The Many And The One: Religious and Secular Perspectives on Ethical Pluralism in the Modern World

• Publisher:   Princeton University Press
• Number Of Pages:   382
• Publication Date:   2003-02-10
• ISBN-10 / ASIN:   0691099936
• ISBN-13 / EAN:   9780691099934

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.

The Many and the One is a useful contribution to the debate over
value pluralism versus value monism. It is a disappointment, however,
in that it neglects the two most important examples. Capitalism, with
its scalar utility (~money), REQUIRES value monism. If value monism
is wrong then capitalism is wrong and must be discontinued (or at
least substantially altered). The legal systems in all nations, on
the other hand, exhibit value pluralism; you can atone for some crimes
by paying a monetary fine whereas when you are found guilty of other
crimes you must pay with your life, or some fraction of it. Clearly,
in the legal systems no single common currency exists, utility is a
vector there. The clear contradiction within the capitalist world (between its
economic machinery and its legal system) is the sort of thing that
socialist thinkers have concerned themselves with for some time now.
It's too bad The Many and the One ignored this issue.

As with most essay collections, this book is about theme and variation. The theme is ethical pluralism; the variation is by 'worldview'. First, the theme. Ethical pluralism means a variety of different things. A.) it can mean that values are incommensurate and often irreducibly conflicting; B.) it can mean that within a particular 'worldview' there are a variety of different ways to live; C.) it can mean that there are many, and equally rational, vantage points from which to see the world and the issues therein. This collection - as a collection, not a unit - oscillates between the three meanings.

Now for the variations - ethical pluralism is discussed in these essays from a variety of different vantage points; each discussing how ethical pluralism permeates their philosophy or religion. Natural Law, Liberalism (classical and egalitarian), Islam, Confuscianism, Christianity, Judaism, Feminism and Critical Theory are the vantage points from which the essays are respectively written. For each worldview, there are two essays; the first, giving a philosophical and historical outline of pluralism within the particular worldview; the second, by another philosopher of that tradition who expands on on the first essay.

Overall, the collection was good, well thought-out, and informative. Occasionally it got a bit repititious (as essay collections on a specific theme tend to do). While some of the essays (those on natural law, liberalism, Judaism, and Christianity) were written on how these philosophies deal with societal pluralism in general, many of the others (Islam, feminism, Confuscianism) seemed only to tout pluralism by suggesting that WITHIN THEIR GROUP there are slight variations of adherents, thus, they are pluralistic. Personally, I like the first approach better.

Still, there is a wealth of information in this book. Even the worst of the essays were informative and all were written in a very cordial and non-abrasive manner that attempts to explain, not convince or convert. Many traditions to explore and all seem to have much to say.

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