Democracy on Purpose: Justice and the Reality of God

by Franklin I. Gamwell

Overview

Western moral and political theory in the last two centuries has widely held that morality and politics are independent of a divine reality. Claiming that this consensus is flawed, prominent theologian Franklin I. Gamwell argues that there is a necessary relation between moral worth and belief in God. Without appealing to the beliefs of any specific religion, Gamwell defends a return to the view that moral and political principles depend on a divine purpose.

To separate politics from the divine misrepresents the distinctive character of human freedom, Gamwell maintains, and thus prevents a full understanding of the nature of justice. Principles of justice define "democracy on purpose" as the political form in which we pursue the divine good.

Engaging in a dialogue with such major representatives of the dominant consensus as Kant, Habermas, and Rawls, and informed by the philosophical writings of Alfred North Whitehead, this book makes the case for a neoclassical metaphysics that restores a religious sensibility to our political life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781589013087
Publisher:	Georgetown University Press
Publication date:	10/12/2001
Series:	Moral Traditions series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	376
File size:	19 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Franklin I. Gamwell is professor of religious ethics at the University of Chicago Divinity School. His books include The Meaning of Religious Freedom: Modern Politics and the Democratic Resolution (SUNY Press, 1995) and The Divine Good: Modern Moral Theory and the Necessity of God (HarperCollins, 1990, and Southern Methodist University Press, 1996).

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

Part One: The Divine Purpose

1. The Freedom We Ourselves Are UnderstandingThe Understanding of Reality as SuchSelf-understandingOriginal Freedom

2. The Duplicity We May Choose Rebellion Against GodTemptationThe Radical ProblemSelf-assertionThe Fragmentary Sense of Worth

3. The Good We Should Pursue MetaphysicsWorthVirtue and HappinessTheismSummary

Appendix to Part One: On the Theistic Character of BeliefThe Pragmatic Character of BeliefsThe Implied Belief in God

Part Two: Justice

4. Democracy as a Formative Principle Social PracticesThe Necessity of Common DecisionsThe Practice of Communicative RespectThe Democratic AssociationConstitutional RightsFormative and Substantive Principles

5. Justice as CompoundThe Principle of Religious FreedomJustice as Separate: Universalist TheoriesUniversalist Theories in the ConstitutionUniversalist Theories in the DiscourseJustice as Separate: Nonuniversalist Theories

6. Justic as General Emancipation Our Maximal Common HumanityThe Principle of JusticeRefining the PrincipleThe Principles of JusticeJustice as TeleologicalThe Possibility of Justice

Appendix to Part Two: The Democratic Importance of Religion

Works Cited

Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Franklin Gamwell wrestles with giants. In weaving his powerful argument that democracy and justice must rest on a comprehensive theistic teleology, he engages critically but respectfully with Aquinas, Kant, Reinhold Niebuhr, Habermas, Apel and Rawls. Gamwell's resulting position is both intellectually and historically engaged."—Ronald M. Green, Dartmouth College

Ronald M. Green

Franklin Gamwell wrestles with giants. In weaving his powerful argument that democracy and justice must rest on a comprehensive theistic teleology, he engages critically but respectfully with Aquinas, Kant, Reinhold Niebuhr, Habermas, Apel and Rawls. Gamwell's resulting position is both intellectually and historically engaged.

Editorial Reviews

Democracy on Purpose succeeds in redeeming the claim that metaphysical theism is a necessary basis for political theory, and in showing that 'democracy depends on a divine purpose' favoring justice. This is a uniquely important contribution to political theory and an appropriate follow-up to his redemption of claims for the necessity of metaphysical theism in moral theology.

Journal of Religion

A most worthwhile addition to any college or university library.

Religious Studies Review

Franklin Gamwell wrestles with giants. In weaving his powerful argument that democracy and justice must rest on a comprehensive theistic teleology, he engages critically but respectfully with Aquinas, Kant, Reinhold Niebuhr, Habermas, Apel and Rawls. Gamwell's resulting position is both intellectually and historically engaged.

Ronald M. Green

Democracy on Purpose succeeds in redeeming the claim that metaphysical theism is a necessary basis for political theory, and in showing that 'democracy depends on a divine purpose' favoring justice. This is a uniquely important contribution to political theory and an appropriate follow-up to his redemption of claims for the necessity of metaphysical theism in moral theology.

Journal of Religion

"A most worthwhile addition to any college or university library."—Religious Studies Review

"Democracy on Purpose succeeds in redeeming the claim that metaphysical theism is a necessary basis for political theory, and in showing that 'democracy depends on a divine purpose' favoring justice. This is a uniquely important contribution to political theory and an appropriate follow-up to his redemption of claims for the necessity of metaphysical theism in moral theology."—Journal of Religion

From the Publisher