Pluralism and the Roots of Social Conflict: Rethinking Rawls

Abstract

Attempts to refine or update definitions of pluralism in political theology and philosophy often, implicitly or explicitly, entail an account of the roots of social conflict, which pluralism is meant to address. Using the influential work of John Rawls as a starting point I further investigate the idea that the root of social conflict stems from competing beliefs systems. I conclude that Rawls’s account of social conflict is insufficiently complex, intersectional, or historicist, and his theory of pluralism and his treatment of religion suffer because of this.

Keywords

• Pluralism
• John Rawls
• political theology
• political philosophy
• liberal democracy
• social contract