ABSTRACT
Throughout his literary career, Gene Outka (b. 1937) courageously raises and addresses significant theological and philosophical questions, such as “Regarding the love commandment, what does it mean to love each neighbor and oneself equally?” and “Can or must religious and ethical duty conflict?” Outka’s reading of Kierkegaard has undoubtedly influenced his awareness of the interrelationship of neighbor love, equality, individuality, and the ethical. A specialist in the areas of Christian ethics and bioethics, Outka is currently the Dwight Professor of Philosophy and Christian Ethics at Yale University Divinity School, where he has taught since 1975, after teaching at Princeton University for 10 years. Outka’s published works include Agape: An Ethical Analysis, Norm and Context in Christian Ethics, co-edited with Paul Ramsey (1913-88), Religion and Morality and Prospects for a Common Morality, co-edited with John P. Reeder, Jr., as well as over forty scholarly articles, which have appeared in such journals as Journal of Religious Ethics and the Journal of Religion.
