Religious Pluralism Audio: Recent Episodes
Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs
In a world with tremendous diversity of beliefs, what is the best way for us to live together? This collection examines the condition of plurality--the fact that human beings have different, and sometimes conflicting, belief systems--and the ways in which human beings have tried to live harmoniously while retaining their differences.
"It's going on 20 years that Indonesia has been engaged in a very important experiment, which is to create a democracy in a Muslim-majority place," explains journalist and scholar Margaret Scott. In this valuable interview, she untangles the complex relationships between various factions of Islam and politics in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.
In this lively, learned, and funny talk, leading U.S. expert on Tibetan Buddhism Robert Thurman riffs off the Dalai Lama's secular ethics project, laying out the theory--and science--of karma and why it's important for all of us to learn to be more compassionate and other-directed. After all, it's a form of enlightened self-interest.
The United States' problem is the presumption of individualism, which is deeply resented and resisted in most of the world, except in some parts of Western Europe. Until we get over that, we are not going to be able to engage with international issues, because we are unaware of how deeply unacceptable our default position is to all those other communities.
Jordanian diplomat and scholar Marwan Muasher surveys the situation across the Arab world. He sees reasons for optimism in the long run, particularly in Tunisia, and makes a passionate call for pluralism, which he says is essential for democracy and prosperity.
Philosopher A.C. Grayling has created a non-religious Bible that draws from the wealth of secular literature and philosophy in both Western and Eastern traditions. Whatever your beliefs, you will find food for thought in this wise and witty talk.
More than half of the world's Muslims and Christians live along the tenth parallel in Africa or in Asia. How do these two great intersecting faiths interact?
Robert Wright's astute analysis uses game theory: a religion that sees itself in a zero-sum relationship with outsiders will prove exclusionist and violent, while a religion that sees itself in a non-zero-sum relationship will adjust its theology accordingly. What does this mean for the future?
Focusing on Muslims in Europe, Ian Buruma argues that religions (including Islam) and liberal democracies are compatible, despite many peoples' fears. Democracy allows space for religion as long as believers obey their society's laws.
Dutch Minister for European Affairs Frans Timmermans argues that tolerance and the attitude of "live and let live" is no longer enough. He notes that our goal must be integration, which means increasing the interactiveness between communities.
Mark Lilla notes that "it's not contemporary Islam that's the exception", but, "we are the exception. We live on the other shore from those who see political theology as the only way of life, and we need to drop the illusion that we share a common vocabulary."
Professor Michael Sandel argues that there is an allergy among liberals to using substantive moral, and even religious arguments in politics. Yet, he notes, "it's often not possible, and in any case not desirable, to separate political argument from moral and religious argument."
Princeton Professor Robert Wuthnow asks whether we are willing to do the hard work required to achieve genuine religious diversity and understanding.