Religion and the Common Good

Catholic Contributions to Building Community in a Liberal Society

Brian Stiltner

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
• Year: 1999
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781461641919
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Denominations

The term Ocommon goodO has often been ill-defined or undefined in political, philosophical, and theological discourses. Brian Stiltner seeks to repair this deficit in his study Religion and the Common Good. He explores the meaning of the common good and the prospects for pursuing it in a liberal society. Focusing on the conceptions of common good in liberalism and communitarianism-the former stressing individual rights and social tolerance, the latter stressing a communityOs shared history and social practices-Stiltner argues that the two theories are not as irreconcilable as they seem, that they can be combined into a Ocommunal liberalism.O Stiltner provides an outline of the twentieth-century Catholic common good theory as an example of such a synthesis. A fascinating study, Religion and the Common Good will be an invaluable volume for scholars of social ethics, religion, theology, philosophy and political science.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 - The Enlightenment as Problem and Resource
• Chapter 2 - The Common Good and Religious Discourse in a Modern Liberal Society
• Chapter 3 - Linking Liberalism and Communitarianism Through Common Good Theory
• Chapter 4 - Religion’s Contributions to the Common Good Through the Vista of Catholicism
• Chapter 5 - Creating a Politics of the Common Good: A Case Study of the Abortion Debate
• Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Index
• About the Author