Integral Pluralism: Beyond Culture Wars

Fred Dallmayr

Mar 2010 · University Press of Kentucky

About this ebook

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 Òculture warsÓ 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 Òintegral pluralism,Ó requires new connections and creates ethical responsibilities. Dallmayr critically compares integral pluralism against the theories of Carl Schmitt, the Religious Right, international Òrealism,Ó 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.

About the author

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. He lives in South Bend, Indiana.