My book Civil Disagreement: Personal Integrity in a Pluralistic Society helps readers cope with diversity and conflicts in ways that allow them to be true to their convictions while being appropriately open to those who disagree. The first chapter discusses conversations, arguments, and civility while explaining that when we converse with each other in civil and open-minded ways we may find some common ground but are just as likely to become clearer about how deep and wide our differences are. The second chapter sorts out different senses of pluralism, argues for a “perspective pluralism” that embraces a relativism about what is reasonable to believe but not a relativism about truth, and helps readers think in nuanced ways about such issues as religious pluralism, intellectual humility, and skepticism. The third chapter clarifies what is meant by toleration and intolerance and addresses the issue of when we should tolerate or even cooperate with actions or practices that flow from views we regard as wrong (whether or not we respect these views as reasonable). It considers how various combinations of toleration, cooperation, and respect (and their opposites) can be used in civil disagreement and thereby helps readers understand how they can be open-minded toward differing viewpoints without embracing a broad-minded approval of them. The final chapter applies these ideas to political issues that arise in a pluralistic and liberal democracy, issues such as disagreement in the public square about laws and legislators and disagreement about whether and how to accommodate dissident groups.
Edward Langerak
St Olaf College