The People of the Book, ahl al-kitāb

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-210
Author(s):  
Richard Kimball
Keyword(s):  
Common Good ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Divine Revelation ◽  
Social Cooperation ◽  
The Past ◽  
The People ◽  
The Common ◽  
Nuanced Understanding

This article examines the use of the Qur’ānic term ahl al-kitāb by several contemporary Muslim and Christian scholars in the context of our increasingly interconnected and pluralist societies. The Arabic term ahl al-kitāb is frequently translated as the People of the Book. The People of the Book are the religious communities that the Qur’ān identifies as following divine revelation in the form of a book. Traditionally these communities are Jews, Christians, Sabians and to a lesser extent Zoroastrians. Sometimes the Qur’ān praises these communities and their sacred texts and other times they are criticised. Therefore, what the Qur’ān has to say about these communities and their texts is highly contextual, requiring nuanced understanding of any verse in question. For Islamic scholars, the application of the Qur’ānic commentary tradition, known as tafsīr allows for an authoritative link to the past that anchors their contribution in modern discourse whether in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, America, Europe or elsewhere. Variations from past interpretations of particular social issues, due to the needs of the common good, or participation as equal citizens in multi-faith and multi-cultural societies, often follows formal reflection on past scholarship, combined with the introduction of new contexts as variables in the decision-making process. This is the case, for instance, when Muhammad ibn Qasim, in the 8th century, extended the designation of People of the Book to Buddhism and Hinduism. The article subsequently demonstrates the resilience of the parameters set within the traditional commentary for Muslim interlocutors. Therefore, this article posits, greater awareness by Christians of the application of the traditional commentary, can play an important role in the development of improved dialogue and social cooperation, whereby each may respect the other as fully Muslim and fully Christian.

One

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Bruno Maçães
Keyword(s):  
Common Good ◽  
Breaking Point ◽  
Western Civilization ◽  
Donald Trump ◽  
The Past ◽  
The People ◽  
The Common ◽  
American Society ◽  
Democrats And Republicans ◽  
Intellectual Elites

This chapter discusses the narrative of decline of the American Republic. Many contemporary commentators argue that American elites now regard their own country as spoils to be fought over. Currents over the past four decades express the relentless pursuit of private interest at the expense of the common good, even when that pursuit may bring about the final collapse of the system. Privatization, deregulation, the rise of finance--these are contemporary versions of the old dialectic of decline. The gulf between economic and intellectual elites and the rest of the people seems larger than ever before. In Washington, Democrats and Republicans are no longer capable of reaching compromises on important policies and often regard winning their disputes as the only thing that matters. Donald Trump is only a small part of this narrative of decline. The chapter then provides a fuller picture of all the ways American life is reaching a breaking point, at a moment when disaggregating forces are getting stronger. Ultimately, this book assesses the possibility of the development of a new, indigenous American society, separate from modern Western civilization, rooted in new feelings and thoughts.

scholarly journals Doing Public Theology in African Christianity: A Reflection on Communiques by Churches in Ghana

2021 ◽  
pp. 190-200
Author(s):  
Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Public Theology ◽  
The Public ◽  
African Christianity ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
The People ◽  
The Common ◽  
Public Concerns

Faith in public life can be associated with Christianity in Ghana from the days of the early Western missionaries. Christian faith perspectives on matters of public concerns however, assumed a wider scope with the practice of regular issuance of communiques to governments and the people of Ghana by the churches. Christian ministry is expected to be holistic. A holistic approach in Christian ministry is considered to lead to the holistic development of the nation for the common good and the glory of God. Church leaders subsequently, bring their faith perspectives to matters of public concerns as a ministerial mandate to be in pilgrimage with the people. The study is a reflection on how the churches’ communiques are done and the factors that make the communiques theological in the public space. It further seeks to identify the contribution of the construction of communiques to public theology in Christianity in Ghana. The study as qualitative, examines both available primary and secondary sources. Copies of communiques of some selected churches, ecumenical bodies and joint communiques by ecumenical bodies are examined to appreciate insights of communiques by the churches. The study seeks to make a contribution to the theological construction of public theologies in Ghana and African Christianity. KEYWORDS: Public Theology, African Christianity, Communique, Common Good

scholarly journals RECONFIGURANDO A TEOLOGIA EM VISTA DO BEM COMUM

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (123) ◽  
pp. 275
Author(s):  
Ângelo Cardita
Keyword(s):  
Common Good ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
Public Theology ◽  
Social Relevance ◽  
The Common Good ◽  
Human Good ◽  
The Common

Neste artigo, lançam-se as bases para uma reconfiguração da teologia científica em vista do bem comum. Defende-se que a teologia deve abandonar a intimidade das igrejas e comunidades religiosas e, portanto, o modelo confessional, para se reestruturar como teologia pública com pertinência social. Neste sentido, discute-se o modelo deliberativo de bem comum de Daniel Innerarity e analisamse as duas principais transformações epistemológicas, necessárias para a reconfiguração da teologia em vista do bem comum: a teologia como ciência das religiões, tal como propõe Pannenberg, e a estruturação transcendental do bem humano, integrando a própria questão de Deus, segundo Lonergan.ABSTRACT: In this article, there is an approach at the base levels for a reconfiguration of scientific theology in view of the common good. It is argued that theology should abandon the intimacy of the churches and religious communities and, therefore, the confessional model, to restructure itself as public theology with social relevance. In this sense, it discusses the deliberative model of common good of Daniel Innerarity and it analyzes the two main epistemological transformations required for the reconfiguration of theology in view of the common good: theology as a science of religions, such as proposed by Pannenberg, and the transcendental structuring of human good, integrating the issue of God, according to Lonergan.

Effective Modern Campaigns Against Inequality and Poverty in the United States

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred Brooks ◽  
Amanda Gutwirth
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Public School ◽  
Common Good ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Past ◽  
Poverty And Inequality ◽  
The Common ◽  
Public School Educators ◽  
Macro Social Work

If one of the goals of macro social work in the United States is to decrease poverty and inequality, by most measures it has largely failed that mission over the past 40 years. After briefly documenting the four-decade rise in inequality and extreme poverty in the United States, three organizing campaigns are highlighted—living wage, Fight for $15, and strikes by public school educators—that fought hard to reverse such trends. A strategy, “bargaining for the common good,” which was implemented across those campaigns, is analyzed as a key ingredient to their success.

Bearing Witness

2018 ◽  
pp. 184-217
Author(s):  
Santana Khanikar
Keyword(s):  
State Of Exception ◽  
Oral Histories ◽  
Common People ◽  
Bearing Witness ◽  
The Past ◽  
The People ◽  
Indian State ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Common

This chapter discusses conflict and violence in Lakhipathar, over a period of two decades, drawing on oral histories from the people of Lakhipathar. Listening to the narratives of past sufferings here has worked not merely a tool to know what happened to the narrators in the past but it also gives a key to analyse why and how they live in the present. Apart from offering evidence towards the larger argument of the work, this part of the book has also aimed towards opening a conversation on some buried and forgotten moments in the history of the Indian state that resemble what could be called an Agambenian ‘state of exception’. The dense narratives give a picture of the collaboration and deceit, revenge and violence, suspicion and fear in war-torn Lakhipathar and how the common people negotiated their ways through these.

INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW SERIES: UNCOMMON “COMMON SENSE”

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-49
Author(s):  
Akinobu Kuroda
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
Opposite Direction ◽  
Common Sense ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Short Supply ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
The Past ◽  
The People ◽  
The World ◽  
The Common

The common sense of modern times was not always “common” in the past. For example, if it is true that inflation is caused by an oversupply of money, a short supply of money must cause deflation. However logical that sounds, though, it has not been so uncommon in history that rising prices were recognized as being caused by a scarcity of currency. Even in the same period, a common idea prevailing in one historical area was not always common in another; rather, it sometimes appeared in quite the opposite direction. It is likely that the idea that a government gains from bad currencies, while traders appreciate good ones, is popular throughout the world. In the case of China, however, its dynasties sometimes intentionally issued high-quality coins without regard to their losses. East Asia shared the idea that cheap currency harms the state, while an expensive currency harms the people. This is in considerable contrast with a common image in other regions that authorities gained profits from seigniorage.

Rousseau's General Will: A Condorcetian Perspective

1988 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
pp. 567-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard Grofman ◽  
Scott L. Feld
Keyword(s):  
Common Good ◽  
General Will ◽  
The Common Good ◽  
The People ◽  
Collective Judgment ◽  
Jury Theorem ◽  
The Common

We identify three basic elements of Rousseau's theory of the general will: (1) there is a common good; (2) citizens are not always accurate in their judgments about what is in the common good; and (3) when citizens strive to identify the common good and vote in accordance with their perceptions of it, the vote of the Assembly of the People can be taken to be the most reliable means for ascertaining the common good. We then show that Condorcet's (1785) model of collective judgment shares these assumptions with Rousseau and that understanding the implications of Condorcet's (1785) “jury theorem” enables us to clarify many of the most obscure aspects of Rousseau's treatment of the general will, including his discussion of the debilitating effects of factions and his confidence in the ability of the Assembly of the People to discern the general will by means of voting.

The Meaningful City

2019 ◽  
pp. 465-486
Author(s):  
Ruth Yeoman
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Social Cooperation ◽  
Sustainable City ◽  
Rich Diversity ◽  
The Social ◽  
Core Elements ◽  
The Common ◽  
The City

This chapter applies the value of meaningfulness to a philosophy of the city. It argues that philosophies of the city can supply smart and sustainable city initiatives with human values and attention to the common good which they currently lack. By bringing the value of meaningfulness into a description of city-making, the chapter shows how city people have responsibilities to make the city when the activities of social cooperation associated with discharging such responsibilities are constituted by freedom, autonomy, and dignity, and when the social interactions of meaning-making are just. The features of an ethico-normative architecture which is capable of promoting city-level meaningfulness are specified. These include three core elements: public meaningfulness; the society of meaning-makers; and agonistic republicanism. City-making organized to manifest these features will generate a rich diversity of meaning sources on which city people can draw to craft meaningfulness in life and in work.

Civic Disengagement in Contemporary America

2001 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert D. Putnam
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Information Technology ◽  
Common Good ◽  
The United States ◽  
Equal Rights ◽  
The Common Good ◽  
The Past ◽  
Life Saving ◽  
Two Generations ◽  
The Common

Over The Past Two Generations The United States Has Undergone a series of remarkable transformations. It has helped to defeat global communism, led a revolution in information technology that is fuelling unprecedented prosperity, invented life-saving treatments for diseases from AIDS to cancer, and made great strides in reversing discriminatory practices and promoting equal rights for all citizens. But during these same decades the United States also has undergone a less sanguine transformation: its citizens have become remarkably less civic, less politically engaged, less socially connected, less trusting, and less committed to the common good. At the dawn of the millennium Americans are fast becoming a loose aggregation of disengaged observers, rather than a community of connected participants.

Happiness research for public policy and administration

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Okulicz-Kozaryn
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Policy Issues ◽  
Happiness Research ◽  
The Past ◽  
Literature Reviews ◽  
The Common

Purpose The purpose of this viewpoint is to introduce happiness research for public policy and administration scholars and practitioners. It focuses on what can be useful for the discipline, provides relevant examples and presents the most recent findings and directions for future research. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a combination of literature review, argumentation and illustrations. Findings Over the past few decades, there has been a tremendous growth in happiness research, and over the past few years, this research has started addressing policy issues such as housing, transportation and inequality. Strikingly, public policy and administration discipline has failed to notice these developments. Happiness research has great potential, and it can be used in many theoretical and practical ways to advance the common good. Originality/value Happiness is extremely important and useful for public policy and administration and yet largely overlooked in the discipline. Existing literature reviews are not written with the discipline in mind, and this viewpoint is aimed at filling this gap.

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