Respect For Pluralism Research Articles

The Many Faces of Birthing Freedom

Abstract What would birth be like in a feminist world? In this essay, I explore this question, asking what feminist freedom means in relation to birthing. Engaging in an imaginative inquiry that is rooted in respect for plurality, I explore the multifaceted dimensions of what we, as feminists, are fighting for in relation to birth. Building on a diverse array of feminist theories and philosophies of freedom (including the work of Simone de Beauvoir, Drucilla Cornell, and Marilyn Frye) and inspired by the work of Iris Marion Young on the five faces of oppression, I outline five faces of birthing freedom, namely: (1) freedom from oppression, (2) freedom to labor, (3) freedom to be-in-relation, (4) freedom from violence, and (5) freedom to imagine. I argue that these faces are all necessary conditions for the realization of birthing freedom. At the same time, the five faces of birth freedom that I outline here are only provisional and are grounded in my specific standpoint. My approach recognizes plurality and is not meant to be exhaustive but rather hopes to spark imaginings, invite extensions and revisions, and initiate conversations.

Pendidikan Keberagamaan Berbasis Budaya Spiritual Di Kalangan Sai Study Group (SSG)

Education is not only teaching that emphasizes on cognitive aspects, mastery of academic subjects, and not the development of the character of students towards the environmental reality which is religiously pluralistic. Therefore, although many educational institutions teach about the differences and respect for pluralism and comparative religion, it only comes to a cognitive understanding of each religion and does not know how to behave outside the religious discipline. It has big impact on humanitarian crises, not only at a concrete level in the form of physical culture, but also in non-physical forms which related to changes in attitudes, behavior and values ​​of life. The presence of the Sai Study Group Denpasar (SSGD) religious study group gave a new model to the pattern of religious education amidst the polarization of the development of religious study groups in Bali, especially in the formation of intellectual and character building. Religious education at SSGD contains acts of cognition, not just transfer of knowledge, verbalism, and education banking.

Fostering Human Dignity and Freedom

At the beginning of Nostra aetate, the Church calls for mutual understanding with Muslims in the interests of “peace, liberty, social justice, and moral values.” This paper strives to achieve such an understanding in light of the fragile state of democracy in today’s world. The paper first presents the Church’s approach to democracy through an analysis of the work of the philosopher Jacques Maritain and the Second Vatican Council. It then presents representative views from Islam: the work of the Sunni legal scholar Khaled Abou El Fadl and the Shi’ite scholar Naser Ghobadzadeh. By appealing to the Jesuit scholarDavid Hollenbach’smethodology of “dialogic universalism,” the paper argues finally that there is a rich confluence between the two traditions: Their basic commitment to the dignity and freedom of the human person implies a respect for pluralism, a reverence for reason, and a call for self-transcendence, all of which can serve to enhance democracy.

Mukti Ali’s Contributions to Interreligious Harmony in Indonesia

<p>This study explores Mukti Ali’s thoughts and contributions to Inter-religious harmony. Thoughts by Mukti Ali were discussed the harmony among religious believers, including comparative religion, the concept of agreeing in disagreement, and inter-religious dialogue, all anchored to the doctrine of Islam rahmat li al-’alamin. Mukti Ali pioneered interfaith dialogue as well-known moderate, dialogue, and respect for pluralism, improving justice and peace, understanding each other, and respecting each other within the frame of national unity. Throughout his life, Mukti Ali was known as a staunch Islamic thinker to fight for inter-religious harmony in Indonesia. The whole struggle and contribution in interreligious harmony at least touch some aspects; those are the scientific aspects and social relations. His persistence has a strong theological foundation. Her eagerness Mukti Ali was also known as the father of national harmony in Indonesia.</p>

Medina Society: Lessons and Their Relevance in Indonesian Education Context

Islam has extraordinary historical experience and variety in shaping the ideal society, which is encompassed by peace and respect for plurality, namely the Medina society. With the Constitution of Medina or the Media Charter, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) succeeded in building a tolerant society within diversity. This pattern of community development should be reflected and contextualized in the management of education in Indonesia, which seems to be struggling to overcome the challenge to fostering an attitude of tolerance and equality in a plural society. In the context of education management, the pattern of formation of the Medina society by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is reflected in several ways, such as managing educational organizations on the basis of the principle of unity; running school organizations in a spirit of tolerance, equality, and solidarity; and supporting the process of education and teaching in the cultivation of multicultural values. In the Indonesian context, the multicultural values of the Medina society, in general, are not being implemented in government educational institutions. However, in various nongovernment educational institutions, the values of tolerance and multiculturalism are being vigorously promoted

Democracy and constitutional reform: Deliberative versus populist constitutionalism

Constitutional reform has been an important means to push populist authoritarian agendas in Hungary, Poland, Turkey and Venezuela. The embrace of constitutional means and rhetoric in pursuit of these agendas has led to the growing recognition of ‘populist constitutionalism’ as a contemporary political phenomenon. In all four examples mentioned above, democracy, popular sovereignty and direct plebiscitary appeal to the people is the rhetorical and justificatory framework for constitutional reform. This, I worry, gives democracy a bad name and reinforces the widespread suspicion that citizens should not be directly involved in constitutional reform as popular participation can lead to dangerous majoritarianism and is easily manipulated by elite actors seeking to weaken constitutional checks and balances. But the problem, I argue, is not inherent in citizen’s participation in constitutional reform. In contrast to populist constitutionalism, I develop an idea of deliberative constitutionalism in which citizens can participate in constitution-making and reform without hijacking constitutionalism for majoritarian, nationalist or anti-pluralist ends. Deliberative constitutionalism as I understand it has four features: a Habermasian co-originality thesis that articulates the interdependence of democracy and liberalism mediated by a conception of discourse; a proceduralized idea of popular sovereignty that reduces the tension between appeal to the people and respect for pluralism; the centrality of the public sphere over the voting booth as the cradle of democracy; institutional innovations intended to include citizens in constitutional reform (including through referendums) but avoid majoritarian and populist pathologies.

Pluralism in Crisis and Capabilities Approach: Martha Nussbaum's Philosophy from the Perspective of Political Aesthetics

The aim of the paper is to show the relevance of Martha Nussbaum's capabilities approach to the two types of the crisis in pluralist thinking which we are currently facing. The paper adopts the perspective of political aesthetics, in that it analyzes the political significance of the aesthetic motifs in Nussbaum's project. The conclusion is that Nussbaum's conception allows us to appreciate the central importance of education based on arts and humanities. It is argued that only with such background can the respect for pluralism be permanently secured.

The crisis of the republican model (the state-nation) and its religious outcomes

There is a necessity to build a new republican regime in the Great Middle East, based on a broad sense of citizenship, on a respect for pluralism, and on re-evaluating difference as a positive element rather than as a threat. However, this re-building will succeed only when it is accompanied by a restoration of the religious space. The reformist national model is the best and most appropriate model for real situations within the current historical period. It is a model that is able to develop according to each society’s developmental and political experience.

Learning From The Socio-Religious Integration In Solor Village Indonesia

<p><em>The Indonesian nation with the motto “Bhineka Tunggal Ika” (Unity in Diversity) is a nation that believes in the beauty of pluralism as the primary model to build unity. Therefore, in building relationships that produce social integration, it should be characterized by acceptance and respect of pluralism and a willingness to learn from this pluralism. Unfortunately, the increasing number of conflicts results in the inability of society to tolerate differences, as seen in the nation’s self-identity becoming unstable. It is clear that the national identity needs to be reinforced through strategic steps that are systematic, clear-cut, and integrated, so that the national unity can be strongly united again. One of the ways to accomplish this is by learning from social integration that occurs in various locations in Indonesia. One such place is in Solor Village, Kupang. </em></p><em>In the midst of various conflicts that center on ethnic groups, race, religion, and class issues in Indonesia, the relationship between the indigenous people and newcomers in Solor Village offers an alternative for social integration that can occur in this “Unity in Diversity” nation. This is the focus of this research, which uses a descriptive-qualitative format to analyze social integration strategic issues between newcomers with different religious and cultural backgrounds from the native inhabitants of Solor Village. The research shows that Solor Village residents succeed in building a harmonious life because in facing multiculturalism, religious and cultural values play an important role.Harmonious life in Solor Village confirm that social integration that build on respect to pluralism is possible.</em>

The Internet and the Democratic Imagination: Deweyan Communication in the 21st Century

A culture which permits science to destroy traditional values but which distrusts its power to create new ones is a culture which is destroying itself.- John Dewey (1991, 172)Since its emergence as a serious subset of political theory in the 1980s, criticisms of deliberative democracy have generated an entire field of literature on their own. I argue that while deliberative theorists have anticipated and argued adequately against most agonistic and liberal critiques of deliberative democracy, they have failed to give a thorough account of an essential component of their theories: communication.While Dewey is not typically classified as a deliberative theorist, I argue that a more robust account of communication can be found in his work, which places aesthetic experience at the heart of communication, and which replaces consensus with confluence as the goal of communication/deliberation. Dewey's account of communication thus allows for a legitimate space for emotions in the deliberative process, which is crucial to unlocking previously excluded and marginalized claims. However, it would seem that Dewey's conception of communication is not only overly demanding, but archaic in the face of 'new' communicative technologies. I will argue that we need to understand communicative tools such as the Internet as a 'problematic situation', where Dewey's insights on communication, technology, and education converge to help us better understand how the Internet can be utilized as a tool for political deliberation and communication.Deliberative theorists diverge on how to achieve consensus, but they still see it as a key component of deliberation, and thus place great emphasis on how citizens can come to agreements through communication despite ethical and socio-economic differences. All deliberative theorists however, recognize that consensus is unrealistic in many political situations, and thus many like Cohen, suggest voting as a means of decision-making if consensus is unachievable. However, deliberative theorists argue that voting after deliberation ensures the vote is a result of reflective processes rather than arbitrary coincidence. Underpinning the ideal of consensus for all deliberative theorists are liberal values of equality, respect for plurality and the claim that authority should be legitimated through agreement rather than coercion. Deliberative theorists accept broadly liberal norms and ideals, but a large part of the dispute between deliberative theorists and other liberals lies in the question of legitimacy as framed theoretically by deliberative theorists.Criticisms of deliberative democracy can be categorized into three main groups: 1) theoretical weaknesses, 2) faulty epistemic assumptions and 3) practical impossibilities. The second and third groups have been dealt with substantively in the work of deliberative theorists such as John Dryzek, James Bohman, and Amy Gutmann. I will focus on the theoretical criticisms of deliberative theory. The main theoretical criticism of deliberative democracy is that it assumes an overly rationalist conception of the subject. Critics argue that the ideal of rational consensus is impossible to achieve, as individuals' moral and ethical identities are part and parcel of their selves, and to ask them to translate their moral and ethical beliefs into universal reasons acceptable to all individuals is to deny individual differences.1Agonistic theorists like Chantal Mouffe argue that deliberative democracy negates difference by presenting consensus as a regulative ideal. For Mouffe, deliberative democracy is politics without the political, which she defines as the dimension of antagonism that is inherent in all human society (2005, 745). Deliberative democracy, by positing that legitimacy rests on rationally motivated consensus, denies the possibility of acknowledging this antagonism that is inherent to any political situation or system. While Mouffe's insistence upon a metaphysical view of politics can be vague, a similar criticism can be seen in Beck's work. …

The Hijab controversy and French republicanism: Critical analysis and normative propositions

This paper addresses the political debates surrounding the adoption of the 2004 French law on religious signs using key concepts from political theory. The analysis of the arguments used to justify this law shows that the issue of the Islamic headscarf has recently been tackled by political elites through a symbolic framework influenced mainly by a communitarian version of republicanism. The paper then critically discusses three contemporary alternative ways of dealing with the issue of cultural diversity through Taylor's, Kymlicka's and Laborde's theories, respectively, and finally advocates a radical liberal approach more compatible with a respect for pluralism and a strict definition of individual rights.

As políticas de promoção da saúde e a questão dos lugares aprendentes

What is the power of a health promotion politcs if it does not take the risk of walking in a democratic participation way, involving health care professionals and local people in a reciprocity manner? Today we are historically facing two representations that cause serious disruptions. The first one separates experts and laymen; the second, deepens the gap between politicians (the elected) and the citizen. We should then propose a making together in order to create the debate, the confrontation, to build a common world. From the perspective of the individual who transforming himself, changes his own world of uncertainties, this article aims to address the question of the where the social action happens. How a can be a place of learning? How the participates of a collective action, as an expression of cultural identity and solidarity? A policy of health promotion can favorize the transforming action which proposes a exploration of the world based on learning, experimentation, deliberation and respect for plurality?

Of Fathers and Daughters – Biblical Studies as a Multi-Faith, Pluralist, Multi-Cultural Project

The essay argues that biblical studies is a unique area for inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue and enrichment. The biblical narratives provide sacred stories for at least three of the world religions. The paper explores Jewish, Christian and Islamic interpretations of the incident in Genesis 19 where Lot offers his daughters to the Sodomite mob and by comparing these interpretations highlights moral failings in the dominant Christian interpretive tradition. The essay argues that by recognising the biblical narratives as a multi-faith shared scripture, biblical studies can become grounded in principles of appreciation and respect for pluralism and diversity. These principles can be applied not only across traditions but also within traditions to ensure all voices have a chance to speak, especially those that might be silenced for not conforming to rigid orthodoxies including those based on gender, class, ethnicity, or sexuality.

BEYOND THE NATURE–CULTURE DUALISM: THE ECOLOGY OF EARTH-HOMELAND

Morin's thoughts on environmental destruction flow from the perspective of a metatheorist of political ecology. His early writings emphasize the interaction of nature and culture; his “acentric” interpretations of systems theory challenge ecological theorists who overemphasize centralized programming as a remedy for destructive patterns of subsystem interaction. Morin also criticizes defenders of “sustainable development” who fail to see system-renewing potential in cultural diversity. As an environmental metatheorist, he offers not rules for a new green ethic, but a way of thinking designed to enhance respect for pluralism, ambiguity, and natural complexity.

New directions: a South Asian perspective

The central challenge facing countries of the developing world such as Sri Lanka is how to reconcile ethnic and cultural diversity with the concept of mature and cohesive nationhood. This is especially so where a federation is created not by the traditional pattern of independent entities coming together, but by devolution from a unitary state to one involving power sharing. In such situations there arealways fears that federalism is a precursor of dismemberment or disintegration. What is needed is to reconcile competing objectives for a strong and effective centre and for recognition of cultural and ethnic diversity. This may require hybrid or quasi‐federal structures that do not fit neatly into unitary or federal categories. In attempting to achieve this reconciliation practicalities may require asymmetrical devolution, but this in turn may provoke emotional resistance to special or disparate treatment of particular minorities. Nor is devolution by itself sufficient. To be viable there must be suitable mechanisms to resolve intergovernmental disputes. Particularly important if confrontation and polarisation are to be minimised isemphasis upon compromise and proportionality and a public respect for pluralism, secularism, and representative democracy.

Values and Canadian health care: an Alberta exploration.

In March 1994, a health care conference was held in Edmonton, Alberta, at which the values of conference participants towards health care were systematically recorded and analysed. This exploration is significant because the values that underpin the structure of the current publicly-funded and administered Canadian health care system rarely enter current discussions regarding health care system reform. Rather, economic and other sociopolitical forces now seem to be having a major impact on plans and actual changes within the health care system. Thus, the underlying attitudes and beliefs of Canadians towards health care have not been articulated or given due credence. The conference participants identified three dominant values: (1) the dignity of the human person as an individual and social being; (2) respect for pluralism and difference; and (3) accountability. These values were found to be robust, in that they sustain a focus on the 'common good'. The common good is the core of the Canadian health care system, and is enshrined in the 1984 Canada Health Act. Conceptually, these values could also lead to significant changes in health care, in keeping with the common good, particularly those changes focusing on the current deficiencies of the Canadian health care system.

Physician-Assisted Suicide and the Profession's Gyrocompass

In recent years, a substantive ethic for the ends of medicine (one going beyond process values such as honesty) has often been taken for dead--as the scary fossil of Paternalosaurus Rx or the relic of Saint Hippocrates. Vital ethics has been autonomy centered, correcting the abuses of a silent clinician-patient relationship and its arrogant assumptions regarding the values that guide the healing encounter. Autonomy-based ethics, however, has long since moved from empowering persons to refuse or choose any therapy or experiment. It has become a comprehensive ethic in which individually or contractually defined norms for medicine supplant professionally grounded boundaries for medical practice. Miller and Brody's effort to understand how a substantive ethic of medical professionalism applies to physician-assisted suicide is admirable. A professional ethic is a gyrocompass pointing in a precalibrated direction. Ideally, it forces a prolonged testing of ideas that the present moment would otherwise too quickly accept. It is neither a dead letter nor a scriptural truth. It bears a message of moral reflection from the past and may properly be recalibrated in the evolving dialogue between the profession and the society that values it, about the profession's goals, accountability, and duties. It does not legislate. Constructing professional ethics is difficult in a modern society where internationalism, skepticism, and respect for pluralism are fundamental values. Even so, the influential ethic against physician participation in torture and on human subjects research demonstrates the vitality of these constructions. Amendments must be forged over time in response to the changing relationships between patients, clinicians, and society. A professional ethic neither trumps all countervailing claims nor capitulates to any state or powerful individual. Its balancing weight is not simply the force of present arguments or powers, but derives from the way the norms have been constructed in the history of the profession. This kind of ethic is cultivated as the prudential voice of a historical community.[1] It is created out of the values of the society, whose political powers it reflects. It speaks from its own practical experience in moral problem solving.[2] Brody and Miller argue that the exceptional practice of voluntary physician-assisted suicide can be compatible with physicians' professional integrity. To assess their claim, it is necessary to distinguish four different ways of relating a professional ethic to public permission for physician-assisted suicide. * Case 1: A person (who happens to be a physician) in an intimate relationship with a very ill person (perhaps her patient) uses medical knowledge or equipment to assist a suicide. * Case 2: A physician assists a patient with intractable suffering to commit suicide. * Care 3: Public policy is to grant persons the right and means to commit suicide under certain circumstances and permits physicians to assist in this act. * Case 4: Public policy grants physicians the exclusive authority to assist and supervise persons in the practice of licit suicide under certain circumstances. To the extent that Miller and Brody's discussion of professional integrity applies to Cases 1 and 2, few would disagree that the extraordinary accounts of clinicians who have administered or supplied drugs with the intention of ending a person's life should be listened to with a nuanced casuistry and empathic understanding. The present societal debate is about Cases 3 and 4. It shifts from retrospective understanding to prospective permission and from case-casuistry to general laws describing the powers of professions as regulated institutions. Oregon's new law, for example, defines the conditions under which physician-assisted suicide (and not nonphysician-assisted suicide) shall be deemed an unexceptional medical practice rather than one that is forgiven as an exceptional event. …

LO POLÍTICO EN EL PENSAMIENTO DE EMMANUEL LÉVINAS: UNA LECTURA DE TOTALIDAD E INFINITO

Este artículo explora las implicaciones políticas del pensamiento de Emmanuel Lévinas (1906-1995), a partir de una lectura de su obra Totalidad e Infinito. Se observa que todopensamiento e implicación política en Lévinas cuenta con un fundamento ético, que a suvez se configura a partir de la idea de Infinito y del Deseo metafísico de lo absolutamente Otro a que da lugar. El pensamiento de este filósofo de origen lituano nos invita arecuperar la humanidad y, en consecuencia, a no permitir que se instaure la inhumanidaden nuestras interacciones, desde una subjetividad capaz de hacerse cargo éticamente del Otro. Esto obliga a buscar estrategias concretas para instaurar en la cotidianidadrelaciones políticas de hospitalidad y respeto por la pluralidad. Partiendo de laperspectiva de una antropología de la fragilidad, no habría otro camino que poner encomún las fragilidades y, al hacerlo, procurar crear un mundo habitable entre-todos.