Relativism and religion
Subtitle: why democratic societies do not need moral absolutes
By: Carlo Invernizzi Accetti
Series: Religion, culture, and public life; Religion, culture, and public life
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 2015
Language: eng
Number of pages: 275
ISBN-13: 9780231170789
Subjects: Moral and ethical aspects; Relativity; Political theology; Democracy; Catholic Church
Description: Moral relativism is deeply troubling for those who believe that, without a set of moral absolutes, democratic societies will devolve into tyranny or totalitarianism. Engaging directly with this claim, Carlo Accetti traces the roots of contemporary anti-relativist fears to the antimodern rhetoric of the Catholic Church, and then rescues a form of philosophical relativism for modern, pluralist societies, arguing that this standpoint provides the firmest foundation for an allegiance to democracy. In its dual analysis of the relationship between religion and politics and the implications of philosophical relativism for democratic theory, this book makes a far-ranging contribution to contemporary debates over the revival of religion in politics and the conceptual grounds for a commitment to democracy.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: The discourse of anti-relativism in the political thought of the Catholic Church; title: Elements for a public critique of the Catholic discourse of anti-relativism; title: Rationalism: between relativism and religion; title: Defense of a relativist conception of democracy.