Making Choices: Practical Wisdom for Everyday Moral Decisions by Peter Kreeft

Goodreads: Making Choices

Series: None

Published: 1990

Summary: Rather than focus on abstract or theoretical moral questions, Kreeft offers practical advice the readers can apply to the moral choices they face every day.  He provides a brief overview of morality and its necessity before explaining how morality encompasses more than the labels society tends to associate with it.  Finally, Kreeft addresses the large moral issues currently facing America and lists concrete steps readers can take to improve their lives and the decisions they make.

Review: Kreeft’s concise and personable style makes weighty philosophical issues accessible to the everyday reader.  In a manner reminiscent of C. S. Lewis, he elucidates the main problems he perceives as facing modern society, beginning with the root issue: moral relativism.  He then narrows his focus, managing to argue for the existence of an absolute moral law, offer evidence for the existence of God, address the historicity of the Bible, and impart good advice about how to live all in about 200 pages.  The book thus serves both as a mini apologetics lesson and as a sort of morality how-to.

Though readers can no doubt find many similar books at the store, Making Choices asserts its claim to uniqueness by pointing out that it, unlike many works on morality, does not deal in theory but in practice.  Kreeft gently mocks philosophical exercises that require students to solve such dilemmas as whom they should throw off the life boat if they have to kill someone in order for the rest to survive.  He notes that most readers will never face such a choice, but instead struggle with less abstract moral questions.  His advice on making everyday decisions neatly combines practical suggestions with an overall guiding philosophy, so that readers have concrete steps to implement, but also enough flexibility to adapt the steps to their own circumstances.

The book stands well on its own as a guide to morality, but the wealth of introductory material on Christian philosophy and belief will serves as a convenient gateway for readers to learn more.  The conciseness of the material means that readers get the most important points of Christian philosophy in a general overview.  Since such topics can prove difficult to grasp immediately, these chapters provide the groundwork necessary for readers to understand the substance of an argument before they continue on to more detailed explanations.

This handy little book works well both for those who wish to begin educating themselves in apologetics and for those who wish for guidance simplifying their lives, making good decisions, and learning to recognize the will of God.  Its friendly tone makes both activities seem pleasant.  Readers will likely find themselves desirous of learning more about the topics presented.