The Evolution of Religious Tolerance

Since the deadly string of terrorist attacks led by Muslim extremists in the early part of this decade, the idea that “the West” and “the Muslim world” are locked in a potentially existential clash has become commonplace. But is this true? And even if it’s not, the dangerous perception that it does remains. If this perception is a mistake, what explains it? The history of the West itself is a history of violent religious conflict and the largely successful attempt to overcome it. How did that happen? How do we ever get past sectarian differences and start getting along?

In this month’s Cato Unbound we’re tackling these crucial issues head-on, beginning with an excerpt from Robert Wright’s newest big-think book The Evolution of God on the role of moral imagination in the possibility of religious tolerance and social cooperation. We’ve assembled an all-star, interdisciplinary cast to comment on Wright’s essay and to provide their own take on these profound questions, including: University of Sydney philosopher Richard Joyce, author of The Evolution of Morality; Timur Kuran, Professor of Economics and Political Science & Gorter Family Professor of Islamic Studies at Duke University; and Berkeley religious historian Jonathan Sheehan, author of The Enlightenment Bible.

As always, Cato Unbound readers are encouraged to take up our themes, and enter into the conversation on their own websites, blogs, and even in good old-fashioned bound publications. Trackbacks are enabled. Cato Unbound will scour the web for the best commentary on our monthly topic, and, with permission, publish it alongside our invited contributors. We also welcome your letters. (Send them to jkuznicki at cato.org.)