Issue Of Pluralism Research Articles

Bioethics in a pluralistic society: bioethical methodology in lieu of moral diversity

In an attempt to promote in-depth dialogue amongst bioethicists coming from distinct disciplinary and religious backgrounds this essay offers a critical analysis of a number of the leading methods of addressing pluralism in bioethics and. Exploring the critiques and methodological proposals coming from the social sciences, the contract theorists, and the pragmatists, this study describes the problems which arise when confronting moral diversity in a bioethical context and examines the ability of these various methodologies to adequately resolve these matters. Finally, the foundations of a new conceptual framework for bioethical methodology will be developed. It will be argued that these new methodological insights are able to overcome the problems facing other methodologies and may provide a viable means for adequately addressing issues of pluralism in bioethics.

Teaching & Learning Guide for: Islamic Fundamentalism and Political Islam

Focus Questions What distinguishes political Islam from fundamentalism? What are the major distinctions among political Islamists? Author Recommends * Ahmed Akbar, Islam Under Siege: Living Dangerously in a Post‐Honor World (Cambridge: Polity, 2003).Provides excellent introduction to pervasive sense of siege among Muslim communities that forms the backdrop to many modern developments, including the more militant and radicalized representatives of politicized Islam. After describing the perception of lawlessness and brutality in today’s world, Ahmed – a renowned anthropologist – analyses this strain of political Islam in terms of tribalism. Economic deprivation, political impotence, and continuing conflict in areas such as Palestine, Bosnia, Chechnya, and Kashmir, have effectively suspended Islamic ideals among some groups. Islamic solidarity and its core values in such instances have been replaced by a kind of hyper‐tribalism. Perceiving no benefit from broader group identities – indeed, subjected to humiliation and outrage – certain segments of Muslim societies have retreated into smaller units and concocted perverse notions of honor and vengeance bearing no resemblance to mainstream Islamic values. * Montasser al‐Zayyat, The Road to al‐Qaeda: The Story of Bin Laden’s Right‐Hand Man (London: Pluto Press, 2002).A fascinating first‐hand account of the development one segment of radicalized political Islam under the impact of specific experiences, including imprisonment and torture. An Egyptian lawyer, al‐Zayyat provides insight into the conflicts within political Islam. * Raymond W. Baker, Islam without Fear: Egypt and the New Islamists (Cambridge, MA: Harvard, 2003).Baker surveys the views of influential contemporary Egyptian thinkers grappling with issues of pluralism and women’s rights. He presents the views of these public intellectuals – lawyers, judges, scholars, and journalist – as foundational to a centrist Islam, with potentially profound impact on education, the arts, economics, politics, and the environment. * John O. Voll, Islam: Continuity and Change in the Modern World (Syracuse, NY: Sysracuse University Press, 1994).A comprehensive survey of Islamic movements in modern history. Voll presents a careful and nuanced discussion of various reactions to specific political developments, including those that may accurately be called ‘fundamentalist’. Provides a good example of the difficulty of neatly characterizing diverse movements.Online Materials 1. The Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan) – Official English Website http://www.ikhwanweb.com/Home.asp?zPage=Systems&System=PressR&Lang=E The official English‐language Web site for the Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan al‐Muslimin) – the oldest and most widespread Islamist organization. Provides news, statements and messages from leaders, opinions on world events, as well as links to other articles, and opinion surveys. 2. Progressive Muslim Union http://www.pmuna.org/ The Web site for the Progressive Muslim Union of North America, ‘a grassroots organization that aims to provide a forum, voice, and organizing mechanism to North American Muslims who wish to pursue a progressive intellectual, social and political agenda.’ Provides useful news and links.

Pluralism in the economics of sustainable forest management

Prevailing societal values have enthroned sustainable forest management (SFM) as a new paradigm governing forest practices. Calling for respecting a range of dynamic conditions instead of a single, static target, SFM differs from conventional forest management on account of its acceptance of plurality in management objectives, approaches and decision making processes. Forest economics has evolved accordingly, in response to the need for accommodating pluralism. This paper examines several issues of pluralism in the economics of SFM, principally: (i) multiple forest uses under extended forest rotations, (ii) the panarchy framework, and (iii) the stakeholder's approach. The merits and limitations of these approaches are discussed. The paper ends with some suggestions for future research.

Theories of mathematics education: European perspectives, commentaries and viable research directions

We briefly comment on different perspectives on (1) the role of mathematics education theories, (2) the issue of plurality and healthy heterogeneity versus consolidation; (3) underlying inquiry systems or the implicit role of philosophy in theories of mathematics education. This paper also outlines developments within the European research scene on theory usage in mathematics education research, which complement the discussion at the 29th PME research forum in Melbourne.

Extending the Conversation on Visions of Jewish Education: The Danger of Recipes

This articles extends the conversation begun by Levisohn in volume 71:1 of this journal, and continued by a number of respondents in volume 71:2. These articles identify two notable themes among the responses: The first is the issue of pluralism, and the tension between vision and exclusion. Despite the best of intentions, it seems unavoidable that vision-driven institutions must necessarily exclude certain ideas, certain practices, and most painfully, certain people; standing for something must always mean not standing for everything. Second, several respondents are concerned in one way or another with the very nature of an educational vision. Particularly, the question arises whether the construction of a vision around the key question, “What is an educated Jew?”, is limiting, either intellectually or practically. Beyond discussing these two themes, the article extends the conversation about vision in Jewish education by raising a concern, which the author attributes to Franz Rosenzweig, about the way in which a commitment to organizing institutions according to vision may obscure the fundamental need for openness and spontaneity in educational arrangements.

Religion Confronts Pluralism

The Holy Qur'an states:All people we make men and women of you, we make you peoples and tribes so that you would come to know each other. Mankind we created you from a male and female and made you into peoples and tribes so that you might come to know each other, not that you may despise each other.The definition of for me is that it is a private contract with my Creator. I obtain my values from the Qur'an which I then translate into the way that I conduct myself, both personally and professionally.The dictionary definition of religious pluralism refers to an attitude which allows one to overcome religious differences between different religions and conflicts within the same religion.So in most religious traditions, religious pluralism is essentially based on a view of one's religious traditions while allowing for respect to be engendered between different traditions on core principles.For me personally, is an ever-evolving concept. How people define themselves according to their is ever-evolving, and in today's global landscape, negotiating different religions within boundaries requires a very delicate balance. However, at the essence of every religion, whether you are Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindu, is spirituality. That spirituality exists in every soul, no matter what you are practicing, what faith you are following, what ethnicity you are born into, what language you are speaking, or which God you are praying to. We all share the essence of spirituality in our soul.When I was a young child, my mother always told me that God exists in each person and in each soul there is a God. If you hurt that person, you are hurting God. My belief is that we all practice a kind of spirituality. We may define it differently, but we all have a sense of spirituality and in each person's soul resides our Creator.The topic today is religion confronts pluralism: today and tomorrow. For me to address this topic, I need to look at yesterday (the past) to see how we arrived at today (the present) and will proceed to tomorrow (the future).For me, yesterday (the past) is where I grew up and where I learned to appreciate the different religions of the world. And then today (the present): I would like to discuss with you how important it is that we as Canadians must sculpt what the future will look like. In Canada, we need to sculpt together some of the very difficult issues, some religious and some moral, and some issues that we face as communities, with the charter of rights and freedoms as a backdrop.And then as for tomorrow (the future) and the way our world will look: I believe each one of you is a leader in the issue of pluralism, and I will explain to you what I mean in a minute.As a child I was always brought up to appreciate all religions, but I didn't really understand it. When I enrolled my daughter, Farzana, in a Catholic religious school in Vancouver, the principal of the school asked Farzana if she would mind studying the Catholic faith. She looked at him and told him that she looked forward to learning more about Catholicism and Christianity.I have to admit to you I was a little floored by that answer. Later, as delicately as I could, I asked her, Where did you learn to answer that way? How did you learn that answer? (I was also asking myself why, if I had issues about Christianity, was I enrolling her in a Catholic school?)She gave me an answer that really educated me. Farzana said to me, You know, we learn about Jesus Christ in our religion, so I want to learn Christian beliefs and values.She became such a good religious student that she was placed in an advanced placement class in religion. My family kept saying, That's for nuns-that's the level where one becomes a nun-what are you doing? Are you thinking of converting? Farzana said to me, Mom, you don't understand. Catholics practice the same rituals in mass that we do in the mosque but my friends don't go to church as often as we do, so I know the rituals better than they do! …

Power, Order and Plurality: Getting Together in the Anglican Communion

ABSTRACTThe present situation of global Anglicanism sharply highlights issues of plurality which have been created in part by the nature of the tradition and also by the history of its expansion. Plurality and difference inevitably call for some account of this in relation to the tradition. Recent work has often focused on koinonia as a way of dealing with the relationships involved in the church community. But many of our problems arise from an absence of a capacity to require actions of others. A better way into this precisely institutional question is through Richard Hooker's discussion of power and order. Such a consideration leads to the need to develop more effective adjacent connections, and thus to a regionalizing of the communion.

Knowledge of Allah and the Islamic View of Other Religions

[One way to submit oneself to the will of the divine is to contemplate the revelations of the Qur'ân. For Muslims, it is God manifested in human speech and for centuries Muslims have attempted to study the surface and hidden meanings of the Qur'ân in order to know more of Allâh's presence. The author explores how Muslims have used their sacred scripture, the customs of the Prophet Muhammad, and various mystical teachings to become closer to God. The process of knowing God meant being tolerant to other religions, especially to Christians and Jews who are understood as believers of the same God. The issue of pluralism and tolerance of others in Islam is examined to illustrate the complexities of religious ideas of exclusivity.]

TOWARD THE FULLNESS OF LIFE: INTER‐CONTEXTUAL RELATIONSHIPS IN MISSION

A title of this magnitude needs some exegesis! Since I was involved in preparation for this meeting, I have no idea of difficult discussions that must have taken place to arrive at this formulation, or reasons for choosing this theme. Consequently, I am free to inject my own ideas without let or hindrance!! These ideas have their genesis in my work as an Asian theologian who constantly has had to deal with issue of plurality in its many forms. These ideas have also been shaped in my work with ecumenical movement and more recently as general secretary of Council for World Mission. I make no apology, but alert you to way that I am approaching challenge of and for world mission today. The main title, Toward Fullness of Life, is goal of mission of church. Perhaps it is better to take it as vision that calls for our missionary engagement. I say vision, because vision is what draws us forward but is never completely realized by us. Yet, we strive to realize it, caught in and not of promise of God's reign/realm. This sense of movement or striving is implied in word toward. The sub-theme, Intercontextual relationships in mission, is really commentary on main title, but is rather statement of method. No longer is mission of church to be seen as uni-directional, from North to South or from West to East, but as from everywhere to everywhere. In context of new missionary situation, when world mission replaced missionary era, Council for World Mission was moved to state in its founding document, Sharing in One World Mission (1975), that we engage in mission because we have all answers and all required skills but because we belong to body of Christ. We are all seekers. Therefore we need each other, so that we may learn from each other. (1) Contexts are neither wholly discrete nor are they self-sufficient. In brief, in seeking to understand and respond to goal or vision of fullness of life for all, we need several contextual responses, as each responds in terms of what is specific to its context and yet speaks to ll contexts. Mutuality moratorium is what constitutes character of gospel and is at core of mission. Nevertheless, for some time some measure of moratorium has been necessary to prevent an indiscriminate merging of contexts, and accompanying giving of so-called universal answers that may be applied to all situations. Intercontextuality seeks to balance independence with interdependence. The work for this consultation is divided into three parts: identity and plurality; healing, health and faith communities, new models of mission relationships (partnership). These are three of principal challenges for mission engagement. Each challenge raises in its own way missionary response to denial of fullness of life in particular area. While each challenge has to be faced in terms of specific issues each raises, three are also interconnected. Let me explain briefly. I world, agree with political, scientist, Samuel Huntington that issue of identity and plurality has to be approached today against prevailing attitude that he calls, a clash of civilizations. Though on surface it may seem unrelated to issue of identity and plurality, HIV/AIDS, which presents sharply for our time crisis in health and healing, raises question of identity and plurality. Are those who suffer from HIV/AIDS to be classed as sinners who pay price of licentiousness? This is theoretical question, but in many ways reflects official attitude of many churches. If it is consequence of sin, what is identity of those living with HIV/AIDS as human beings? Where do they belong in healing communities? Though issue of identity and plurality appears here in different way from that posed by paradigm of the clash of civilizations, issue as it is posed in this area of challenge needs to be related to other two areas of challenge. …

De dialoog en de verhouding van religies: Een overzicht (1985-1994)

This contribution is a survey of studies on interreligious dialogue by Dutch authors between 1985 and 1994. Special attention has been given, firstly, to studies dealing with the pluralism of modern culture, and secondly to studies in the field of the theologia religionum; some differences and convergences between the catholic and reformed approach are indicated. The final section discusses the various fields of theological studies in which the issue of pluralism has been studied. One conclusion is that plural-ism is not a specialism any more, but the context of all theological disciplines. The question is asked whether the division of theological disciplines under the modern pluralistic condition should not be reconsidered.

Defending diversity: contemporary philosophical perspectives on pluralism and multiculturalism

In recent years the implications of multiculturalism for American society have been the subject of much debate. To some, the term has come to denote the fragmentation of tradition and the coherent values that derive from it. To others, it signals the advent of a more inclusive, tolerant and genuinely democratic society. Drawing on philosophy's long-standing concern with issues of pluralism and relativism, on the traditions of American pragmatism and on modern theoretical innovations, the essays in this volume bring clarity to this discussion by analysing the underlying values and assumptions of each side. They present a defence of the virtues of diversity, outside as well as inside the walls of the academy. Contributors include: Lawrence Blum, Karen Fiser, Lawrence Foster, Nelson Lande, Tommy Lee Lott, Patricia Mann, Jane Roland Martin, Mitchell Silver, Janet Farrell Smith and David Wong.

Outside In: Minorities and the Transformation of American Education.

Ever since the massive immigration from Europe of the late 19th century, American society has accommodated people of many cultures, religions, languages, and expectations. The task of integration has increasingly fallen to the schools, where children are taught a common language and a set of democratic values and sent on their ways to become productive members of society. How American schools have set about educating these diverse students, and how these students' needs have altered the face of education, are issues central to the social history of the United States in the 20th century. In her pathbreaking new book Paula S. Fass presents a wide ranging examination of the role of in the creation of modern education. Through a series of in-depth and fascinating case studies, she demonstrates how issues of pluralism have shaped the educational landscape and how various minority groups have been affected by their educational experiences. Fass first looks at how public schools absorbed the children of immigrants in the early years of the century and how those children gradually began to use the schools for their own social purposes. She then turns to the experiences of other groups of Americans whose struggles for educational and social opportunities have defined cultural life over the last fifty years: blacks, whose education became a major concern of the federal government in the 1930s and 1940s; women, who had access to higher education but were denied commensurate job opportunities; and Catholics, who created schools that succeeded both in protecting minority integrity and in providing Catholics with a path to American success. Along the way, she presents a wealth of fascinating and surprising detail. Through an examination of New York City high school yearbooks from the 1930s and 1940s, she shows how a student's ethnic identity determined which activities he or she would engage in and how ethnicity was etched into schooling. And she examines how the New Deal and the army in World War II succeeded in educating large numbers of blacks and making the inequalities in their educational opportunities a critical national concern. A sweeping and highly original history of American education, Outside In helps us to understand how schools have been shaped by their students, how educational issues have merged with wider social concerns, and how outsiders have recreated schooling and culture in the 20th century. By opening up new historical terrain and rejecting a vision of outsiders as merely victims of American educational policy, the book has important implications for contemporary social and educational issues.

After virtue, taking rights seriously

In this paper, I address the question, “Who are the political and ideological opponents of liberalism?” I suggest that Dworkin's way of dividing liberals from their conservative opponents over the issue of pluralism fails to get at the main issue of redistribution. But arguments for and against redistribution share a common pluralistic conception of politics and morals, viz., that they are to be conceived in terms of an agreement amongst autonomous individuals who are each trying to maximize their own welfares.

Conceptualizing Diversity TheologicallyThe Analogical Imagination: Christian Theology and the Culture of Pluralism. David Tracy

Previous articleNext article No AccessReview ArticlesConceptualizing Diversity Theologically The Analogical Imagination: Christian Theology and the Culture of Pluralism. David Tracy Gordon D. KaufmanGordon D. Kaufman Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Journal of Religion Volume 62, Number 4Oct., 1982 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/486964 Views: 5Total views on this site Copyright 1982 The University of ChicagoPDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Sociology and the Twilight of Man: Homocentrism and Discourse in Sociological Theory.

A critique of modern sociological theory, this brilliant new work rather than announcing the twilight of man accepts the event both as an intellectual conclusion and an empirical fact, and proceeds systematically to examine the alternatives beyond the Weber-Durkheim-Parsons episteme.Addressing himself to the issues of pluralism in sociological theory, Lemert rigorously examines representative writings of important theorists in America and Europe, including the writings of Homans (Lexical Explanation), Blalock (Theory Constructionism), Parsons (Analytic Realism), Blumer (Symbolic Interactionism), Schutz, Berger, Luckmann (Phenomenology), Cicourel (Ethnomethology), and Habermas (Critical Theory). Lemert challenges the celebrated pluralism hypothesis in his argument that recent sociological theory not so pluralistic after all and has not made particular use of available styles of thinking.Sociology and the Twilight of Man is an important contribution to the modern sociological enterprise for several reasons. First, it raises basic questions about the progress made beyond earlier theoretical writings. Second, it questions the explanatory force of current theories. Third, it questions whether contemporary theory can continue to develop in a meaningful way without a profound reexamination of its assumptions and premises. And fourth, it demonstrates the value of discursive analysis to theoretical studies. Lemert s critique could lead to fundamental revisions of sociologists perception of their discipline.

Black Enlightenment: The Issues of Pluralism, Priorities and Empirical Correlation

Black Enlightenment: The Issues of Pluralism, Priorities and Empirical Correlation

Education, work, and competence

s ome of the most important advances against racism in the past decade have resulted from the recognition that discrimination need not be intentional to be subject to remedy. Institutional racism, for example, leads to disproportionate distribution of benefits to minority populations. Many remedies, therefore, call for structural changes such as redistributing educational resources and making standards for giving credentials in education and hiring and promotion in employment public, explicit, and fair. Demands for accountability in education also stem from the public's perception that it is not getting sufficient returns on its tax investments. Business, industry, and social service agencies also are pressured to improve the quality of their goods and services. Some of the most complex problems facing educators involve the content and form of education related to issues of pluralism; standards for the assessment of achievement in education; the basis for the award of educational credentials; the development of improved instruments and techniques for assessment; and the evaluation of the effectiveness of education. In work, employers are asked to identify necessary conditions for adequate job performance; develop improved instruments and techniques for assessment; develop career ladders; and evaluate on-the-job performance. These problems, of course, are not new to education and work. What is new is the increasingly public nature of the debate about how they are resolved. Conventional prerogafives are being challenged, and traditional answers are being rejected. Two dynamic areas of debate and decision making which highlight these problems involve compliance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the implementation of competency-based education programs.

Uczenie się pluralizmu i kształtowanie tożsamości religijnej w kontekście kulturowych i światopoglądowych odmienności – między tradycyjnym zróżnicowaniem a współczesnym pluralizmem

Learning pluralism and shaping religious identity in the context of cultural and ideological differences – between traditional diversification and contemporary pluralism
 In the public and academic discourse, pluralism is recognized as one of the main features of the contemporary Western world, which is culturally, religiously and ideologically diversified. According to its supporters and promotors, pluralism is a significant value which constitutes a virtue of the modern world. However, pluralism is also associated with various problems, dilemmas and difficulties. Contemporary cultural pluralism has a substantial impact on shaping the religious identity and causes significant changes within it. In the 1970s and 1980s, sociologists indicated some pluralization processes which modified religious identity. In 1983, while examining the determinants of the Church activities in the industrial society, Janusz Mariański – a sociologist of religion, agreed with the observation that “what is eliminated in the pluralistic society is the situation of the monopoly of church institutions in interpreting human reality in the consciousness of the contemporary man. Religious values are not the only which give sense to fundamental values institutionalized in the society”. Thus, religion ceases to have the earlier potentialities of the monopoly in the sphere of fundamental values. The issue of pluralism, widely discussed today and raising a lot of dispute, can be viewed from the perspective of the analysis of broadly understood learning processes and outcomes (the analysis of educational and self‑educational activities). Pluralism can be perceived as a process and a result of mutual and constant learning in the (educationally potent and dynamic) relationship with individuals who show more or less different attitudes and beliefs – a process of learning those who, by entering relationships with each other, preserve and at the same time shape their different identities. If a person enhances the inner will to learn constantly, to multiply the cognitively valuable knowledge, to improve intellectual skills, this willingness should lead to the recognition of important intrinsic and educational values of other attitudes and beliefs. By meeting what is to some extent different, it is possible to learn further and, with growing accuracy, to recognize the fields of one’s own ignorance. Modern pluralism poses serious challenges to religion. The statement used in sociological discourse that “pluralistic tendencies are destructive to religion” can be read by those for whom religion – confessing religious faith – is close and important as a challenge to oppose pluralism for the sake of the defense of traditionally perceived religious faith, the defense of its world view and its institution. Such a deeply engaged interpretation imposes formulating an alternative: either the pluralistic tendencies which are destructive to religion get intensified or religion gets more power, counteracting the dangerous tendencies of pluralism which pose threat to religion. Two different ways of the inner diagnosis of religion are outlined here. The first is a fundamentalist one and consists in “strengthening its own positions”, as it recognizes that the overemphasized (in religion) elements of openness and dialogue weaken religion from inside, making it more sensitive to destructive influence of pluralism (openness and dialogue are a “Trojan horse” of hostile pluralism, let into the inside of religion). The second way, of the in‑depth and self‑critical reflection upon the current situation of religion, may lead to recognizing (among the elements so far belonging to religious identity) those which – in the context of pluralism and in spite of their presence for many centuries – are of doubtful value or even become the causes of the destructive crisis of religion in spite of their being situated inside it. Therefore, the situation of pluralism allows for cleaning religion, which is confronted with pluralism and was earlier closed within its homogeneous world. At the same time, the religious crisis in the pluralistic world can be viewed as a crisis of inner maturation and growth of religion. Undertaking ideological discussion with the conviction that common and binding arrangements should be reached is not an easy matter. What is more, in the opinion of people who believe in the necessity of confrontation, this discussion is not even needed. It can be assumed that, in the diversified social life, the persistent conducting of difficult negotiations is indispensable, instead of the state of embittered confrontation. Referring to the standpoint of Jerzy Nikitorowicz, who promotes learning pluralism and intercultural dialogue, the dialogical concept of pluralism can be applied: “In the pluralistic society, the process is taking place of reaching commonly shared values by individuals and groups through unceasing negotiations of values and interests, the process of shaping the sensitivity to others and the need for mutual respect and recognition, without the division to upper and lower cultures”.