Morality. On the Restoration of the Common Good in the Era of Disunity

What will the world be like is a question that people have pondered throughout history. For many today, anxiety about the future is connected to threats to universal human values, disunity, stress, and accompanying dependencies, as well as attempts to shift moral choice and responsibility onto 'others'.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (1948–2020) was a writer, public and religious figure, scholar, and teacher. For over 20 years, he was the chief rabbi of the United Kingdom. 'Morality' is one of the last books by Sacks-the-thinker, a kind of testament, warning and at the same time hopeful reflection on the roots of the contemporary crisis of values. Rabbi Sacks sees it in the loss of a common moral code and in the dominance of individual interests over the common good. By relinquishing morality to the market and the state, people have lost the benchmarks for stable and safe coexistence. Drawing on extensive historical and contemporary material, Sacks demonstrates that there is no freedom without morality and responsibility, and that we all must play our part in restoring a common moral foundation in order to live in a world where everyone can find their place and look to the future without fear.