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Stanley Hauerwas | The Good Life: If liberalism failed to deliver, what can? | Plough
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Christians and ethicists questioning whether modern politics and church culture offer a truly good life.
TL;DR
Stanley Hauerwas critiques modern liberalism's failure to provide a coherent good life, using a shepherd's story to illustrate how narratives and community, not causes or rights, give life meaning. He argues the church has abandoned its role in shaping such lives.
Key Takeaways
- The pandemic exposed how modern culture lacks a coherent vision of the good life, leaving people without narratives that give their lives meaning and direction.
- James Rebanks' decision to return to shepherding after Oxford exemplifies a life where inherited stories and everyday necessities create a sense of belonging and contentment.
- Many Americans feel forced into lives they don't want because they lack the narratives needed for coherence, a crisis reflected in declining church attendance and superficial faith.
- Churches often fail by offering simplistic messages like 'be nice' or by equating social justice activism with having a life worth living, which avoids deeper moral challenges.
- Confusing being on the 'right side of history' with a meaningful life leads people to neglect the hard work of actually living well, often leaving their personal lives in disarray.
- True freedom is not choosing your own story from scratch but accepting that you are shaped by stories you didn't choose, which gives life depth and coherence.
- A good life can include suffering and failure; these are not obstacles but integral parts of a life that others might find redeemable and worth living.
In This Video
- 00:00Pandemic Reveals the Good Life
The pandemic exposes cultural views on the good life and what we wish for ourselves.
- 01:38Shepherd's Life as a Model
James Rebanks' memoir illustrates a life of coherence through shepherding and tradition.
- 06:04Loss of Life's Coherence
Modern lives lack narratives, leading to a sense of being forced into unwanted lives.
- 07:37Church's Superficial Response
The church offers simplistic messages like 'be nice' instead of deep guidance for living.
- 08:55Social Ethics vs. True Living
Pursuing justice alone doesn't teach how to live; causes can't replace a meaningful life.
- 11:28Freedom as a False Ideal
American freedom wrongly insists on choosing one's own story, ignoring inherited narratives.
Questions & Answers
What is the good life according to Hauerwas?
Hauerwas says the good life is wanting no other life than the one you have, even with suffering, and finding coherence through narratives.
How does Hauerwas critique liberalism?
He argues liberalism fails because it equates freedom with choosing your own story, but you didn't choose that story, leading to lives without coherence.
What does Hauerwas say about church and consumption?
He says the mainstream church is consumed by a culture of consumption and tries to increase membership with simplistic messages, failing to help people live well.
Why does Hauerwas mention The Shepherd's Life?
He uses it as an example of a life with coherence, where the shepherd wants no other life, contrasting with modern loss of narrative.
What is Hauerwas's view on social justice causes?
He worries people confuse being on the right side of history with having a life worth living, but their lives can still be a mess.
Key Terms
- Resident Aliens — A book by Hauerwas arguing Christians live as a colony in a foreign culture, not conforming to worldly values.
- narrative coherence — The idea that lives gain meaning through stories that give them continuity and purpose, not through individual choice.