Matthias Gockel
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199203222
- eISBN:
- 9780191707711
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199203222.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
The book argues that the doctrine of election in Karl Barth's early theology shows a striking resemblance to the position of Friedrich Schleiermacher, and that his later christological revision of ...
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The book argues that the doctrine of election in Karl Barth's early theology shows a striking resemblance to the position of Friedrich Schleiermacher, and that his later christological revision of the doctrine overcomes the limitations of his earlier ‘Schleiermacherian’ position. Initially, both agree that predestination is not a pre‐temporal decision by which God has decreed once and for all who will believe and who will not believe. Instead, the outcome of the divine decision is determined when God addresses a human being here and now. Schleiermacher's concept of a single divine decree is consistent with Barth's assertion that God addresses every person in the same way, but the responses to the address are diverse. Their doctrine of election is theocentric and envisions a teleological relation between reprobation and election, in which the former always serves the purpose of the latter, without an endorsement of universalism. Whereas Schleiermacher rejects the concept of double predestination, Barth modifies it twice. In Church Dogmatics II/2 it refers no longer to the twofold possibility of faith and unbelief but to the double determination of individual human beings and God's own being. It explains that God sees every human being and also Himself in Christ.Less
The book argues that the doctrine of election in Karl Barth's early theology shows a striking resemblance to the position of Friedrich Schleiermacher, and that his later christological revision of the doctrine overcomes the limitations of his earlier ‘Schleiermacherian’ position. Initially, both agree that predestination is not a pre‐temporal decision by which God has decreed once and for all who will believe and who will not believe. Instead, the outcome of the divine decision is determined when God addresses a human being here and now. Schleiermacher's concept of a single divine decree is consistent with Barth's assertion that God addresses every person in the same way, but the responses to the address are diverse. Their doctrine of election is theocentric and envisions a teleological relation between reprobation and election, in which the former always serves the purpose of the latter, without an endorsement of universalism. Whereas Schleiermacher rejects the concept of double predestination, Barth modifies it twice. In Church Dogmatics II/2 it refers no longer to the twofold possibility of faith and unbelief but to the double determination of individual human beings and God's own being. It explains that God sees every human being and also Himself in Christ.
Simon Caney
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780198293507
- eISBN:
- 9780191602337
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019829350X.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
Any global political theory must start by asking whether there are in fact universal moral values, and this chapter addresses precisely this question. Section I engages in a conceptual analysis of ...
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Any global political theory must start by asking whether there are in fact universal moral values, and this chapter addresses precisely this question. Section I engages in a conceptual analysis of the terms ‘moral universalism’ and ‘cultural relativism’. Sections II–V then critically examine four arguments for moral universalism, finding three unpersuasive and one (the ‘General Argument for Moral Universalism’) more promising. Sections VI–XIV analyse nine challenges to moral universalism that argue for cultural relativism; none of these, it is argued, is persuasive, since some rest on implausible assumptions or misconceive the nature of universalism, while others, on closer inspection, have claimed that they rest on moral universalism. Section XV summarizes the overall case made for moral universalism.Less
Any global political theory must start by asking whether there are in fact universal moral values, and this chapter addresses precisely this question. Section I engages in a conceptual analysis of the terms ‘moral universalism’ and ‘cultural relativism’. Sections II–V then critically examine four arguments for moral universalism, finding three unpersuasive and one (the ‘General Argument for Moral Universalism’) more promising. Sections VI–XIV analyse nine challenges to moral universalism that argue for cultural relativism; none of these, it is argued, is persuasive, since some rest on implausible assumptions or misconceive the nature of universalism, while others, on closer inspection, have claimed that they rest on moral universalism. Section XV summarizes the overall case made for moral universalism.
Simon Caney
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780198293507
- eISBN:
- 9780191602337
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019829350X.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
Describes the aims, approaches, and structure of the book. The basic issue addressed is the political principles that should govern global politics, and to analyse this the book posits six sets of ...
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Describes the aims, approaches, and structure of the book. The basic issue addressed is the political principles that should govern global politics, and to analyse this the book posits six sets of questions, each of which is addressed in separate chapters that separately examine (moral) universalism, civil and political justice, distributive justice, political structures, just war, and humanitarian intervention. The author makes four points: that his concern is with political philosophy; that he refers to global rather than international political theory; that he examines global political theory rather than global ethics; and that he distinguishes three levels at which global political theory may operate—its relation to domestic political theory, the principles and institutions involved, and the application of these principles to specific issues. He also identifies the aims of the book, which are: to provide a defence of what is commonly termed a cosmopolitan political morality; to explore in depth and evaluate competing philosophical perspectives on these issues; and to emphasize that the topics examined in the book are very closely intertwined and cannot be engaged satisfactorily in isolation from one another. The four competing approaches that may be taken to global political theory (cosmopolitanism, realism, the ‘society of states’, and nationalism) are outlined in turn in order to provide a framework within which the six questions posited in the book are examined, and to stake out and defend the cosmopolitan approach taken.Less
Describes the aims, approaches, and structure of the book. The basic issue addressed is the political principles that should govern global politics, and to analyse this the book posits six sets of questions, each of which is addressed in separate chapters that separately examine (moral) universalism, civil and political justice, distributive justice, political structures, just war, and humanitarian intervention. The author makes four points: that his concern is with political philosophy; that he refers to global rather than international political theory; that he examines global political theory rather than global ethics; and that he distinguishes three levels at which global political theory may operate—its relation to domestic political theory, the principles and institutions involved, and the application of these principles to specific issues. He also identifies the aims of the book, which are: to provide a defence of what is commonly termed a cosmopolitan political morality; to explore in depth and evaluate competing philosophical perspectives on these issues; and to emphasize that the topics examined in the book are very closely intertwined and cannot be engaged satisfactorily in isolation from one another. The four competing approaches that may be taken to global political theory (cosmopolitanism, realism, the ‘society of states’, and nationalism) are outlined in turn in order to provide a framework within which the six questions posited in the book are examined, and to stake out and defend the cosmopolitan approach taken.
Charles Jones
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199242221
- eISBN:
- 9780191697067
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199242221.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
What obligations do the world's wealthy people have to ensure that the world's poor achieve a quality of life that is recognisably human? This is the fundamental question of international ...
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What obligations do the world's wealthy people have to ensure that the world's poor achieve a quality of life that is recognisably human? This is the fundamental question of international distributive justice, and surprisingly a question that has been the subject of serious debate only in the past three decades. This book outlines and evaluates the main competing moral perspectives framing these debates, assessing the relative merits of the utilitarian, human rights, and neo-Kantian perspectives before answering the nationalist, patriotic, relativist, and constitutivist challenges to moral universalism. The book defends a form of cosmopolitanism involving a commitment to basic human rights, and provides both a guide to the state of the art in disputes about global justice, and a distinctive defense of the moral case for change in the international system.Less
What obligations do the world's wealthy people have to ensure that the world's poor achieve a quality of life that is recognisably human? This is the fundamental question of international distributive justice, and surprisingly a question that has been the subject of serious debate only in the past three decades. This book outlines and evaluates the main competing moral perspectives framing these debates, assessing the relative merits of the utilitarian, human rights, and neo-Kantian perspectives before answering the nationalist, patriotic, relativist, and constitutivist challenges to moral universalism. The book defends a form of cosmopolitanism involving a commitment to basic human rights, and provides both a guide to the state of the art in disputes about global justice, and a distinctive defense of the moral case for change in the international system.
Maurizio Ferrara
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199284665
- eISBN:
- 9780191603273
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199284660.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Economy
This chapter traces the historical origins and early developments of European welfare states up to the Second World War in terms of external and internal boundary building. It highlights the role of ...
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This chapter traces the historical origins and early developments of European welfare states up to the Second World War in terms of external and internal boundary building. It highlights the role of cleavage and centre periphery structures in moulding institutional choices, in particular, the choice between a universal and an occupational approach to social insurance — the former prevailing in the Anglo-Saxon and Nordic countries, and the latter prevailing in Continental and South European countries.Less
This chapter traces the historical origins and early developments of European welfare states up to the Second World War in terms of external and internal boundary building. It highlights the role of cleavage and centre periphery structures in moulding institutional choices, in particular, the choice between a universal and an occupational approach to social insurance — the former prevailing in the Anglo-Saxon and Nordic countries, and the latter prevailing in Continental and South European countries.
David B. Wong
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195305395
- eISBN:
- 9780199786657
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195305396.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
To be called a relativist, especially a moral relativist, is to be condemned as someone who holds that “anything goes”. Frequently the term is part of a dichotomy: either accept relativism or accept ...
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To be called a relativist, especially a moral relativist, is to be condemned as someone who holds that “anything goes”. Frequently the term is part of a dichotomy: either accept relativism or accept universalism: the view that only one true morality exists. This book defends a new version of relativism that is both an alternative to, and fits between, universalism and relativism as usually defined. Pluralistic relativism does accord with one aspect of relativism as usually defined: there is no single true morality. Beyond that, it is argued that there can be a plurality of true moralities, moralities that exist across different traditions and cultures, all of which address facets of the same problem: how we are to live well together. A comparative and naturalistic approach is applied to the understanding of moralities, with discussion of a wide array of positions and texts within the Western canon as well as in Chinese philosophy, and drawing on not only philosophy, but also psychology, evolutionary theory, history, and literature in making a case for the importance of pluralism in moral life and in establishing the virtues of acceptance and accommodation. A central theme is that there is no single value or principle or ordering of values and principles that offers a uniquely true path for human living, but variations according to different contexts that carry within them a common core of human values. We should thus be modest about our own morality, learn from other approaches, and accommodate different practices in our pluralistic society.Less
To be called a relativist, especially a moral relativist, is to be condemned as someone who holds that “anything goes”. Frequently the term is part of a dichotomy: either accept relativism or accept universalism: the view that only one true morality exists. This book defends a new version of relativism that is both an alternative to, and fits between, universalism and relativism as usually defined. Pluralistic relativism does accord with one aspect of relativism as usually defined: there is no single true morality. Beyond that, it is argued that there can be a plurality of true moralities, moralities that exist across different traditions and cultures, all of which address facets of the same problem: how we are to live well together. A comparative and naturalistic approach is applied to the understanding of moralities, with discussion of a wide array of positions and texts within the Western canon as well as in Chinese philosophy, and drawing on not only philosophy, but also psychology, evolutionary theory, history, and literature in making a case for the importance of pluralism in moral life and in establishing the virtues of acceptance and accommodation. A central theme is that there is no single value or principle or ordering of values and principles that offers a uniquely true path for human living, but variations according to different contexts that carry within them a common core of human values. We should thus be modest about our own morality, learn from other approaches, and accommodate different practices in our pluralistic society.
Aaron P. Johnson
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199296132
- eISBN:
- 9780191712302
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199296132.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
Christianity, for Eusebius, finds legitimation over against the other nations as the restored Hebrew nation. This chapter identifies passages that offer ethnographical sketches of the results of ...
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Christianity, for Eusebius, finds legitimation over against the other nations as the restored Hebrew nation. This chapter identifies passages that offer ethnographical sketches of the results of Christianity’s spread throughout all nations (‘Persians no longer sleep with their mothers nor Scythians practice cannibalism, as was their ancestral custom,’ etc.). The chapter shows that Eusebius simultaneously blends universalism (people from any nation may join this restored Hebrew nation) and particularism (conversion involves the total rejection of one’s ancestral ethnic customs for a new way of life) through his ethnographical rhetoric.Less
Christianity, for Eusebius, finds legitimation over against the other nations as the restored Hebrew nation. This chapter identifies passages that offer ethnographical sketches of the results of Christianity’s spread throughout all nations (‘Persians no longer sleep with their mothers nor Scythians practice cannibalism, as was their ancestral custom,’ etc.). The chapter shows that Eusebius simultaneously blends universalism (people from any nation may join this restored Hebrew nation) and particularism (conversion involves the total rejection of one’s ancestral ethnic customs for a new way of life) through his ethnographical rhetoric.
Christian Joppke and Steven Lukes (eds)
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198296102
- eISBN:
- 9780191599583
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019829610X.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
The acceptance and accommodation of multiculturalism is now widely practised in liberal democratic states. That a legitimate liberal state must now adopt policies intended to integrate and respect ...
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The acceptance and accommodation of multiculturalism is now widely practised in liberal democratic states. That a legitimate liberal state must now adopt policies intended to integrate and respect its minorities is no longer a controversial claim. But, according to the editors of Multicultural Questions, it is now important to question some of the main tenets of multicultural theory and practice; this questioning is the objective of the contributors to this volume. The volume is structured around four ‘multicultural questions’, about which there is substantial debate, even given the authors’ general acceptance of the legitimacy of (certain) minority rights claims. These questions are (1) is universalism ethnocentric? (2) does multiculturalism threaten citizenship? (3) Do minorities require group rights? and (4) What can Europe learn from North America?Less
The acceptance and accommodation of multiculturalism is now widely practised in liberal democratic states. That a legitimate liberal state must now adopt policies intended to integrate and respect its minorities is no longer a controversial claim. But, according to the editors of Multicultural Questions, it is now important to question some of the main tenets of multicultural theory and practice; this questioning is the objective of the contributors to this volume. The volume is structured around four ‘multicultural questions’, about which there is substantial debate, even given the authors’ general acceptance of the legitimacy of (certain) minority rights claims. These questions are (1) is universalism ethnocentric? (2) does multiculturalism threaten citizenship? (3) Do minorities require group rights? and (4) What can Europe learn from North America?
Simon Caney
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780198293507
- eISBN:
- 9780191602337
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019829350X.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
Having argued, in Ch. 2, that there are universal moral values, the next logical step is to ask what these universal moral values are; this question is pursued in Chs 3 and 4, which consider ...
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Having argued, in Ch. 2, that there are universal moral values, the next logical step is to ask what these universal moral values are; this question is pursued in Chs 3 and 4, which consider arguments for two different types of universal value and link together to provide an analysis of what universal principles of justice should apply at the global level. This chapter examines claims that there are universal principles of civil and political justice, that is, those principles that specify what rights people have to what freedoms, and argues for universal human rights to certain civil and political liberties. It is arranged in 13 sections: Section I presents an analysis of human rights, since this term plays a central and important role in a plausible account of civil and political justice; Section II puts forward a general thesis about justifications for civil and political human rights; this is followed, in Sections III–VII, by an analysis of four cosmopolitan arguments for human rights that criticizes three of them but defends the fourth; Section VIII considers an alternative non-cosmopolitan approach to defending civil and political human rights, presented by John Rawls in The Law of Peoples (1999b); the next three sections (IX–XI) of the chapter explore misgivings about civil and political human rights, including the objections that such human rights are a species of imperialism and do not accord sufficient respect to cultural practices (IX), produce homogeneity/uniformity (X), and generate egoism/individualism and destroy community (XI); Section XII considers a further objection—the realist charges that foreign policy to protect civil and political human rights is in practice selective and partial and a cloak for the pursuit of the national interest. Section XIII summarizes the overall case made for civil and political justice.Less
Having argued, in Ch. 2, that there are universal moral values, the next logical step is to ask what these universal moral values are; this question is pursued in Chs 3 and 4, which consider arguments for two different types of universal value and link together to provide an analysis of what universal principles of justice should apply at the global level. This chapter examines claims that there are universal principles of civil and political justice, that is, those principles that specify what rights people have to what freedoms, and argues for universal human rights to certain civil and political liberties. It is arranged in 13 sections: Section I presents an analysis of human rights, since this term plays a central and important role in a plausible account of civil and political justice; Section II puts forward a general thesis about justifications for civil and political human rights; this is followed, in Sections III–VII, by an analysis of four cosmopolitan arguments for human rights that criticizes three of them but defends the fourth; Section VIII considers an alternative non-cosmopolitan approach to defending civil and political human rights, presented by John Rawls in The Law of Peoples (1999b); the next three sections (IX–XI) of the chapter explore misgivings about civil and political human rights, including the objections that such human rights are a species of imperialism and do not accord sufficient respect to cultural practices (IX), produce homogeneity/uniformity (X), and generate egoism/individualism and destroy community (XI); Section XII considers a further objection—the realist charges that foreign policy to protect civil and political human rights is in practice selective and partial and a cloak for the pursuit of the national interest. Section XIII summarizes the overall case made for civil and political justice.
Simon Caney
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780198293507
- eISBN:
- 9780191602337
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019829350X.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
Having argued, in Ch. 2, that there are universal moral values, the next logical step is to ask what these universal moral values are; this question is pursued in Chs 3 and 4, which consider ...
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Having argued, in Ch. 2, that there are universal moral values, the next logical step is to ask what these universal moral values are; this question is pursued in Chs 3 and 4, which consider arguments for two different types of universal value and link together to provide an analysis of what universal principles of justice should apply at the global level. This chapter examines what universal principles of distributive justice (if any) should be adopted. It is arranged in 14 sections: Section I presents a conceptual analysis of the nature of distributive justice; Section II makes some preliminary points about the nature of cosmopolitan accounts of distributive justice and the general nature of the reasoning underlying these; Sections III–V then analyse three types of arguments for cosmopolitan principles of distributive justice, and Section VI reflects on these, and suggests and defends four principles of cosmopolitan distributive justice; Sections VII–VIII consider objections (counter-arguments) to cosmopolitan concepts of distributive justice, some of them outlined by John Rawls in his account of international justice and others by nationalist political thinkers such as David Miller; Sections IX–XI examine three nationalist claims about the nature of distributive justice, all of which emphasize the moral relevance of persons’ membership in nations, while Sections XII–XIII investigate two realist claims (XII–XIII). Section XIV sums up the findings of the chapter.Less
Having argued, in Ch. 2, that there are universal moral values, the next logical step is to ask what these universal moral values are; this question is pursued in Chs 3 and 4, which consider arguments for two different types of universal value and link together to provide an analysis of what universal principles of justice should apply at the global level. This chapter examines what universal principles of distributive justice (if any) should be adopted. It is arranged in 14 sections: Section I presents a conceptual analysis of the nature of distributive justice; Section II makes some preliminary points about the nature of cosmopolitan accounts of distributive justice and the general nature of the reasoning underlying these; Sections III–V then analyse three types of arguments for cosmopolitan principles of distributive justice, and Section VI reflects on these, and suggests and defends four principles of cosmopolitan distributive justice; Sections VII–VIII consider objections (counter-arguments) to cosmopolitan concepts of distributive justice, some of them outlined by John Rawls in his account of international justice and others by nationalist political thinkers such as David Miller; Sections IX–XI examine three nationalist claims about the nature of distributive justice, all of which emphasize the moral relevance of persons’ membership in nations, while Sections XII–XIII investigate two realist claims (XII–XIII). Section XIV sums up the findings of the chapter.
Maxine Molyneux and Shahra Razavi (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199256457
- eISBN:
- 9780191601989
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199256454.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
This book features a collection of empirical and theoretical studies on developments in women’s rights in the 1990s. It is divided into four parts. Part I focuses on the different aspects of ...
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This book features a collection of empirical and theoretical studies on developments in women’s rights in the 1990s. It is divided into four parts. Part I focuses on the different aspects of liberalism and the challenges to its neo-liberal or contractarian form. Part II examines the gender implications of the tensions between orthodox macroeconomic agendas, social rights, and welfare delivery. Part III centres on the place of women’s movements in states and social movements that claim democracy as a legitimising principle. Part IV studies the conflicts between universalism and multiculturalism.Less
This book features a collection of empirical and theoretical studies on developments in women’s rights in the 1990s. It is divided into four parts. Part I focuses on the different aspects of liberalism and the challenges to its neo-liberal or contractarian form. Part II examines the gender implications of the tensions between orthodox macroeconomic agendas, social rights, and welfare delivery. Part III centres on the place of women’s movements in states and social movements that claim democracy as a legitimising principle. Part IV studies the conflicts between universalism and multiculturalism.
Robert Audi
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195312942
- eISBN:
- 9780199851188
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195312942.003.0005
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
Four kinds of ethical view have appeared and reappeared in this book. The first is virtue ethics, which counsels people to concentrate on realizing the good throughout our lives. The second and third ...
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Four kinds of ethical view have appeared and reappeared in this book. The first is virtue ethics, which counsels people to concentrate on realizing the good throughout our lives. The second and third categories comprise Kantian and intuitionist views. These tell people to concentrate on the quality of acts, though they also take motives into account. The Kantian ethic is a master principle view, whereas intuitionist views affirm a plurality of basic moral principles. The fourth category, utilitarian theories, tells people to maximize the good. The pluralist universalism presented here, which integrates Kantian, utilitarian, intuitionist, and other elements, stresses three variables: character, type of action, and overall consequences for happiness.Less
Four kinds of ethical view have appeared and reappeared in this book. The first is virtue ethics, which counsels people to concentrate on realizing the good throughout our lives. The second and third categories comprise Kantian and intuitionist views. These tell people to concentrate on the quality of acts, though they also take motives into account. The Kantian ethic is a master principle view, whereas intuitionist views affirm a plurality of basic moral principles. The fourth category, utilitarian theories, tells people to maximize the good. The pluralist universalism presented here, which integrates Kantian, utilitarian, intuitionist, and other elements, stresses three variables: character, type of action, and overall consequences for happiness.
David B. Wong
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195305395
- eISBN:
- 9780199786657
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195305396.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
The case for pluralistic relativism begins with discussing a discomforting kind of moral disagreement that gives rise to moral ambivalence: this is not simply disagreement in which both sides run out ...
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The case for pluralistic relativism begins with discussing a discomforting kind of moral disagreement that gives rise to moral ambivalence: this is not simply disagreement in which both sides run out of reasons that are persuasive to the other, but is also a disagreement in which coming to understand the other side brings along an appreciation of its reasons. The root of moral ambivalence is the existence of plural and irreducible moral values (e.g., special duties to particular people and groups, rights, utility, perfectionist ends or values, commitment to one’s own projects and undertakings, and attunement to the world) and our coming to understand how others could have made choices different from the ones we make in the face of conflicts among these values. Moral ambivalence poses difficulties for universalism. A case in point is ambivalence in the face of conflict between personal values (special duties, commitment to one’s own projects) and impersonal values (rights possessed by everyone, utility).Less
The case for pluralistic relativism begins with discussing a discomforting kind of moral disagreement that gives rise to moral ambivalence: this is not simply disagreement in which both sides run out of reasons that are persuasive to the other, but is also a disagreement in which coming to understand the other side brings along an appreciation of its reasons. The root of moral ambivalence is the existence of plural and irreducible moral values (e.g., special duties to particular people and groups, rights, utility, perfectionist ends or values, commitment to one’s own projects and undertakings, and attunement to the world) and our coming to understand how others could have made choices different from the ones we make in the face of conflicts among these values. Moral ambivalence poses difficulties for universalism. A case in point is ambivalence in the face of conflict between personal values (special duties, commitment to one’s own projects) and impersonal values (rights possessed by everyone, utility).
Terryl C. Givens
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195167115
- eISBN:
- 9780199785599
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195167115.003.0020
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Ultimately, the challenge of Mormon culture is to assert individualism without elitism, and to embrace universalism without compromise. Mormonism must ultimately represent the best of what is human. ...
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Ultimately, the challenge of Mormon culture is to assert individualism without elitism, and to embrace universalism without compromise. Mormonism must ultimately represent the best of what is human. The question is: how can a Mormon aesthetic capture be both particular and universal, capturing the essence of Mormonism while reaching for transcendence?Less
Ultimately, the challenge of Mormon culture is to assert individualism without elitism, and to embrace universalism without compromise. Mormonism must ultimately represent the best of what is human. The question is: how can a Mormon aesthetic capture be both particular and universal, capturing the essence of Mormonism while reaching for transcendence?
Mark S.M. Scott
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199841141
- eISBN:
- 9780199949809
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199841141.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This book explores Origen of Alexandria's creative, complex, and controversial treatment of the problem of evil. It argues that his layered cosmology functions as a theodicy that discerns deeper ...
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This book explores Origen of Alexandria's creative, complex, and controversial treatment of the problem of evil. It argues that his layered cosmology functions as a theodicy that discerns deeper meaning beneath the apparent injustices of the world. Origen asks: why does God permit cosmic disparity, that is, why do some suffer more than others? On the surface, the unfair arrangement of the world defies theological coherence. To defend God against the charge of injustice, Origen develops a theological cosmology that explains the ontological status and origin of evil, as well as its cosmic implications. It also interprets suffering as a stepping-stone to the soul's ascent to God. Origen's theodicy hinges on the journey of the soul back to God. Its themes correlate with the soul's creation, fall, and descent into materiality, gradual purification, and eventual divinization. He sees the world as a schoolroom or hospital for the soul where it undergoes the necessary education and purgation. Origen carefully calibrates his cosmology and theology. He portrays God as a compassionate and judicious Teacher, Physician, and Father who employs suffering for our amelioration. The book frames the systematic study of Origen's theodicy within a broader theory of theodicy as navigation, that is, as the dynamic process whereby we integrate our observations and experiences of suffering within our religious worldviews. Moreover, it unites the logical and spiritual facets of his theodicy. It also situates his theodicy in its third-century historical, theological, and philosophical context and corrects the imbalanced perspectives on Origen that pervade scholarship. Furthermore, the study clarifies his ambiguous position on universalism and its place in his theodicy. Last, it demonstrates the contemporary relevance of his approach, which confronts the perennial questions of theodicy with a bold, constructive, optimistic vision.Less
This book explores Origen of Alexandria's creative, complex, and controversial treatment of the problem of evil. It argues that his layered cosmology functions as a theodicy that discerns deeper meaning beneath the apparent injustices of the world. Origen asks: why does God permit cosmic disparity, that is, why do some suffer more than others? On the surface, the unfair arrangement of the world defies theological coherence. To defend God against the charge of injustice, Origen develops a theological cosmology that explains the ontological status and origin of evil, as well as its cosmic implications. It also interprets suffering as a stepping-stone to the soul's ascent to God. Origen's theodicy hinges on the journey of the soul back to God. Its themes correlate with the soul's creation, fall, and descent into materiality, gradual purification, and eventual divinization. He sees the world as a schoolroom or hospital for the soul where it undergoes the necessary education and purgation. Origen carefully calibrates his cosmology and theology. He portrays God as a compassionate and judicious Teacher, Physician, and Father who employs suffering for our amelioration. The book frames the systematic study of Origen's theodicy within a broader theory of theodicy as navigation, that is, as the dynamic process whereby we integrate our observations and experiences of suffering within our religious worldviews. Moreover, it unites the logical and spiritual facets of his theodicy. It also situates his theodicy in its third-century historical, theological, and philosophical context and corrects the imbalanced perspectives on Origen that pervade scholarship. Furthermore, the study clarifies his ambiguous position on universalism and its place in his theodicy. Last, it demonstrates the contemporary relevance of his approach, which confronts the perennial questions of theodicy with a bold, constructive, optimistic vision.
J. Ann Tickner
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198294719
- eISBN:
- 9780191599361
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198294719.003.0018
- Subject:
- Political Science, Reference
Questions the optimism for international relations cited in the 1975 Handbook of Political Science. Unprecedented global change has divided international relations, and optimism for consensus has ...
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Questions the optimism for international relations cited in the 1975 Handbook of Political Science. Unprecedented global change has divided international relations, and optimism for consensus has eroded. Through a diversity of viewpoints, feminism provides optimism for the broadening of theory and of empirical base. Using a post‐positivist methodology, feminism challenges ethnocentrism and state‐centrism, and rejects universalism and claims of objectivity. Feminism's appreciation of difference provides realistic optimism for the future of international relations.Less
Questions the optimism for international relations cited in the 1975 Handbook of Political Science. Unprecedented global change has divided international relations, and optimism for consensus has eroded. Through a diversity of viewpoints, feminism provides optimism for the broadening of theory and of empirical base. Using a post‐positivist methodology, feminism challenges ethnocentrism and state‐centrism, and rejects universalism and claims of objectivity. Feminism's appreciation of difference provides realistic optimism for the future of international relations.
Anne Phillips
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199256457
- eISBN:
- 9780191601989
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199256454.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
This chapter explores the theory that liberal universalism “erases difference” in regards to women and other cultures, and considers the conflict and agreement between feminist and multicultural ...
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This chapter explores the theory that liberal universalism “erases difference” in regards to women and other cultures, and considers the conflict and agreement between feminist and multicultural agendas. It identifies a “close family relationship” between the two opposing ideas of feminism and multiculturalism. Both share a critique of universalism for falsely generalizing one sex or one culture, both address oppressions that have a common structure, and tackle issues of inequality.Less
This chapter explores the theory that liberal universalism “erases difference” in regards to women and other cultures, and considers the conflict and agreement between feminist and multicultural agendas. It identifies a “close family relationship” between the two opposing ideas of feminism and multiculturalism. Both share a critique of universalism for falsely generalizing one sex or one culture, both address oppressions that have a common structure, and tackle issues of inequality.
Jeremy Waldron
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199253661
- eISBN:
- 9780191601972
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199253668.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
Jeremy Waldron’s essay centres around Martha Nussbaum’s ideas on cosmopolitan education: Nussbaum argues that we should make ‘world citizenship, rather than democratic or national citizenship, the ...
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Jeremy Waldron’s essay centres around Martha Nussbaum’s ideas on cosmopolitan education: Nussbaum argues that we should make ‘world citizenship, rather than democratic or national citizenship, the focus for civic education’. The essay provides just a few examples to illustrate the concrete particularity of the world community for which we are urged by Nussbaum to take responsibility, with the aim of refuting the view of those who condemn cosmopolitanism as an abstraction. The arguments for and against Nussbaum’s idea (universalism vs particularism) are presented, and one of the opposing views highlighted: that cosmopolitan moral education is not just an education in moral ideas; it is (or ought to be) an education in the particular ways in which people have inhabited the world (rather than the purely local aspects of their inhabiting particular territories). The different sections of the chapter look at how a society becomes multicultural, the infrastructure of cultural interaction, the identification of citizenship (citizenship in relation to civic responsibility, exclusivity, subjection), the language of citizenship, and its concrete reality and its cosmopolitan dimensions.Less
Jeremy Waldron’s essay centres around Martha Nussbaum’s ideas on cosmopolitan education: Nussbaum argues that we should make ‘world citizenship, rather than democratic or national citizenship, the focus for civic education’. The essay provides just a few examples to illustrate the concrete particularity of the world community for which we are urged by Nussbaum to take responsibility, with the aim of refuting the view of those who condemn cosmopolitanism as an abstraction. The arguments for and against Nussbaum’s idea (universalism vs particularism) are presented, and one of the opposing views highlighted: that cosmopolitan moral education is not just an education in moral ideas; it is (or ought to be) an education in the particular ways in which people have inhabited the world (rather than the purely local aspects of their inhabiting particular territories). The different sections of the chapter look at how a society becomes multicultural, the infrastructure of cultural interaction, the identification of citizenship (citizenship in relation to civic responsibility, exclusivity, subjection), the language of citizenship, and its concrete reality and its cosmopolitan dimensions.
Christian Joppke and Steven Lukes
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198296102
- eISBN:
- 9780191599583
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019829610X.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
Although multicultural claims are widely accepted by liberal states, debates about their range, coherence, and effects continue. This introductory chapter offers an outline of the four multicultural ...
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Although multicultural claims are widely accepted by liberal states, debates about their range, coherence, and effects continue. This introductory chapter offers an outline of the four multicultural questions that structure the authors’ contributions to the volume.Less
Although multicultural claims are widely accepted by liberal states, debates about their range, coherence, and effects continue. This introductory chapter offers an outline of the four multicultural questions that structure the authors’ contributions to the volume.
Martin Hollis
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198296102
- eISBN:
- 9780191599583
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019829610X.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
Martin Hollis (in one of his last writings before his untimely death) opens up the first section, Is Universalism Ethnocentric?, with a fiery defence of Enlightenment universalism and an attack on ...
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Martin Hollis (in one of his last writings before his untimely death) opens up the first section, Is Universalism Ethnocentric?, with a fiery defence of Enlightenment universalism and an attack on the relativist who says ‘Liberalism for the liberals; cannibalism for the cannibals.’ Focusing especially on universal claims about human nature, civil society, and the best forms of government, Hollis argues for a substantive and not merely procedural liberalism as a ‘fighting creed with universalist pretensions’ that can justify ‘robust and sharp‐edged moral declarations’. As Hollis argues, universalism works for minorities too. This is because excluded minorities must show that they have been wrongly excluded; they need a standpoint that is ‘not cognitively arbitrary’ to exclude racists and sexists.Less
Martin Hollis (in one of his last writings before his untimely death) opens up the first section, Is Universalism Ethnocentric?, with a fiery defence of Enlightenment universalism and an attack on the relativist who says ‘Liberalism for the liberals; cannibalism for the cannibals.’ Focusing especially on universal claims about human nature, civil society, and the best forms of government, Hollis argues for a substantive and not merely procedural liberalism as a ‘fighting creed with universalist pretensions’ that can justify ‘robust and sharp‐edged moral declarations’. As Hollis argues, universalism works for minorities too. This is because excluded minorities must show that they have been wrongly excluded; they need a standpoint that is ‘not cognitively arbitrary’ to exclude racists and sexists.
