How Shall I Praise Thee? Brian Leiter on Respect for Religion
27 Pages Posted: 10 May 2011
Date Written: January 5, 2010
Abstract
In two recent papers, Brian Leiter argues that there is no good reason for law to single out religion for special treatment, and that religion is not an apt candidate for respect in the "thick" sense of being an object of favorable appraisal. Both arguments depend on a radically impoverished conception of what religion is and what it does. In this paper, I explain what Leiter leaves out, and offer an hypothesis about why. I also engage with some related reflections by Simon Blackburn and Timothy Macklem, both of whom influence, in different ways, Leiter’s analysis.
Keywords: Respect, Brian Leiter, Religion
JEL Classification: K10, K19, K30, K39
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation