Integral Pluralism: Beyond Culture Wars - Paperback

by Fred Dallmayr (Author)

In addition to war, terrorism, and unchecked military violence, modernity is also subject to less visible but no less venomous conflicts. Global in nature, these "culture wars" exacerbate the tensions between tradition and innovation, virtue and freedom. Internationally acclaimed scholar Fred Dallmayr charts a course beyond these persistent but curable dichotomies in Integral Pluralism: Beyond Culture Wars. Consulting diverse fields such as philosophy, literature, political science, and religious studies, Dallmayr equates modern history with a process of steady pluralization. This process, which Dallmayr calls "integral pluralism," requires new connections and creates ethical responsibilities.

Dallmayr critically compares integral pluralism against the theories of Carl Schmitt, the Religious Right, international "realism," and so-called political Islam. Drawing on the works of James, Heidegger, Gadamer, and Merleau-Ponty, Integral Pluralism offers sophisticated and carefully researched solutions for the conflicts of the modern world.

Front Jacket

Our age is characterized by war, terrorism, and unchecked military violence, but the modern world also contends with other conflicts that are less visible, yet no less virulent. Cultural, religious, and socioeconomic oppositions, or "culture wars," are global in nature and exacerbate tensions between tradition and modernity, as well as between civic virtue and freedom.

Internationally acclaimed scholar Fred Dallmayr investigates these enduring but curable dichotomies in Integral Pluralism: Beyond Culture Wars. Equating modern history with a process of steady pluralization, Dallmayr proposes a new process of "integral pluralism," which requires new connections and creates ethical responsibilities. Philosophy, political science, religion, and other diverse fields guide this in-depth analysis of pivotal cultural issues, including the conflict between secularism and religious faith and the quest for peace and justice.

Integral Pluralism: Beyond Culture Wars provides a comprehensive view of modern culture wars by analyzing several interrelated themes, including the concept of the political, political theology, and post-secular religion. Each of these themes sheds light on the complexity of cultural conflicts and evokes the need for integral pluralism. The author argues that only by revising the world's understanding of pluralism as radical fragmentation can society hope for more peaceful development.

Critically comparing integral pluralism against the theories of Carl Schmitt, the Religious Right, international "realism," and so-called political Islam and drawing, on the works of William James, Martin Heidegger, Hans-Georg Gadamer, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Dallmayr offers pathways beyond the ingrained conflicts of our time. He also revisits the work of Gandhi as an example of integral pluralism in practice. Novel in its insights and accessible in tone, Integral Pluralism promotes the peaceful coexistence of different cultures.

Author Biography

Fred Dallmayr, Emeritus Packey J. Dee Professor of Political Science at Notre Dame University, is the author or editor of numerous books, including In Search of the Good Life: A Pedagogy for Troubled Times.