Brian Leiter Why Tolerate Religion精品.pdfVIP

Zeitschrift für philosophische Literatur 1. 1 (2013), 93–100 Leiter, Brian: Why Tolerate Religion? Princeton: Princeton University Press 2012. 192 + xv Seiten [978-02] Reviewed by Martin Sticker, Universities of St Andrews and Stirling Brian Leiter’s new book aims to be accessible to scholars outside of philosophy as well as to “educated laypeople” (xi). In my view, he succeeds in this endeavour. His book is very readable, and avoids unnecessary technicalities. The question Leiter addresses in his book, “whether there is a moral reason to single out matters of religious conscience for special legal consideration and solicitude” (ix), is of interest not only to academic philosophers, but to everyone who is curious about questions concerning the societal function and role of religion, toleration, minority rights, and conscience. Leiter sets the stage as follows: Sikhs are in many jurisdictions exempt from laws banning weapons in schools. They can bring their ritual dagger – a symbol of their religious devotion. What if a boy for non-religious reasons wants to bring a dagger? Even if he can “appeal to a century-old tradition, central to his identity […] he is out of luck. The central puzzle in this book is why the state should have to tolerate exemptions from generally applicable laws when they conflict with religious obligations but not with any other equally serious obligations of conscience.” (3). Leiter begins chapter 1 by noting that, surprisingly, no one has been able to articulate “an argument that would explain why, as a matter of moral principle, we ought to accord special legal and moral treatment to religious practices” (7). Leiter is interes