Ethical Challenges of Authority in a Pluralistic Society

Ethical Challenges of Authority in a Pluralistic Society
Author: Josephat Okanumee Nwankwo
Publisher: Peter Lang Publishing
Total Pages: 220
Release: 1998
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

Pluralism is more than difference in behavioral patterns. It is a fundamental difference in worldviews, and Nigeria typifies it. It implies that autonomous individuals within a societal continuum do not constitute an integral amalgamation of a body-politic. A multi-cultural, multi-religious, multi-ethnic and multi-lingual blend, Nigeria serves as a good laboratory for pluralist test. What Nigeria needs is authority in order to articulate these plural and conflicting world-views into a reasonable discourse or committed dialogue. It is then the challenge of authority in Nigeria to reconcile the apparent incompatibilities within the multiple groups into a reasonable consensus. Plagued with the pathological equivocations of human rights, incessant military coups and counter-coups, vicious ethnic discrimination and lack of regard for meritocracy, Nigeria stands as a classical example of a leaderless society. Derided by foes as a political patchwork, and portrayed by friends as a potential volcano, all that Nigeria needs is authority that can articulate her numerous but diversified potentials into a catalyst for human development. No sustainable political or social foundations could be laid in the absence of this desideratum.

Towards an Ethics of Community

Towards an Ethics of Community
Author: James Olthuis
Publisher: Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2000-02-25
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0889203393

How do we deal with difference personally, interpersonally, nationally? Can we weave a cohesive social fabric in a religiously plural society without suppressing differences? This collection of significant essays suggests that to truly honour differences in matters of faith and religion we must publicly exercise and celebrate them. The secular/sacred, public/private divisions long considered sacred in the West need to be dismantled if Canada (or any nation state) is to develop a genuine mosaic that embraces fundamental differences instead of a melting pot that marginalizes. An ethics of difference starts with a recognition of difference, not as deviance or deficit that threatens but as otherness to connect with, cherish, and celebrate. The book begins with the suggestion that our inability to come to terms with social plurality is not fundamentally the fault of religious differences, and that a public/private split inadequately deals with matters of basic difference. It then explores how encouraging people to live out their respective faiths may open new possibilities for respectful, honourable, and just negotiations of contemporary dilemmas arising out of the multicultural fabric of Canadian life. Towards an Ethics of Community introduces readers to some of the most challenging and divisive dilemmas we face in this increasingly pluralistic, postmodern world — issues such as family and domestic violence, Aboriginal rights, homosexuality and public policy, and female genital mutilation. This is a book truly global in scope and significance.

Towards an Ethics of Community

Towards an Ethics of Community
Author: James Olthuis
Publisher: Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2006-01-01
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0889206600

How do we deal with difference personally, interpersonally, nationally? Can we weave a cohesive social fabric in a religiously plural society without suppressing differences? This collection of significant essays suggests that to truly honour differences in matters of faith and religion we must publicly exercise and celebrate them. The secular/sacred, public/private divisions long considered sacred in the West need to be dismantled if Canada (or any nation state) is to develop a genuine mosaic that embraces fundamental differences instead of a melting pot that marginalizes. An ethics of difference starts with a recognition of difference, not as deviance or deficit that threatens but as otherness to connect with, cherish, and celebrate. The book begins with the suggestion that our inability to come to terms with social plurality is not fundamentally the fault of religious differences, and that a public/private split inadequately deals with matters of basic difference. It then explores how encouraging people to live out their respective faiths may open new possibilities for respectful, honourable, and just negotiations of contemporary dilemmas arising out of the multicultural fabric of Canadian life. Towards an Ethics of Community introduces readers to some of the most challenging and divisive dilemmas we face in this increasingly pluralistic, postmodern world — issues such as family and domestic violence, Aboriginal rights, homosexuality and public policy, and female genital mutilation. This is a book truly global in scope and significance.

The Challenge of Pluralism

The Challenge of Pluralism
Author: F. Clark Power
Publisher: Notre Dame, Ind. : University of Notre Dame Press
Total Pages: 296
Release: 1992
Genre: Education
ISBN:

The politics of pluralism has long been an intractable characteristic of American public education. Today, perhaps more so than ever, educators grapple with an awareness of the fact that liberal societies cannot promote a particular vision of the moral life and still respect and uphold the multi-cultural values of a pluralistic society. The Challenge of Pluralism examines the problematic issue of the role of moral education in a pluralistic society. The book takes an interdisciplinary focus, and contributors include well-known experts in such fields as psychology, educational policy studies, history of education, political history, curriculum, philosophy of education, theology, and gender studies. The essays delve into the myriad reasons for the moral education controversy and examine how the contemporary debate over the place of moral education in a pluralist society takes place within the larger context of the current arguments over the quality of American education. In addition to a historical examination of the values-pluralism issue, the volume offers critiques of specific educational regimens as they address the problem of moral education. This volume offers relevant, pertinent discussions that will benefit professional educators, social scientists, and any individual concerned about the quality of American education and its ability to provide adequate moral and values education. Contributors: Walter Nicgorski, Michael W. Apple, Rev. Michael Himes, Dwight Boyd, Ronnie A. F. Blakeney, Charles D. Blakeney, Daniel K. Lapsley, William Reese, Michael R. Olneck, Ann Diller, James W. Fowler, and F. Clark Power.

Love and Power

Love and Power
Author: Michael J. Perry
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 229
Release: 1991-10-17
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0198023308

In this sequel to his Morality, Politics, and Law, Michael Perry addresses the proper relation of moral convictions to the politics of a morally pluralistic society. While his analysis focuses on religious morality, Perry's argument applies to morality generally. Contending that no justification of a contested political choice can be neutral among competing conceptions of human good, the author develops an ideal of "ecumenical politics" in which moral convictions about human good can be brought to bear in a productive way in political argument.

Civil Disagreement

Civil Disagreement
Author: Edward Langerak
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
Total Pages: 181
Release: 2014-03-11
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1626160341

How can we agree to disagree in today’s pluralistic society, one in which individuals and groups are becoming increasingly polarized by fierce convictions that are often at odds with the ideas of others? Civil Disagreement: Personal Integrity in a Pluralistic Society shows how we can cope with diversity and be appropriately open toward opponents even while staying true to our convictions. This accessible and useful guide discusses how our conversations and arguments can respect differences and maintain personal integrity and civility even while taking stances on disputed issues. The author examines an array of illustrative cases, such as debates over slavery, gay marriage, compulsory education for the Amish, and others, providing helpful insights on how to take firm stands without denigrating opponents. The author proposes an approach called “perspective pluralism” that honors the integrity of various viewpoints while avoiding the implication that all reasonable views are equally acceptable or true. Civil Disagreement offers a concise yet comprehensive guide for students and scholars of philosophical or religious ethics, political or social philosophy, and political science, as well as general readers who are concerned about the polarization that often seems to paralyze national and international politics.

Moral Universalism and Pluralism

Moral Universalism and Pluralism
Author: Melissa S. Williams
Publisher: NYU Press
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2008-10-01
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0814777201

Moral universalism, or the idea that some system of ethics applies to all people regardless of race, color, nationality, religion, or culture, must have a plurality over which to range — a plurality of diverse persons, nations, jurisdictions, or localities over which morality asserts a universal authority. The contributors to Moral Universalism and Pluralism, the latest volume in the NOMOS series, investigate the idea that, far from denying the existence of such pluralities, moral universalism presupposes it. At the same time, the search for universally valid principles of morality is deeply challenged by diversity. The fact of pluralism presses us to explore how universalist principles interact with ethical, political, and social particularisms. These important essays refuse the answer that particularisms should simply be made to conform to universal principles, as if morality were a mold into which the diverse matter of human society and culture could be pressed. Rather, the authors bring philosophical, legal and political perspectives to bear on the core questions: Which forms of pluralism are conceptually compatible with moral universalism, and which ones can be accommodated in a politically stable way? Can pluralism generate innovations in understandings of moral duty? How is convergence on the validity of legal and moral authority possible in circumstances of pluralism? As the contributors to the book demonstrate in a wide variety of ways, these normative, conceptual, and political questions deeply intertwine. Contributors: Kenneth Baynes, William A. Galston, Barbara Herman, F. M. Kamm, Benedict Kingsbury, Frank I. Michelman, William E. Scheuerman, Gopal Sreenivasan, Daniel Weinstock, and Robin West.