Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 14 views

    CH 2

    Uploaded by

    chirag mehrotra
    This chapter discusses the challenges of developing a global ethical perspective given disagreements about basic human rights between freedom of expression and rigid religious convictions. It explores how Western thinkers developed terminology around concepts like cosmopolitanism and the Enlightenment. It also examines the relationship between philosophy, religion, and addressing questions of civil disobedience, divine command theory, pluralism, the problem of evil, and developing secular ethics while allowing for religious toleration.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    CH 2

    Uploaded by

    chirag mehrotra
    14 views9 pages
    This chapter discusses the challenges of developing a global ethical perspective given disagreements about basic human rights between freedom of expression and rigid religious convictions. It explores how Western thinkers developed terminology around concepts like cosmopolitanism and the Enlightenment. It also examines the relationship between philosophy, religion, and addressing questions of civil disobedience, divine command theory, pluralism, the problem of evil, and developing secular ethics while allowing for religious toleration.

    Original Title

    Ch 2

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    This chapter discusses the challenges of developing a global ethical perspective given disagreements about basic human rights between freedom of expression and rigid religious convictions. It explores how Western thinkers developed terminology around concepts like cosmopolitanism and the Enlightenment. It also examines the relationship between philosophy, religion, and addressing questions of civil disobedience, divine command theory, pluralism, the problem of evil, and developing secular ethics while allowing for religious toleration.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    14 views9 pages

    CH 2

    Uploaded by

    chirag mehrotra
    This chapter discusses the challenges of developing a global ethical perspective given disagreements about basic human rights between freedom of expression and rigid religious convictions. It explores how Western thinkers developed terminology around concepts like cosmopolitanism and the Enlightenment. It also examines the relationship between philosophy, religion, and addressing questions of civil disobedience, divine command theory, pluralism, the problem of evil, and developing secular ethics while allowing for religious toleration.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    You are on page 1of 9

    Chapter Two

    Religion and Global Ethics


    Challenge of Developing a Global
    Ethical Perspective
    United Nations’ Universal Declaration of
    Human Rights: aims for global agreement
    about basic rights, the inherent dignity of
    human beings, equal rights for men and
    women
    Outstanding disagreements about the
    nature of these basic rights
    Freedom of expression vs. rigid religious
    convictions
    Freedom, Cosmopolitanism, and
    the European Enlightenment
    Terminology for philosophy and religion:
    developed by Western thinkers
    Cosmopolitan: certain ethical principles
    are universally valuable
    The Enlightenment: philosophers who
    believed liberty and tolerance were key
    values
    Religion, Civic Life, and Civil
    Disobedience
    Civil disobedience: open, nonviolent
    refusal to obey unjust law, with the intent
    of accepting the penalty and arousing the
    conscience of the community as a whole
    ◦ Philosophy and religion: intertwined,
    addressing the same questions
    Ethics, Religion, and Divine
    Command Theory
     Divine command theory: the idea is that certain
    actions are right because they are what God wills
    for us
     Both religious and atheist should develop moral
    reasoning skills, because:
    ◦ We should evaluate critically our own or other
    views of good and bad.
    ◦ Believers ought to be able to discuss moral matters
    together.
    ◦ Living in secular communities requires developing
    widely shared reason-based views on issues of moral
    ideals.
    Pluralism and the Golden Rule
     Religious Pluralism: look for common
    ground among the world’s cultural and
    religious traditions
     Golden Rule: “treat others as you would
    like to be treated”; often claimed that each
    of the world’s religious and cultural
    systems includes this principle
     This idea ignores the very deep differences
    that exist among religions.
    The Problem of Evil and Free Will
    Theodicidies: arguments developed by the
    Christian tradition developed to justify God as
    all-powerful and all-knowing, despite the
    problem of evil
    Free will: questioned by philosophers and
    religious figures
    Due to growing diversity of populations, we
    have to find some set of values that can allow us
    to live together even though we disagree about
    religion.
    Secular Ethics and Toleration
    Secular ethics: divorced from any
    source in religion
    Commonly an aspect of
    modernization
    Locke: wrote letter on which
    “separation of church and state” is
    based
    Criticisms of Secularism and
    Global Ethics
    Paradox of toleration: is there a good
    reason to tolerate those who are intolerant
    or those who reject the very idea of
    toleration?
    Challenge to tolerance: fundamentalism
    — rigid adherence to a literal
    interpretation of religious doctrines and a
    reaction against compromise with
    secularism and modernity

    You might also like