Title
The Pluralist Predicament: Contemporary Theorizing in the Law of Religious Freedom
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2004
Abstract
Religious pluralism is at once the cause of and a substantial impediment to theorizing about religious freedom. The purpose of theorizing in law is typically to impose order on an unruly collection of phenomena - of seemingly conflicting decisions, or doctrines, or legal arguments - and to do so by articulating and elaborating the foundational truths that govern the subject in question. In a condition of religious pluralism, however, theorists typically suppose that it is impermissible to appeal to contested religious beliefs. But these are the very beliefs that would provide the natural foundations for thinking about the proper relation between government and religion (and that at least until relatively recently did provide the foundations for such thinking). This essay, written to provide a succinct "state of the art" review of current approaches, describes and assesses the various ways in which modern theorists of religious freedom have addressed this fundamental difficulty.
Digital USD Citation
Smith, Steven Douglas, "The Pluralist Predicament: Contemporary Theorizing in the Law of Religious Freedom" (2004). Institute on Law and Philosophy. 91.
https://digital.sandiego.edu/law_philosophy_scholarship/91