Liberty of Conscience: In Defense of America's Tradition of Religious Equality - Hardcover

Liberty of Conscience is wide ranging and covers an extraordinary amount of ground... (it) is a true tour de force on issues of pressing contemporary concern internationally, reaffirming (Martha Nussbaum s) place as one of the most significant and thought-provoking public intellectuals today. Her book is a treasure trove of riches in both religious scholarship and philosophical argument that cannot be overlooked by anyone with an interest in the subject. --Times Higher Education Supplement

From one of America's most distinguished moral philosophers, a sweeping, historically based argument that equal respect for citizens is the bedrock of American freedom. Since even before it was a nation, America had to address the ongoing struggle between religious fervour and religious freedom. But the Founders of the future United States overcame religious intolerance and hatred in favour of a constitutional order dedicated to fair treatment for people's deeply held conscientious beliefs: Liberty of conscience became a right. This respect for religious difference formed the bedrock of America: it made equality possible. Yet today there are signs that this legacy is misunderstood. The prominence of a particular type of Christianity in US public life suggests the unequal worth of citizens who hold different religious beliefs, and political and legal traditions are invoked to defend the idea that this widespread Christianity is what defines America as a nation. Yet nothing, Nussbaum insists, could be further from the Founding Fathers' objectives.

"Liberty of Conscience" is an historical and conceptual study of the great tradition of religious freedom at the heart of the American system. Weaving together political history, philosophical ideas and key constitutional cases, this is a rich chronicle of an idea that has always been a necessary condition for freedom and equality, but which is now in serious danger.