The theoretical question of what can be changed is different from the moral question of what ought to be changed. The theoretical and moral questions considered together determine the practical question of what we will attempt to change.

Often we theorize morality by treating change we see as morally undesirable as theoretically impossible and we moralize theory by treating change we see as theoretically impossible as morally undesirable. Both of these have been called “faith”, and both have moved mountains of discouragement in the way of people who trust love, hope, effort, resilience, forgiveness and redemption.