This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Brudney, D. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

On Noncoercive Establishment

University of Chicago

In this essay, I raise the question of whether some degree of noncoercive state support for religious conceptions(broadly understood) should be left to the majoritarian branch of government. I argue that the reason not to do so is that such state support would alienate many citizens. However, to take this as a sufficient reason to constrain the majoritarian branch is to accept the thesis that not being alienated from one’s polity is a significant part of the human good. Those who would prohibit even a small amount of noncoercive support of religious conceptions must appeal either to pragmatic considerations (the worry that noncoercive will lead to coercive support, i.e., to tyranny) or to a conception of the good that puts great value on the agent’s sense of connectedness to the polity. And the latter is something that reasonable citizens in a modern democracy could reasonably reject.

Key Words: establishment • religion • democracy • liberalism

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?