Abstract:
My thesis deals with religion, democracy and differences. My interests are primarily philosophical and theoretical, and I intend to contextualize my research with reference to Canadian issues and debates. This thesis addresses the challenges posed to the normative ideal of multiculturalism. In particular, I intend to discuss the difficulties of adopting normative ideals that meet the democratic principles of political equality and inclusiveness while at the same time promoting tolerance toward minorities in order to sustain their distinctiveness.
In dealing with the complex relationship between religion, democracy and differences. I highlight the limitations of multiculturalism and propose a theory of liberation of reason, entitled the theory of Daf’ (Repel), in order to address the myriad challenges spawned by this complex intermingling of political and cultural identities within liberal democratic societies. The theory of Daf’ in the context of a deliberative model of democracy complements the normative ideal of multiculturalism.
