Separating Religion

Imagine your ideal society

• What would it be like?

• How would it be organized?

• Why?

Liberalism

• Public / private

• Individual rights

• Democratic societies

• Secular government

John Rawls (1921-2002)

Comprehensive Doctrines

"conceptions of what is of value in human

life, and ideals of personal character, as well

as ideals of friendship and of familial and

associational relationships, and much else

that is to inform our conduct, and in the limit

to our life as a whole.”

Comprehensive Doctrines

Shorter Definition:

Beliefs, values, ideals, and other things

meant to inform our conduct and our life as

a whole.

Rawls’ Political Liberalism

• Freestanding

– Does not rely on “comprehensive doctrines”

(like religion)

Rawls’ Political Liberalism

• Public sphere defined by “public reason”

– Derived from the “veil of ignorance” of the

“original position”

– Reasons derived from comprehensive

doctrines are not allowed

– Rawls ideal example of the public sphere is

the courts.

Rawls’ Political Liberalism

• Justice found in “overlapping consensus.”

– Shared public reason despite pluralism of

comprehensive doctrines

• e.g. Tea Party & Environmentalists

Two Problems With Rawls

1. Split-identity Objection

2. Asymmetry objection

Split-identity Objection

1. Religious citizens have to have two

reasons for their positions

– Public non-comprehensive reason

– Private comprehensive doctrine

• “duty of civility”

Split-identity Objection

2. Religious citizens must split themselves

into non-public and public selves

• Split in moral identity:1. Political conception of justice

2. Comprehensive doctrine

The Asymmetry Objection

1. Public reason unfairly excludes some

comprehensive doctrines and not others.

– Non-liberal comprehensive doctrines not

admissible

– Liberal comprehensive doctrines treated as

neutral

The Asymmetry Objection

2. Religious or non-liberal citizens

constrained by public reason more than

non-religious liberal citizens.

– Liberal political values from liberal

comprehensive doctrines more easily

accepted

– Religious citizens must allows for reasonable

disagreement.

Two Objections: Summary

1. Split-identity:

Religious citizens have to split into

public/private selves.

2. Asymmetry:

Public reason is harder on religious citizens.