Nussbaums The New Religious Intolerance - Book Report/Review Example

Nussbaum’s The New Religious Intolerance A Paper Submitted to In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Course (Course) Nussbaum’s The New Religious Intolerance Introduction The society is sometimes affected by vices such as inequality based on sex stereotypes, ethnic, originality, economic and social status. This was despite the common knowledge that the practice is erroneous. Inequality degrades understanding in various societal aspects including interpersonal, of intra- and interactions among members of society and the established institutions. The discussions equality in the liberal theory made Nussbaum’s expression in her capability approach to religious intolerance. Moreover, civil liberties are crucial factors that determine citizen participation in the decision making process. Some political philosophers argue that a country requires a constructive platform for social democracy in order to achieve socioeconomic development. This calls for resolution of disputes amicably and minimal interferences in the dealings of other religions. According to Nussbaum (2012), fear is "more narcissistic than other emotions”. She alleges that genuine concerns become indistinct, hence steer policies biased against the one dissimilar from us. Conquering fanaticism calls for elaborate use of universal values of respect for ethics. Further, she challenges the public to uphold freedom of religious beliefs that play a significant role in creating an enduring society. Literature Review Nussbaum (2012) asserts that fear is the chief reason behind intolerant reactions. By examining the literature from fields such as philosophy, history, and literature, Nussbaum helps in generating crucial information on attaining a more equitable, imaginative and free society1. She asserts that egocentric individuals behind the blanket of ignorance would prefer certain principles of justice as a way of organizing a society2. The principle of equal liberty maintains that every individual has an equal right to the broad autonomy. This principle seeks to merge the ethics of equality, individual autonomy, and obligations. It is regarded as a better ideal compared to harsh social equality since it gives a fairer opinion on what constitutes inequality-reflecting disparities in preference. The second principle is the difference principle that asserts that socioeconomic disparities should be planned to make it beneficial to less-privileged people while opening up equal opportunities for all. In the egalitarian ideals, liberties are allocated equally to all people. Additionally, he argued that it would be correct that each time societal structures persuade these ideals, victims oblige as long as they are free and fair. By supporting the universal principles, the society sets the foundation for religious tolerance in a country. Individuals who have cognitive disabilities need to be treated equal and with respect like the normal human beings. Martha Nussbaum gave an elaborate and overwhelming critique on the social convention regarding religious and political intolerance. She argued that the social contract gave an inadequate insight of justice, particularly on non-citizens3. She argues that non-citizens could not be a part of social contracts that are created for mutual benefits. In addition, they represent themselves adequately in negotiations designed for rational mediators. Nature seeks to increase both wellbeing and justice among the people. This ideology should be measured in the framework of the notion of humankind, which shows minimal prudence of the effects of an individual’s actions. Nussbaum argues that the religious tolerance should be absolutism since it institutes an executive authority where all citizens vote for or against one whom they do not agree4. She examines the organization and significance local government. Most of the decisions made and implemented in local authority have a great impact on the lives of the citizens. In view of this, the administrator establishes various units to help in the management of the affairs. Ideally, the decisions are made by conducting elections, consultations with stakeholders or through a strategic plan. Local authorities or organizations seeking to regain a competitive edge need to identify the challenges and execute fundamental strategies in the administration of their affairs. The success of both the individual or organizational level is dependent on the process of decision-making as well as the social environment5. Every individual has unique dreams and goals to pursue future success, which require practical actions and strategies along with different knowledge and skills to realize the full potential. She openly rubbishes the right to create a rebellion against the legitimate administration especially when such an establishment leads to humanity and moral liberation. These historically appropriate combined instruments were republican states where social clusters played a critical responsibility. The fear to fail is evident in most of the institutions; hence, some engage in quire behaviors that are against the universal principles. The radical process that reflects political establishment reforms the limits of political viability and acts as a learning stage for future political engagements. According to B. Jowett, “one citizen differs from another, but the salvation of the community is a common business for all”6. Political institutions should represent social and economic interests of the wider community as well as acting as centres of deliberations. These structures are supposed to help enforce separation of power, policy formulation, and implementation. It is important to note that political institutions highly influence how the political actors and the citizens behave in a country. The manifestations of politics emerge so inevitable and natural that we often forget they are the product of deliberate decisions by governments. It narrows the potential range of policy responses, undermines the capacity of sovereign national states to respond autonomously to the demands of their citizenry thereby weakening the legitimacy of traditional political intermediaries and state authorities. These new arrangements promote the diffusion of new values of good governance, human rights, institutional structures, policy formulation, and democracy7. Social, religious, and cultural factors are important and necessary components for the realization of the goals set out in the community. Such social changes led to the adaptation of new styles of working, living standards, cultural practices, and religion. The religion came into being as an innovative and dynamic force, departing completely in the essential matter of the belief it professed. Oneness of people, responsibility to perform good acts and to practice fairness and integrity is a duty for all. They hold a common agenda as well as create social norms through endorsing particular social behaviors. The unfavorable social conditions that frequently occurred were addressed through certain religious procedures8. Through perseverance, they are able to make decisions that an individual makes every day not to give up. It involved going through difficulties without complaining since they trusted on the help from their principles. Life is full of temptations and suffering at times. Once one believes in their principles, they are able to start a completely new life with lesser challenges. Moreover, country’s legal provision should spell out the cultural, economic, political, and social approach ties with other countries. The authorities have championed for entrenchment of standard values in the governance structures of nations. This received great attention from countries practicing capitalism while others have incorporated them into their political and social dissertation. Nonetheless, there is a perception by some analysts that some countries were taking advantage of poor countries through their capitalism approach since they could not withstand the international economic and political controls9. In a socioeconomic setting, governments play a pivotal role in harnessing the creativity of the nationals, their businesses, and the economy in general. Both the independence and the resulting end of imperialism in major countries were able to end fragmentation experienced in some regions due to poor governance. According to Marx, class and standards are an important area in the examination of human relations and its importance. The basic principle of human rights upholds all people equally. The issue of the guidelines to be adopted in human rights has been controversial because of the differing policies, culture, and beliefs in the society. Nussbaum stipulated that the human dignity be respected including other necessities of life10. Additionally, discrimination may cause high poverty levels in the country because of the poor policies and implementation of the government, high incidences of corruption and impunity, skewed distribution of country’s wealth, scarce resources, and poor investment opportunities. This leads to conflicts as people try to share the little they have, but matters gets worse when certain parties are not satisfied. Violation of human rights is normally experienced because of social differences such as race, religion, and class, political differences and natural resources11. Political discrimination is common in areas that have bad leadership and differences in political opinions, which extends when voting leaders in the country. Those participating in political violence are either for or against the advancement of necessary changes likely to take place in the country. Citizenship has firm legal and democratic implication, which is bound in rights and requirements in giving allegiance to an independent country that has the power retained by the public. Aristotle argued that citizenship argues that people will always seek to take into account multiple causes of behavioral, social, and emotional issues and the reciprocal nature of the relationships between causes and effects. Additionally, they overcome existing political, social, and economic issues among nations12. Citizenship promotes the advancement of human culture through which permit programs such as language exchanges and cultural exhibitions to enhance our understanding of the variety of people worldwide. The stability of power should be strongly institutionalized with public policy decision making where the citizens are able to participate in the affairs of the country. The stability in a country is dependent of the political culture that encourages collaborative governance while discouraging the rapid policy shifts. This approach has led to the adoption of these values and philosophies in other nations. It is a requirement for all nations to promote coexistence within own nation13. This ensures that a country has good relations with their neighbors. Currently, the traditional attachment between the citizen and a country are sneering. These values and norms are being replaced by disjointed allegiance, which have taken root due to emerging political models, globalization, and regional integrations. Nonetheless, Aristotle maintained that citizenship is more be being born in place or enjoying the same economic benefits. The harassment of the minority groups in France and Crown of Aragon during the 14th century. The violent acts directed to Jews, lepers and Muslims were largely committed the majority communities who had great influence in the affairs of the society. These incidences reflected the acts of intolerance in France and Aragona. Nonetheless, Nirenberg argues that the attacks during the Middle Ages were different. The violent attacks in France involved massacre, harassment and verbal attacks. The use of violence reflected the complicated values in areas such as religion, sex and money. As a result, the Jews had the fear of the majority groups thus could not participate in the decision making process or other political engagements14. There were massive discussions on equal rights, which had affected the society for a long time. The minority groups found it increasing difficult to demean their identity and consequently adopt the Western culture. Moreover, there was massive prosecution and harassment of the Jewish population and the segregation of the lepers who were considered unfit in the society. The actions were primarily seen as unrelated and separate incidences in the medieval society15. The author asserts that these acts of violence cannot be treated separately since the trend was common in the European societies during this period. During this period, equality was an enthralling idea to put into effect. The majority of members of the society saw the minority groups undeserving citizens. Conclusion From the above assessment, it is evident that Nussbaum’s approach on the capabilities approach offers important literature to disprove most of the theory of justice. This helped in strengthening justice and political processes, thus brought a new order in politics. The overall connection on the traditional way of life made people live harmoniously along with newly introduced practices. Notably, the community built new societies by integrating ideas that undoubtedly had a universal appeal to all people. Modernity disagreed with some practices because equality among the society has resulted in positive changes experienced in the world for some decades. The associations involving cultural and political aspects were approached from the outlook of politics with the intentions to explain the international relations setting. Moreover, adjustment of the freedom of expression is an important component in the societal structures. Without citizenship, possessions, or education, citizens will not be guaranteed equal rights in the society. List of References Alexander, John M. Capabilities and social justice : the political philosophy of Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum. Burlington: Ashgate Pub., 2008. Alkire, Sabina. Valuing freedoms : Sen's capability approach and poverty reduction. Oxford : Oxford Univ. Press, 2005. Freeman, Samuel. "Frontiers of Justice: The Capabilities Approach vs. Contractarianism." Texas Law Review, 2006: 385-430. Nussbaum, Martha C. The new religious intolerance : overcoming the politics of fear in an anxious age. Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2012. Nussbaum, Martha Craven. The clash within : democracy, religious violence, and India's future. Cambridge : Belknap Press of Harvard University, 2008. Otto, Hans-Uwe, and Holger Ziegler. Education, welfare and the capabilities approach : a European perspective. Opladen : Barbara Budrich, 2010. Read More