DOCSLIB.ORG

RELIGION and MORALITY CLAREMONT STUDIES in the PHILOSOPHY of RELIGION General Editor: D

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
RELIGION and MORALITY CLAREMONT STUDIES in the PHILOSOPHY of RELIGION General Editor: D RELIGION AND MORALITY CLAREMONT STUDIES IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION General Editor: D. Z. Phillips Published titles: PHILOSOPHY AND THE GRAMMAR OF RELIGIOUS BELIEF Edited by Timothy Tessin and Mario von der Ruhr RELIGION AND NORALITY Edited by D. Z. Phillips CAN RELIGION BE EXPLAINED AWAY? Edited by D. Z. Phillips PHILOSOPHY AND THEOLOGICAL DISCOURSE Edited by Stephen T. Davis (forthcoming) Religion and Morality Edited by D. Z. Phillips Danforth Professor of the Philosophy of Religion Claremont Graduate School, and Professor of Philosophy, University of Wales, Swansea ~ Palgrave Macmillan ISBN 978-1-349-13560-8 ISBN 978-1-349-13558-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-13558-5 RELIGION AND MORALITY Copyright © 1996 by The Claremont Graduate School Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1996 978-0-333-62066-3 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, address: St. Martin's Press, Scholarly and Reference Division, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 First published in the United States of America in 1996 ISBN 978-0-312-12868-5 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Religion and morality / edited by D. Z. Phillips. p. cm. - (Claremont studies in the philosophy of religion) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-312-12868-5 (cloth) I. Religion and ethics. 2. Religious ethics. I. Phillips, D. Z. (Dewi Zephaniah) II. Series. BJ47.R43 1996 241--dc20 95-17961 CIP Contents Preface and Acknowledgements vii Notes on the Contributors viii Introduction xi PART I RELIGION AS INFANTILE 1 1 Is Religion an Infantile Morality? Raimond Gaita 3 2 Reply: Morality, Humanity and Historicality: Remorse and Religion Revisited Richard Schacht 39 PART II MORALITY AND DIVINE COMMANDS 57 3 The Concept of a Divine Command Robert Merrihew Adams 59 4 Reply: Moral Duty and God: A View from the Left Clark A. Kucheman 81 PART III THE PROBLEM OF EVIL 105 5 Evil and the God-Who-Does-Nothing-In-Particular Marilyn McCord Adams 107 6 Reply: Redeeming Sorrows Rowan Williams 132 PART IV RELIGION AND MORAL RELATIVISM 149 7 Relativism about Torture: Religious and Secular Responses Philip L. Quinn 151 8 Reply: Ethical Universality and Ethical Relativism Joseph Runzo 171 v vi Contents PART V BUDDHISM AND ETHICS 189 9 Ethics Post-Zen John V. Canfield 191 10 Reply: Before 'Post-Zen': A Discussion of Buddhist Ethics Frank J. Hoffman 212 PART VI ATHEISM, MORALITY AND RELIGION 233 11 Atheism and Morality R. W. Beardsmore 235 12 Reply: Nietzsche, Kierkegaard and Anscombe on Moral Unintelligibility James Conant 250 PART VII VOICES IN DISCUSSION 299 13 Voices in Discussion D. Z. Phillips 301 Index of Names 351 Index of Subjects 354 Preface and Acknowledgements This collection of essays is the second in the series Claremont Studies in the Philosophy of Religion, the first being Philosophy and the Grammar of Religious Belief edited by Timothy Tessin and Mario von der Ruhr. It is based on the proceedings of the fifteenth annual con­ ference on the philosophy of religion at The Claremont Graduate School, California, in February 1994. As in the first volume, I have included 'Voices in Discussion' as an afterword. Some readers may want to read this discussion first before turning to the papers as fuller elucidations of the philo­ sophical perspectives expressed in it. Others may not want to do so, hence the general introduction. I am grateful to the contributors to this collection, not only for participating in the conference, but for their generous support of the fund from which the annual conferences are funded. I also gratefully acknowledge contributions to the fund by The Claremont Graduate School, Pomona College, and Claremont McKenna College. I am indebted to Stephen Davis, Jackie Huntzinger and Althea Spencer-Miller for administrative assistance with the conference and to all those graduate students who, in various ways, contrib­ uted to the success of the conference. I acknowledge the help provided in the preparation of typescripts by Lance Ashdown and Martha Bailey, my research assistants at Claremont, and Helen Baldwin, Secretary to the Department of Philosophy at Swansea. I am grateful to Timothy Tessin, my colleague at Swansea, for help with the proof-reading. The ready cooperation of people based at Claremont and Swansea is a happy by-product of my involve­ ment in both institutions. D. Z. PHILLIPS Claremont and Swansea vii Notes on the Contributors Marilyn McCord Adams is Professor of Historical Theology at Yale University and an Episcopal priest. She is author of a two­ volume study, William Ockham, and of numerous articles on medi­ eval philosophy and theology, Anselm, Duns Scotus, and the problem of evil. Robert Merrihew Adams is Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Yale University. He is the author of The Virtue of Faith and Leibniz: Determinist, Theist, Idealist, and of articles on meta­ physics, ethics, the philosophy of religion, and the history of philosophy. R. W. Beardsmore is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Head of Department at the University of Wales, Swansea. He is the au­ thor of Moral Reasoning and Art and Morality and author of pa­ pers on ethics, aesthetics and Wittgenstein. John V. Canfield teaches at Erindale College, University of To­ ronto. He is the author of Wittgenstein: Language and the World and The Looking-Glass Self. James Conant is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the Univer­ sity of Pittsburg. He is the author of articles on Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Frege and Wittgenstein. Raimond Gaita is Professor of Philosophy at the Institute of Ad­ vanced Research, Australia, and Lecturer in Philosophy at King's College, London. He is the author of Good and Evil: An Absolute Conception and editor of Value and Understanding: Essays for Peter Winch. Frank J. Hoffman is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at West Chester University. He is the author of Rationality and Mind in Early Buddhism and co-editor of Pali Buddhism. He is Associate Editor of the Journal of Comparative Literature and Aesthetics (India). viii Notes on the Contributors ix John Hyman is Fellow and Praelector in Philosophy at The Queen's College, Oxford. He is the editor of Investigating Psychology and the author of The Imitation of Nature. Clark A. Kucheman is Arthur V. Stoughton Professor of Chris­ tian Ethics at Claremont McKenna College. He is editor of The Life of Choice: Some Liberal Religious Perspectives on Morality and the author of numerous essays in journals and anthologies. David McLellan is Professor of Political Theory at the University of Kent. His numerous books have been translated into many languages. His most recent publications are Simone Weil: Utopian Pessimist and Unto Caesar: The Political Reference of Christianity. D. Z. Phillips is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wales, Swansea and Danforth Professor of the Philosophy of Religion at The Claremont Graduate School. He is the author of The Concept of Prayer; Moral Practices (with H. O. Mounce); Death and Immor­ tality; Faith and Philosophical Enquiry; Sense and Delusion (with Dham Oilman); Athronyddu Am Grefydd; Religion Without Explanation; Through a Darkening Glass; Dramau Gwenlyn Parry; Belief, Change and Forms of Life; R. S. Thomas: Poet of the Hidden God; Faith After Foundationalism; From Fantasy to Faith; Interventions in Ethics; Wittgenstein and Religion; Writers of Wales: J. R. Jones. He has edit­ ed many books including Wittgenstein: Attention to Particulars. Essays in Honour of Rush Rhees (with Peter Winch). He is editor of the journal Philosophical Investigations and of the Macmillan series, Swansea Studies in Philosophy and Claremont Studies in the Philos­ ophy of Religion. Philip L. Quinn is John O'Brien Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame and was formerly William Herbert Perry Faunce Professor of Philosophy at Brown University. He is the author of Divine Commands and Moral Requirements and numer­ ous articles on philosophy of religion, philosophy of science, eth­ ics and metaphysics. He has served as editor of Faith and Philosophy and president of the American Philosophical Association, Central Division (1994-5). Joseph Runzo is Professor of Philosophy and Griset Professor of Religion at Chapman University. He is the author of World Views x Notes on the Contributors and Perceiving God; Relativism and God; editor of Is God Real? and Ethics, Religion and the Good Society, New Directions in a Pluralistic World, and co-editor of Religious Experience and Religious Belief: Essays in the Epistemology of Religion. He is founder and president of the Philosophy of Religion Society. Richard Schacht is Professor of Philosophy and Jubilee Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana­ Champaign. He is Executive Director of the North American Nietzsche Society and editor of the University of Illinois Press series International Nietzsche Studies. His books include Alienation; Classical Modern Philosophers; Hegel and After; Nietzsche; and, more recently, The Future of Alienation; Making Sense of Nietzsche. Rowan Williams is the Anglican Bishop of Monmouth, Wales, Honorary Professor of Theology at the University of Bristol and Fellow of the British Academy. He was formerly Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity, University of Oxford. He is the author of The Wound of Knowledge; Resurrection; The Truth of God; Beginning Now: Peacemaking Theology (with Mark Collier); Arius: Heresy and Tradition; Theresa of Avila and editor of The Making of Orthodoxy. Introduction D. Z. PHILLIPS For some contemporary philosophers, an emphasis on guilt in morality is infantile, the sign of a narrowly conceived ethics. Raimond Gaita argues that this is not so. Guilt is the essential means by which we recognise the harm we do to others.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Is Saving Lives Your Task Or God's? Religiosity, Belief in God, and Moral Judgment
    Judgment and Decision Making, Vol. 12, No. 3, May 2017, pp. 280–296 Is saving lives your task or God’s? Religiosity, belief in god, and moral judgment Netta Barak-Corren∗ Max H. Bazerman† Abstract Should a Catholic hospital abort a life-threatening pregnancy or let a pregnant woman die? Should a religious employer allow his employees access to contraceptives or break with healthcare legislation? People and organizations of faith often face moral decisions that have significant consequences. Research in psychology found that religion is typically associated with deontological judgment. Yet deontology consists of many principles, which may, at times, conflict. In three studies, we design a conflict between moral principles and find that the relationship between moral judgment and religiosity is more nuanced than currently assumed. Studies 1 and 2 show that, while religious U.S. Christians and Israeli Jews are more likely to form deontological judgments, they divide between the deontological principles of inaction and indirectness. Using textual analysis, we reveal that specific beliefs regarding divine responsibility and human responsibility distinguish inaction from indirectness deontologists. Study 3 exploits natural differences in religious saliency across days of the week to provide causal evidence that religion raises deontological tendencies on Sundays and selectively increases the appeal of inaction deontology for those who believe in an interventionist and responsible God. Keywords: religion, normative conflict, inaction, indirectness, deontology, utilitarianism, Sunday effect 1 Introduction event, he declared it to be a direct and impermissible abortion and excommunicated Sister McBride. The tension between In late 2010, St. Joseph’s Hospital of Phoenix, Arizona, these positions appears to reflect different moral judgments.
    [Show full text]
  • Catholicism, Ethics and Health Care Policy
    The Catholic Lawyer Volume 32 Number 1 Volume 32, Number 1 Article 4 Catholicism, Ethics and Health Care Policy Lisa Sowle Cahill Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.stjohns.edu/tcl Part of the Catholic Studies Commons, Ethics in Religion Commons, and the Health Law and Policy Commons This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at St. John's Law Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Catholic Lawyer by an authorized editor of St. John's Law Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CATHOLICISM, ETHICS AND HEALTH CARE POLICYt LISA SOWLE CAHILL* The Catholic Church's moralpositions have the potential to shape pub- lic discussion and policy only to the extent that they can be put forward in terms which are accessible and convincing to citizens in general, in- cluding those who do not accept the specifically religious authority of Roman Catholicism. The interest of the Catholic Church in health care policy has been much in evidence in the past decade, not only through the activity of the Catholic laity in their capacity as American citizens, but also through the involvement of members of the Church hierarchy and even through that of ecclesial bodies such as the U.S. National Conference of Catholic Bish- ops and the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. A na- tional event which raised pointedly the question of the extent and legiti- macy of such involvement was the 1984 U.S. presidential campaign, which featured controversy over Catholic candidates' support of national abor- tion policy.
    [Show full text]
  • Supreme Court of the United States
    No. 02-102 IN THE Supreme Court of the United States JOHN GEDDES LAWRENCE AND TYRON GARNER, Petitioners, V. STATE OF TEXAS, Respondent. ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE COURT OF APPEALS OF TEXAS FOURTEENTH DISTRICT BRIEF OF THE ALLIANCE OF BAPTISTS, THE AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE, THE COMMISSION ON SOCIAL ACTION OF REFORM JUDAISM, THE MOST REV. FRANK T. GRISWOLD, III, PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH, THE METHODIST FEDERATION FOR SOCIAL ACTION, MORE LIGHT PRESBYTERIANS, THE GENERAL SYNOD OF THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST, THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST ASSOCIATION, AND 21 OTHER RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS AS AMICI CURIAE SUPPORTING PETITIONERS ROBERT A. LONG, JR. Counsel of Record THOMAS L. CUBBAGE III REBECCAWOODS COVINGTON & BURLING 1201 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20004-2401 (202) 662-6000 Counsel for Amici Curiae TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................... i TABLE OF AUTHORITIES................................................. ii INTEREST OF THE AMICI CURIAE ................................. 1 SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT............................................. 2 ARGUMENT......................................................................... 2 I. MANY RELIGIOUS BODIES OPPOSE LAWS THAT CRIMINALIZE PRIVATE SEXUAL CONDUCT BETWEEN CONSENT- ING ADULTS OF THE SAME SEX........................ 3 A. Many Religious Bodies Strongly Oppose Criminalizing Private Sexual Conduct Between Consenting Adults Of The Same Sex Even Though They Do Not Regard Such Conduct As Moral...................
    [Show full text]
  • Morals, Ethics, and Laws: What Commonalities Remain?
    Liberty University Law Review Volume 14 Issue 1 Fall 2019 Article 4 September 2019 Morals, Ethics, and Laws: What Commonalities Remain? John M. Tyson Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/lu_law_review Recommended Citation Tyson, John M. (2019) "Morals, Ethics, and Laws: What Commonalities Remain?," Liberty University Law Review: Vol. 14 : Iss. 1 , Article 4. Available at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/lu_law_review/vol14/iss1/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Liberty University School of Law at Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in Liberty University Law Review by an authorized editor of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ESSAY MORALS, ETHICS, AND LAWS: WHAT COMMONALITIES REMAIN? Judge John M. Tyson* I. INTRODUCTION In his Farewell Address in 1796, President George Washington encouraged his fellow Americans to reflect and remember America’s national unity and identity: “With slight shades of difference, you have the same religion, manners, habits, and political principles. You have in a common cause fought and triumphed together; the independence and liberty you possess are the work of joint counsels, and joint efforts of common dangers, sufferings, and successes.”1 This essay briefly analyzes the historical relationships of morals, ethics, and laws in America; reviews their current commonalities and authorities; and asserts the need for morals and ethics as standards of conduct for individuals and society beyond the constraints of the law. “Ethics,” “morals,” and “laws” are concepts and expectations of “right” and “wrong” conduct. In communications and conversations related to “expected,” “acceptable,” or “sanctionable” conduct, some individuals may use the terms “moral,” “ethical,” and “legal” as if they are synonymous.
    [Show full text]
  • Francis Wayland and the Evangelical Conscience
    Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University History Dissertations Department of History 7-18-2008 God and Slavery in America: Francis Wayland and the Evangelical Conscience Matthew S. Hill Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_diss Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Hill, Matthew S., "God and Slavery in America: Francis Wayland and the Evangelical Conscience." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2008. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_diss/10 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of History at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. GOD AND SLAVERY IN AMERICA: FRANCIS WAYLAND AND THE EVANGELICAL CONSCIENCE by MATTHEW S. HILL Under the Direction of Dr. Wendy H. Venet ABSTRACT The work examines the antislavery writings of Francis Wayland (1796-1865). Wayland pastored churches in Boston and Providence, but he left his indelible mark as the fourth and twenty-eight year president of Brown University (1827-1855). The author of numerous works on moral science, economics, philosophy, education, and the Baptist denomination, his administration marked a transitional stage in the emergence of American colleges from a classically oriented curriculum to an educational philosophy based on science and modern languages. Wayland left an enduring legacy at Brown, but it was his antislavery writings that brought him the most notoriety and controversy. Developed throughout his writings, rather than systematically in a major work, his antislavery views were shaped and tested in the political and intellectual climate of the antebellum world in which he lived.
    [Show full text]
  • Religious Education Towards Justice: What Kind of Justice Is to Be Taught in a Christian Context?
    education sciences Article Religious Education towards Justice: What Kind of Justice Is to Be Taught in a Christian Context? Monika Bobbert Seminar für Moraltheologie, The University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany; [email protected] Academic Editors: Judith Könemann and James Albright Received: 11 August 2016; Accepted: 7 February 2017; Published: 21 February 2017 Abstract: Education is a human right. It prepares human beings for life, helps to develop individual abilities and opens up social opportunities—e.g., earning one’s own living. Religion interprets our human existence in connection to a transcendental dimension. Religion can also influence moral values and behavior. The Christian religion established a basis for social life, and thus deals with religious and moral justice. As the Christian faith is understood as the identity of the qualities of love of God, of your neighbor and even of your enemy, it has to look for justice in the world. Modern Christian ethics does unfold interpersonal and global justice for all people and tries to give good reasons for moral claims. Religious education in a Christian context has to answer the question of what kind of justice is to be taught and by what means justice, as a goal of education, can be reached within such a setting. This article will unfold, from an ethical point of view, what kind of knowledge and competence teachers must have and what kind of goals can be followed with regard to their pupils or students. The results of this reflection imply certain pedagogical methods and means and exclude others—although it is not possible to go more deeply into a pedagogical discussion.
    [Show full text]
  • Kant the Buddhist: an Analysis of Kantian Ethics, Metaphysics, and Philosophy of Religion in the Context of Christianity and Buddhism
    Rollins College Rollins Scholarship Online Honors Program Theses Spring 2021 Kant the Buddhist: An Analysis of Kantian Ethics, Metaphysics, and Philosophy of Religion in the Context of Christianity and Buddhism Whitney Grimm [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.rollins.edu/honors Part of the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Grimm, Whitney, "Kant the Buddhist: An Analysis of Kantian Ethics, Metaphysics, and Philosophy of Religion in the Context of Christianity and Buddhism" (2021). Honors Program Theses. 139. https://scholarship.rollins.edu/honors/139 This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by Rollins Scholarship Online. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Program Theses by an authorized administrator of Rollins Scholarship Online. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Kant the Buddhist: An Analysis of Kantian Ethics, Metaphysics, and Philosophy of Religion in the Context of Christianity and Buddhism Whitney Grimm Philosophy Honors Thesis Spring 2021 2 Chapter 1: Introduction The majority of philosophers, even those considered to be among the greats, will never make it out of the arcane labyrinth of academia and into the discourse of the general population. Despite the prevalence of this philosophical fate, it is not the case for one eighteenth century German philosopher: you will find his influence in every Ethics 101 class, in a popular party game called “Trial by Trolley,” and even in the popular TV show “The Good Place.” I am, of course, talking about Immanuel Kant. The level of popularity that Kant has achieved among the general population is quite rare, only to be outdone in recognizability and influence by the likes of the great Greek philosophers, such as Aristotle.
    [Show full text]
  • The Church and Politics, 1 Notre Dame J.L
    Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy Volume 1 Article 6 Issue 1 Symposium on Law and Morality February 2014 The hC urch and Politics Richard P. McBrien Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.law.nd.edu/ndjlepp Recommended Citation Richard P. McBrien, The Church and Politics, 1 Notre Dame J.L. Ethics & Pub. Pol'y 57 (1985). Available at: http://scholarship.law.nd.edu/ndjlepp/vol1/iss1/6 This Essay is brought to you for free and open access by the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy at NDLScholarship. It has been accepted for inclusion in Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy by an authorized administrator of NDLScholarship. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE CHURCH AND POLITICS REVEREND RICHARD P. McBRIEN* The relationship between the Church and politics is ex- ceedingly complex. A comprehensive examination of the question would have to embrace theology (both ecclesiology and social ethics), political philosophy and political science, sociology, history, culture, and, of course, law. I am limited by space as well as competence. Therefore, I shall address the problem as a theologian only, and as an ecclesiologist in particular. When one is speaking of the Church, there are at least three polarities which must be kept in mind. First, the Church is both the whole Body of Christ (Catholic, Protes- tant, Anglican, Orthodox, and Oriental) and a particular de- nomination or community within it. Secondly, the Church is both the whole People of God (laity, religious, and clergy alike) and particular groups within it (e.g., the hierarchy, or the official Church).
    [Show full text]
  • PART TWO: MORALITY and RELIGION Syllabus
    PART TWO: MORALITY AND RELIGION Syllabus Knowledge Objectives · be familiar with the variety of meanings of the term morality · understand that morality is a human phenomenon which has been the basis of much thought and reflection since ancient times · be aware of the importance of personal and communal values and their expression in secular and religious law codes · be familiar with the ethical teachings of Jesus of Nazareth and the incorporation of these into the moral teachings of the Christian traditions · be familiar with the ethical systems of two religious traditions other than the Christian traditions Understanding · understand that a person can be a moral person independent of religious belief or affiliation · be aware that a religious perspective on morality emerges from the traditions and belief of each religious tradition · recognise that the Christian tradition draws its inspiration for its moral teaching from several sources · have an understanding of the insight of religions into the implications of moral failure · understand that sin – moral failure from the perspective of the Christian tradition – has personal, social, and structural implications Skills · differentiate between morality and religion · identify and evaluate the values proposed by the variety of sources and traditions encountered Attitudes · ability to dialogue constructively with legal and religious traditions · awareness of the religious perspective on morality, in particular the Christian perspective and its influence on Irish society in the past and at the present time · awareness of and openness to the moral dimension of the issues of the day · personal moral dispositions Topic: 2.1 The relationship between morality and religion Procedure Description of content: - a contrast and comparison between the religious and moral person - ethical systems proposed by two traditions other than Christianity Present students with the following newspaper headline: Passer-by rescues drowning person - Story on page 4 Group work: Divide students into five groups.
    [Show full text]
  • Between Law and Justice: Kant, Derrida, and Religious Violence
    University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 1-1-2009 Between Law and Justice: Kant, Derrida, and Religious Violence Evgeni V. Pavlov University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the Other Religion Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Pavlov, Evgeni V., "Between Law and Justice: Kant, Derrida, and Religious Violence" (2009). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 502. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/502 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. BETWEEN LAW AND JUSTICE: KANT, DERRIDA, AND RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE __________ A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the University of Denver and the Iliff School of Theology Joint PhD Program ___________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy ___________ By Evgeni V. Pavlov November 2009 Advisor: Jere O’Neill Surber Author: Evgeni V. Pavlov Title: BETWEEN LAW AND VIOLENCE: KANT, DERRIDA, AND RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE Advisor: Jere O’Neill Surber Degree Date: November 2009 ABSTRACT Although a number of approaches to the issue of religious violence are already available for academic consumption, this study attempts to approach the problem of the violent tension between religious principles and secular socio-political realities from a new perspective. We argue that religious violence is best conceptualized as a moment of crisis in the relationship between law and justice, considered as both intimately related (in Kant’s analysis of the rightful condition) and peculiarly disjointed (in Derrida’s reflections on the possibility of “justice beyond law”).
    [Show full text]
  • American Catholics and American Politics
    • CTSA PROCEEDINGS 55 (2000): 55-82 • AMERICAN CATHOLICS AND AMERICAN POLITICS Prefatory Note. The issues I collect under the label "religion in politics" are, for me, at least as much existential as intellectual. I am a religious believer—in par- ticular, a religious believer for whom the Roman Catholic tradition has been formative. I am also a citizen of a liberal democracy: the United States. Indeed, I am grateful to be—I am enthusiastic about being—a citizen of a liberal democracy.1 In some of my books, I have spoken to those of my fellow citizens who are not religious believers about how I and other religious believers, as religious believers, may and should participate in politics. I now want to speak to those of my fellow citizens who are also fellow religious believers—fellow Catholics—about how I and other Catholics, as Catholics, may and should participate in politics. This is, for me, a new topic, and the paper I am about to present is my first attempt to think "in writing" about the relevant issues. Perhaps it is not unfitting for me, a mere lawyer in this den of Catholic theologians, to do in my paper what I am about to do: quote liberally the voices of several Catholic theologians. In any event, my paper is, in part, a collage of Catholic theological voices—voices that are surely familiar to all of you. I have assembled, or conscripted, these voices, these texts—I have relied on them—in my attempt to think about the relevant issues. I hope you will be patient with me as I rehearse the texts with you in the course of presenting my paper.
    [Show full text]
  • Religion, Morality and Contested Claims For
    RELIGION, MORALITY AND CONTESTED CLAIMS FOR JUSTICE Georgetown University Law Center | Fall 2018 (2 credit seminar) Cross Listed: Georgetown University GOVT-688 Seminar (3 credits) Thursdays, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Hotung 5013 (Law Campus) Professor Michael Kessler Professor Amy Uelmen Berkley Center 3307 M St. Suite 200 McDonough 419 | 202.661.6681 [email protected] [email protected] Office Hours: Michael Kessler: by appointment at Law or Main campus Amy Uelmen: Thursdays 12:30 – 2:00 at Law Campus, and by appointment Course Description: This interdisciplinary seminar will examine theories of justice and the relationship between law and morality in light of religious and theological visions of the good life and accounts of order. Materials and discussions will probe questions such as: What are the moral values underlying the law? How does the law achieve justice or fall short of this goal? How can moral judgments be brought to bear, if at all, in modern, secular legal institutions and in the formation of public policies? Throughout the class we will have opportunities to consider how morality and ideas of justice shape, and are shaped by, contemporary legal problems such as: the legal regulation of sexual activity and marriage, controversies regarding federally mandated health insurance, abortion, euthanasia and physician assisted suicide, immigration, regulation of financial institutions, and/or other issues which emerge as topics of particular student interest. Particular attention will be paid to understanding methods for dialogue across differing thought systems and disciplines and to developing the skills for communication across claims that would otherwise tend to generate religious and political polarization.
    [Show full text]