The Many and the One: Religious and Secular Perspectives on Ethical Pluralism in the Modern World

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The war on terrorism, say America's leaders, is a war of Good versus Evil. But in the minds of the perpetrators, the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington were presumably justified as ethically good acts against American evil. Is such polarization leading to a violent "clash of civilizations" or can differences between ethical systems be reconciled through rational dialogue This book provides an extraordinary resource for thinking clearly about the diverse ways in which humans see good and evil. In nine essays and responses, leading thinkers ask how ethical pluralism can be understood by classical liberalism, liberal-egalitarianism, critical theory, feminism, natural law, Confucianism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Each essay addresses five questions: Is the ideal society ethically uniform or diverse Should the state protect, ban, or otherwise intervene in ethically based differences How should disagreements on the rights and duties of citizens be dealt with Should the state regulate life-and-death decisions such as euthanasia To what extent should conflicting views on sexual relationships be accommodatedThis book shows that contentious questions can be discussed with both incisiveness and civility. The editors provide the introduction and Donald Moon, the conclusion. The contributors are Brian Barry, Joseph Boyle, Simone Chambers, Joseph Chan, Christine Di Stefano, Dale F. Eickelman, Menachem Fisch, William Galston, John Haldane, Chandran Kukathas, David Little, Muhammad Khalid Masud, Carole Pateman, William F. Scheuerman, Adam B. Seligman, James W. Skillen, James Tully, and Lee H. Yearley.

Reviews

"The overall product is a collection of viewpoints that, thanks to each writer's care in defining their terms and steering clear of jargon, is accessible to the beginning scholar... [T]he choice of controversies that are both enduring and ethically troubling means that the interest of all readers will be held throughout the book."--Bruce F. Nesmith, Perspectives on Political Science "Contributors include well-known, top-notch scholars like William A. Galston, Brian Barry, and James Tully. An extraordinarily well organized collection, its chapters cover nine nonsecular and secular ethical perspectives."--Choice

Author Bio

Richard Madsen is Professor of Sociology at the University of California, San Diego. He is the author or coauthor of ten books, including "Morality and Power in a Chinese Village". Tracy B. Strong is Professor of Political Science at the University of California, San Diego, and former Editor of "Political Theory". He has published seven books, among them "Friedrich Nietzsche and the Politics of Transformation".