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Stout’s Democracy without Secularism: But is it a Tradition?

Stout’s Democracy without Secularism: But is it a Tradition? Contemporary Pragmatism Vol. 3, No. 1 (June 2006), 85­104 Editions Rodopi © 2006 This article critiques Jeffrey Stout's suggestion in Democracy and Tradition that the practice of critical democratic questioning itself forms part of a historically unique secular tradition. While the practice of democratic questioning makes a valuable contribution to the project of fostering an "enlarged mentality" among the adherents of any particular tradition, Stout's contention that this practice itself points to the existence of a substantive tradition, one that stands apart from and is not reliant upon the moral sources of the traditions it engages, remains problematic. 1. Freedom, Constraint by Norms, and Faith "Freedom," Jeffrey Stout tells us in Democracy and Tradition, "is a kind of constraint by norms." In saying this, he is nodding his head toward those theologians and thinkers like Stanley Hauerwas, who emphasize the essential role that tradition, in particular the Christian religious tradition, plays in maintaining the commitments, institutions, and practices through which its members are able to acquire excellent skills, virtuous habits, and good characters. It is in the space created by such traditional constraints, Stout says, that people become free to do most things that are worthwhile doing. "These http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Contemporary Pragmatism Brill

Stout’s Democracy without Secularism: But is it a Tradition?

Contemporary Pragmatism , Volume 3 (1): 85 – Apr 21, 2006

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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© Copyright 2006 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
1572-3429
eISSN
1875-8185
DOI
10.1163/18758185-90000034
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Contemporary Pragmatism Vol. 3, No. 1 (June 2006), 85­104 Editions Rodopi © 2006 This article critiques Jeffrey Stout's suggestion in Democracy and Tradition that the practice of critical democratic questioning itself forms part of a historically unique secular tradition. While the practice of democratic questioning makes a valuable contribution to the project of fostering an "enlarged mentality" among the adherents of any particular tradition, Stout's contention that this practice itself points to the existence of a substantive tradition, one that stands apart from and is not reliant upon the moral sources of the traditions it engages, remains problematic. 1. Freedom, Constraint by Norms, and Faith "Freedom," Jeffrey Stout tells us in Democracy and Tradition, "is a kind of constraint by norms." In saying this, he is nodding his head toward those theologians and thinkers like Stanley Hauerwas, who emphasize the essential role that tradition, in particular the Christian religious tradition, plays in maintaining the commitments, institutions, and practices through which its members are able to acquire excellent skills, virtuous habits, and good characters. It is in the space created by such traditional constraints, Stout says, that people become free to do most things that are worthwhile doing. "These

Journal

Contemporary PragmatismBrill

Published: Apr 21, 2006

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