Liberty of Conscience: In Defense of America's Tradition of Religious Equality

Forside
Basic Books, 5. feb. 2008 - 406 sider
In one of the great triumphs of the colonial and Revolutionary periods, the founders of the future United States overcame religious intolerance in favor of a constitutional order dedicated to fair treatment for peopleÕs deeply held conscientious beliefs. It granted equal liberty of conscience to all and took a firm stand against religious establishment. This respect for religious difference, acclaimed scholar Martha Nussbaum writes, formed our democracy. Yet today there are signs that this legacy is misunderstood. The prominence of a particular type of Christianity in our public life suggests the unequal worth of citizens who hold different religious beliefs, or no beliefs. Other people, meanwhile, seek to curtail the influence of religion in public life in a way that is itself unbalanced and unfair. Such partisan efforts, Nussbaum argues, violate the spirit of our Constitution. Liberty of Conscience is a historical and conceptual study of the American tradition of religious freedom. Weaving together political history, philosophical ideas, and key constitutional cases, this is a rich chronicle of an ideal of equality that has always been central to our history but is now in serious danger.
 

Innhold

Introduction
1
Living Together
34
Proclaiming Equality
72
The Struggle Over Accommodation
115
Fearing Strangers
175
The Establishment Clause
224
Aid to Sectarian Schools
273
CONTEMPORARY CONTROVERSIES
306
CONCLUSION
354
Notes
369
Index
395
Opphavsrett

Andre utgaver - Vis alle

Vanlige uttrykk og setninger

Om forfatteren (2008)

Martha C. Nussbaum holds appointments in the Philosophy Department, Law School, and Divinity School at the University of Chicago. She is the author of thirteen previous books. Her Cultivating Humanity won the 2002 Grawemeyer Award for Education. She holds thirty honorary degrees from universities around the world. She lives in Chicago and Cambridge.

Bibliografisk informasjon