At the center of pluralistic societies like the United States is
the question of how to make broadly consensual social policy in
light of the different moral values held by a heterogeneous
population varying in ethnicity, sexual identity, religion, and
political belief. In" Thick Moralities, Thin Politics" Benjamin
Gregg develops a new approach to dealing with conflicting values in
the policymaking process. Arguing that public policy suffers when
politics are laden with moral doctrines, Gregg contends that
"thickly" moral public philosophies cannot be the basis of a
successful political process. He offers a "thin" model of political
decision-making which brackets moral questions (within the public
sphere), deliberately working around them whenever possible--not
toward political consensus, but rather the more realistic goal of
mutual accommodation.
"Thick Moralities, Thin Politics" grapples with the work of
theorists from both sides of the Atlantic, including Jurgen
Habermas, Anthony Giddens, and Niklas Luhmann, as well as George
Herbert Mead, Erving Goffman, and Harold Garfinkel. Gregg develops
a model of validity for arguments made in the public sphere, for
understanding among competing worldviews, and for adjudicating
disputes generated by normative differences. He applies his theory
of politics to specific issues of contemporary social life,
including those relating to the place of women, minorities, and
multiculturalism in American and European society today. He also
addresses the scientific study of religion, issues of legal
interpretation, and the critique of ideology, in each case
illuminating how different epistemic systems, as well as competing
value systems, can achieve some understanding of one another. Gregg
demonstrates, ultimately, that thin politics actually further,
rather than reduce, citizens' engagement in the political
process.
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