics of mining is, after all, a matter of the highest importance. -- Mark Weston Janis, University of Connecticut School of Law Mining is an essential part of modern life that takes place largely out of sight of those who depend on it. George has explored its possibilities under the earth, into space, and through the changing requirements of law, economics, and public policy. Mining Morality is informative, engaging, and a profound reflection on what it means to understand any human activity in moral terms. -- Robin W. Lovin, Cary M. Maguire University Professor of Ethics Emeritus, Southern Methodist University