Beyond political liberalism : toward a post-secular ethics of public life / Troy Dostert.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dostert, Troy Lewis, 1968-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political ethics.

Religion and politics.

Liberalism--Religious aspects.

Liberalism.

Religious pluralism--Political aspects.

Religious pluralism.

Physical Description:

x, 256 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Notre Dame, Ind. : University of Notre Dame Press, [2006]

Summary:

In Beyond Political Liberalism, Troy Dostert offers a critical examination of political liberalism, the approach to liberal political theory advanced most forcefully in the later work of John Rawls. Political liberalism's defenders claim that an "overlapping consensus" of shared values holds out the strongest prospects for regulating democratic politics in light of our moral diversity. Dostert contends, however, that the attempt to establish such a consensus in fact works to restrict and control the presence of religious and other moral perspectives that can ennoble and invigorate public life.

Dostert argues that there is a steep price to be paid for this conception of politics, for what results is a political vision characterized by a profound distrust and fear of citizens' comprehensive convictions-the animating source of many citizens' political activity. He suggests that a "post-secular" ethics is a more appropriate response to moral diversity than restricting and managing the presence of religion and other moral perspectives in public life. By drawing on the religious witness of the civil rights movement and the work of theologian John Howard Yoder, Dostert elucidates several core dialogic practices and illustrates their value through a consideration of the contemporary debates surrounding international debt relief and abortion.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Managing-Moral Diversity in Rawls's Political Liberalism 15

Chapter 2 Religious Freedom within Political Liberalism? The Implications of Avoiding Moral Negotiation 33

Chapter 3 The Secularity of Liberal Public Reason 61

Chapter 4 Approaching the Theological: Re-thinking Public Discourse 91

Chapter 5 Envisioning a Politics of Moral Engagement: Glimpses from the Civil Rights Struggle 127

Chapter 6 The Promise of a Post-Secular Politics 165.

Notes:

Based on the author's thesis (doctoral)--Duke University.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 241-248) and index.

ISBN:

0268026009

9780268026004

OCLC:

70698897

Publisher Number:

9780268026004