To build a composite nation with a rich plurality of cultures that are not in perpetual conflict requires more than the economic development of local communities. It requires that we embrace a spirit of civility toward ways of life that may not be our own. We lose little – and typically gain much – by respecting the diverse faiths, traditions, and philosophies of communities even if we do not wish to adopt them or advocate that they become part of our national culture. A spirit of civility for the life journey of our fellow citizens goes beyond Rawls’s demand of a duty of civility whereby we must provide reasons and empirical data based on a shared public framework that others can accept to justify our political positions.
It asks that we also respect what gives meaning to their life – even if that is different from our own understanding of the world. It calls on us to root for their flourishing as they define it provided their worldview is consistent with the first principles of justice, not a significant imposition, and neither violates our deep commitments nor constitutes something that we detest. We take joy in observing, or even sometimes partaking in,…
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