Negotiation and evil: The sources of religious and moral resistance to the settlement of conflicts

Abstract

AbstractThis article suggests that there is a deeply ingrained cultural resistance to negotiation and mediation. The sources of that resistance can be traced to our moral and religious teachings and to the theological practices that underlie our culture. Specifically, negotiation is frequently viewed as, at best, the compromising of one's principles and, at worst, immoral or sinful. The author examines the evolution of the concept of Satan as the personification of evil in the world and considers how negotiation has come to be associated and aligned with the work of the devil in seeking to persuade, undermine, and encourage the compromise of one's principles. Although all people do not share the same religious traditions, the concept of evil and the disdain for negotiation has been infused into our secular culture. Finally, consideration is given to how the moral resistance to negotiation might be countered to allow mediators to be more effective in managing conflict and to enable mediation to be more widely accepted.