The Many and the One

Religious and Secular Perspectives on Ethical Pluralism in the Modern World

Richard Madsen, Tracy B. Strong, Richard Madsen, Tracy B. Strong, Richard Madsen, Tracy Strong

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN:
  9780691099934
  9780691099927
• eBook ISBN:
  9781400825592
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Ethics & Moral Philosophy

The war on terrorism, say America's leaders, is a war of Good versus Evil. But in the minds of the perpetrators, the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington were presumably justified as ethically good acts against American evil. Is such polarization leading to a violent "clash of civilizations" or can differences between ethical systems be reconciled through rational dialogue? This book provides an extraordinary resource for thinking clearly about the diverse ways in which humans see good and evil. In nine essays and responses, leading thinkers ask how ethical pluralism can be understood by classical liberalism, liberal-egalitarianism, critical theory, feminism, natural law, Confucianism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.


Each essay addresses five questions: Is the ideal society ethically uniform or diverse? Should the state protect, ban, or otherwise intervene in ethically based differences? How should disagreements on the rights and duties of citizens be dealt with? Should the state regulate life-and-death decisions such as euthanasia? To what extent should conflicting views on sexual relationships be accommodated? This book shows that contentious questions can be discussed with both incisiveness and civility. The editors provide the introduction and Donald Moon, the conclusion. The contributors are Brian Barry, Joseph Boyle, Simone Chambers, Joseph Chan, Christine Di Stefano, Dale F. Eickelman, Menachem Fisch, William Galston, John Haldane, Chandran Kukathas, David Little, Muhammad Khalid Masud, Carole Pateman, William F. Scheuerman, Adam B. Seligman, James W. Skillen, James Tully, and Lee H. Yearley.

Table of contents

• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction:Three Forms of Ethical Pluralism
• PART I
• Liberal Egalitarian Attitudes towardEthical Plural
• Liberal Egalitarian Platitudes?
• PART I I
• Ethical Pluralism from a ClassicalLiberal Perspect
• Ethical Pluralism and Classical Liberalism
• PART I I I
• Natural Law and Ethical Pluralism
• Natural Law Reflections on the Social Management o
• PART IV
• Confucian Attitudes toward Ethical Pluralism
• Two Strands of Confucianism
• PART V
• Islam and Ethical Pluralism
• The Scope of Pluralism in Islamic Moral Traditions
• PART VI
• Ethical Diversity, Tolerance, and the Problem of S
• Jewish Responses to Modernity
• PART VII
• Conscientious Individualism A Christian Perspectiv
• Pluralism as a Matter of Principle
• PART V I I I
• Feminist Attitudes toward Ethical Pluralism
• Feminism and the Varieties of Ethical Pluralism
• PART IX
• Critical Theory and the Challenge ofEthical Plural
• Substantive and Procedural Dimensions of Critical
• PART X
• Pluralisms Compared
• Contributors