Habermas and Theology

How can the world's religious traditions debate within the public sphere? In this book, Nicholas Adams shows the importance of Habermas' approaches to this question. The full range of Habermas' work is considered, with detailed commentary on the more difficult texts. Adams energetically rebuts some of Habermas' arguments, particularly those which postulate the irrationality or stability of religious thought. Members of different religious traditions need to understand their own ethical positions as part of a process of development involving ongoing disagreements, rather than a stable unchanging morality. Public debate additionally requires learning each other's patterns of disagreement. Adams argues that rather than suspending their deep reasoning to facilitate debate, as Habermas suggests, religious traditions must make their reasoning public, and that 'scriptural reasoning' is a possible model for this. Habermas overestimates the stability of religious traditions. This book offers a more realistic assessment of the difficulties and opportunities they face.

Reviews & endorsements

"Habermas and Theology is an important contribution to the philosophical discussion of religion....Adams deals with a difficult author as well as some of the most difficult issues in philosophy, and the result is a rich, rewarding and important book....This valuable book should be of the greatest interest to everyone interested in the relation of philosophy to theology."
Lucien J. Richard, Catholic Library World

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Product details

• Date Published: June 2006
• format: Hardback
• isbn: 9780521862660
• length: 278 pages

• dimensions: 216 x 140 x 17 mm
• weight: 0.47kg
• availability: Available