Religion, Intolerance, and Conflict: A Scientific and Conceptual Investigation

Clarke, S., Powell, R. and Savulescu, J., (Eds.) (2013). 'Religion, Intolerance, and Conflict: A Scientific and Conceptual Investigation' (Oxford: OUP)

 

 

 

 

The relationship between religion, intolerance and conflict has been the subject of intense discussion, particularly in the wake of the events of 9-11 and the ongoing threat of terrorism. This book contains original papers written by some of the world's leading scholars in anthropology, psychology, philosophy, and theology exploring the scientific and conceptual dimensions of religion and human conflict.

Authors investigate the following themes: the role of religion in promoting social cohesion and the conditions under which it will tend to do so; the role of religion in enabling and exacerbating conflict between different social groups and the conditions under which it will tend to do so; and the policy responses that we may be able to develop to ameliorate violent conflict and the limits to compromise between different religions. The book also contains two commentaries that distill, synthesize and critically evaluate key aspects of the individual chapters and central themes that run throughout the volume.

The volume will be of great interest to all readers interested in the phenomenon of religious conflict and to academics across a variety of disciplines, including religious studies, philosophy, psychology, theology, cognitive science, anthropology, politics, international relations, and evolutionary biology.

Reviews

"The book is exemplary in that it successfully brings together a variety of diverse intellectual positions regarding a rather difficult and extremely relevant question, namely, whether religion is a force for the promotion of tolerance or intolerance." (John Friday, The Heythrop Journal)

"A superb book, full of high-quality contributions that provide both an introduction for newcomers and a state-of-the-art handbook for specialists in these important debates." (George Crowder, Politics and Religion)