Abstract

This paper analyzes the attempt of Paul Ramsey to make love the basic moral principle in his formulation of Christian ethics. It analyzes both the earlier and later versions of this attempt in terms of the criterion of "efficacy," i.e. the ability of the love-principle to generate substantive moral judgments. The author concludes that Ramsey has failed to show that the love-principle satisfactorily meets the test posed by the criterion of efficacy and that this strongly suggests that love cannot serve as the basic principle of a moral system.