The Disintegrating Conscience and the Decline of Modernity (Catholic Ideas for a Secular World)

This book considers how the modern concept of "conscience" turns the historic commitment on its head, in a way that underlies the decadence of modern society. Steven D. Smith's books are always anticipated with great interest by scholars, jurists, and citizens who see his work on foundational questions surrounding law and religion as shaping the debate in profound ways.Now, in The Disintegrating Conscience and the Decline of Modernity, Smith takes as his starting point Jacques Barzun's provocative assertion that "the modern era" is coming to an end.Smith considers the question of decline by focusing on a single theme-conscience-that has been central to much of what has happened in Western politics, law, and religion over the past half-millennium.Rather than attempting to follow that theme step-by-step through five hundred years, the book adopts an episodic and dramatic approach by focusing on three main figures and particularly portentous episodes: first, Thomas More's execution for hi