Prominent observers complain that public discourse in America is shallow and unedifying. This debased condition is often attributed to, among other things, the resurgence of religion in public life. Steven Smith argues that this diagnosis has the matter backwards: it is not primarily religion but rather the strictures of secular rationalism that have drained our modern discourse of force and authenticity.
Thus, Rawlsian "public reason" filters appeals to religion or other "comprehensive doctrines" out of public deliberation. But these restrictions have the effect of excluding our deepest normative commitments, virtually assuring that the discourse will be shallow. Furthermore, because we cannot defend our normative positions without resorting to convictions that secular discourse deems inadmissible, we are frequently forced to smuggle in those convictions under the guise of benign notions such as freedom or equality.
Smith suggests that this sort of smuggling is pervasive in modern secular discourse. He shows this by considering a series of controversial, contemporary issues, including the Supreme Court's assisted-suicide decisions, the "harm principle," separation of church and state, and freedom of conscience. He concludes by suggesting that it is possible and desirable to free public discourse of the constraints associated with secularism and "public reason."
- 298 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
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The Disenchantment of Secular Discourse
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Information
t
h
e
w
a
y
w
e
t
a
l
k
n
o
w
41
we
can
acknowledge
the
need
for
greater
openness
to
the
alter-
native
modes
of
discourse
that
already
flourish
in
more
secluded
neighborhoods.
It
may
still
turn
out
that
in
a
pluralistic
society
such
as
ours,
the
barren
secular
discourse
that
Jacoby
and
Dworkin
and
others
find
so
unsatisfying
is
the
best
we
can
do.
But
we
won’t
know
until
we
try
opening
up
the
cage.
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Chapter 1. The Way We Talk Now
- Chapter 2. Living and Dying in the “Course of Nature”
- Chapter 3. Trafficking in Harm
- Chapter 4. Disoriented Discourse: The Secular Subversion of Religious Freedom
- Chapter 5. The Heavenly City of the Secular Phi los o phers
- Chapter 6. Science, Humanity, and Atrocity
- Chapter 7. Opening Up the Cage?
- Notes
- Acknowledgments
- Index
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Yes, you can access The Disenchantment of Secular Discourse by Steven D. Smith in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Politics & International Relations & Medical Law. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.