"My Kingdom is not from this World”: Ronald Dworkin and the Challenge of Religion
ABSTRACT:The paper is a dialogue with Dworkin’s posthumous book, Religion Without God. Firstly, I intend to reconstruct accurately Dworkin’s argument in the book and in other recent writings, then I try to scrutinize how the dworkinian idea of a general right to ethical independence, instead of a sp...
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| Format: | article |
| Status: | Published version |
| Publication Date: | 2020 |
| Country: | Brasil |
| Institution: | Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) |
| Repository: | Teoria Jurídica Contemporânea |
| Language: | Portuguese |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:www.revistas.ufrj.br:article/26738 |
| Online Access: | https://revistas.ufrj.br/index.php/rjur/article/view/26738 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | Ronald Dworkin; Religion; Religious freedom; Robert George; Fundamental rights Teoria do Direito, Direito Constitucional, Filosofia Política Ronald Dworkin; Religião; Liberdade Religiosa; Robert George; Direitos Fundamentais Filosofia do Direito |
| Summary: | ABSTRACT:The paper is a dialogue with Dworkin’s posthumous book, Religion Without God. Firstly, I intend to reconstruct accurately Dworkin’s argument in the book and in other recent writings, then I try to scrutinize how the dworkinian idea of a general right to ethical independence, instead of a special right to religious freedom, would apply in a concrete situation. Secondly, I analyze two objections that religious conservatives might advance against Dworkin’s liberal project. The first objection claims that the author unsuitably imports to religion a distinction between fact and value that is typical of philosophy, but not of religiosity. The second objection affirms that religion is a basic good of reflexive character, and not something individualistic as Dworkin defends. My conclusion is that religious freedom is a problem that demands a political solution, and that perhaps the most respectful position towards religion would recognize that some parts of it might be sacrificed in the name of other values we believe important. |
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