Ethics as narrative : Stanley Hauerwas' constructive alternative to the standard account of morality

The author recognizes that there is a laguna in theological ethics resulting from the marked distinction between an ethics of viture and an ethics of obligation. In this thesis, the author deals with the theological ethical theory of Stanley Hauerwas. The author traces Hauerwas' theological dependence upon the aretaic theological ethics developed by H. Richard Niebuhr. The author, then, analyzes certain elements of Hauerwas' constructive proposal against the background of what Hauerwas describes as the "standard account of morality." The elements and relationships of character, story, and narrative are viewed as essential to the understanding of Hauerwas' constructive proposal. Finally, the author gives a tenative critical assessment of Hauerwas' aretaic ethics.