Religion and Politics: Adding a Definition of Religion to John Rawls and Richard Rorty
Date of Graduation
Spring 2005
Degree
Master of Arts in Religious Studies
Department
Religious Studies
Committee Chair
Robert P. Jones
Abstract
Empirical evidence has shown that the public presence of religion has increased both in the United States and abroad. This fact, combined with the events of September 11th, has made the question of the substance and function of religion an increasingly important one. Many political theorists, however, have yet to incorporate into their theories adequate theories of religion because they implicitly accept the Enlightenment critique of religion and the robust secularization theory that developed from it. In this thesis, I explicate the definition of religion developed by religious studies scholar Bruce Lincoln and apply it to the work of political liberal John Rawls and pragmatist Richard Rorty. I argue that an adequate conceptualization of religion is vital to the field of political theory if it hopes to keep up with the unfolding events of the current time.
Keywords
liberalism, pragmatism, secularization, Bruce Lincoln, John Rawls, Richard Rorty
Subject Categories
Religion
Copyright
© Mary Brune
Recommended Citation
Brune, Mary, "Religion and Politics: Adding a Definition of Religion to John Rawls and Richard Rorty" (2005). MSU Graduate Theses. 2054.
https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/2054
Dissertation/Thesis
