The universal hunger for liberty : why the clash of civilizations is not inevitable / Michael Novak.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Novak, Michael.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Liberty.

Economics.

Islam.

Physical Description:

xxix, 281 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Basic Books, [2004]

Summary:

Increasingly divided and embroiled in conflict-both moral and mortal-the world needs a positive vision for facing the challenges that lay ahead. In The Universal Hunger for Liberty, statesman, theologian, and award-winning author Michael Novak charts a new course for navigating the murderous confrontations between Islamic states and the West. In place of ongoing tension and violence, he offers a surprisingly optimistic vision of how to heal our cultural, economic, and political differences over the next hundred years. This is not the first time Novak has looked ahead, against the stream of conventional opinion. In 1982, in The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism-circulated underground in Poland and Czechoslovakia, and described as one of those books that actually changed the world-Novak foresaw the end of socialism, and its replacement by democracy and capitalism.

The Universal Hunger for Liberty is an even bolder achievement, which takes the whole world as its stage. In the writhing of civilizations and cultures bristling with wars, Novak discerns struggles for personal dignity, and the liberty whence dignity springs. He poses the possibility of a peaceful democratization of the Islamic third world-one based not on a clash of civilizations, but on a profound understanding of our common cause. Novak sees the gold-and-scarlet thread of history as human liberty; here he finds the tie that can reconcile the Western democratic tradition with its erstwhile Islamic foes.

Islam, Novak points out, is a religion of reward and punishment, and therefore it must have buried within it a profound commitment to liberty. Over many centuries until now, this buried theory of liberty has not been brought out with full force nor, based upon it, a full Islamic theory of human rights, democracy, and personal dignity. It cannot be true that only Jews and Christians have access to such goods of the spirit. The world's one billion Muslims also desire for their children a world of opportunity and prosperity, a world in which their human rights, dignity, and individuality are respected, and a world in which they can remain devout followers of Islam.

Western notions of liberty are inextricably tied to a Judeo-Christian foundation-in the words of Thomas Jefferson: "The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time." But if we look beyond the fundamentalist posturing-into the theological heart of the Middle East-we will discover Islamic grounds for political, economic, and religious liberty. This mutual theology of liberty is the key to ensuring a safe, prosperous, and democratic future for people in all corners of the globe. The Universal Hunger for Liberty is the culmination of a long and distinguished career spent wrestling with the theological implications of the world's seemingly disparate political trajectories. Novak takes a bold step forward in thinking about the role we-collectively as the United States, and individually as believers in the gospel of freedom and human rights-should play in bringing this vision of a peaceful, democratic future to fruition.

Contents:

Islam: the early conversation 1150-1300

Caritapolis: a universal culture of mutual respect

A philosophy of economics

Economic realism

Capitalism's third wave

Blue environmentalism

Religion : the first institution of democracy

How the Catholic Church came to terms with democracy

Can Islam come to terms with democracy?

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 231-259) and index.

ISBN:

0465051316

OCLC:

55066524