Peace Ethics in Western Intellectual History Der Heilige lernt auch aus dem, was ihm ein Teufel darbietet. – Der Kirchenvater Augustinus in einer Darstellung von Michael Pacher, um 1480. Since its conception, the Institute for Theology and Peace has researched the tradition of the Christian-theological and philosophical thinking about questions on the legitimation of violence and of peace. These efforts are still indispensible today. Because ethics in itself is a philosophically reflexive process, there is a demand for ethical consideration of the form and requirements of one’s own cognition. Engaging with the classics of peace theological work and peace in philosophy does not only illuminate the limits of our contemporary argumentation patterns but helps us better understand why we think in a certain way about a particular question. Through this understanding we simultaneously surpass the scope of these assumptions. Over the years important pieces of research have emerged from the Institute on, for example, St. Augustin, Thomas Aquinas, Francisco de Vitoria, Francisco Suárez or Bartolome de las Cases, which have been published as monographs. Additionally, various conferences on, for example, the early Middle Ages or the Early Modern Age have been published as edited works. Text editions, particularly from the late scholastic period, complete this valuable branch of research. Contact: PD Dr. Bernhard Koch
