Responding to Fundamentalism: Secularism or Humble Faith?

Abstract

The prospect of opening management research and practice to religious faith perspectives admits both hopeful possibilities and threatening hazards. Religions envision possibilities for human flourishing; they also raise the specter of anti-intellectualism and division among people due to fundamentalism. As such, this article addresses this question: How can researchers and practitioners draw on their religious faiths to enrich, rather than undermine, collegiality and progress in the field of management? Current practices within the field of management generally conform to secularism, which suppresses religious expression. By contrast, postsecularism recognizes the unavoidability of faith in making knowledge claims and affords a place for religious voices in academic discourse and public life. Religious traditions themselves provide a way to limit their hazards while opening to their constructive possibilities. In particular, they point to the need for humility in practicing and espousing faith. Reflective believing and interfaith dialogue can produce new understanding if practiced with humility.