Conflict resolution through appeal to religious or ethical authority, as part of the FAR 2023 Interdisciplinary Projects project (CUP E83C23002460001).

anno del bando: 2023

abstract del progetto

Religious diversity raises challenges that reverberate at multiple social and political levels. Religious institutions are sources of authoritative claims for believers. To this extent, they may play a crucial role in the articulation and negotiation of domestic conflicts within multicultural societies as well as at the international level. This project studies the theoretical premises of fair and legitimate negotiation. How is interfaith dialogue to be conceived and structured? Is such a dialogue even possible, if each religious group is entitled to claim decisive and exclusive authority? The very nature of religious belief requires believers to recognize their credo as a unique source of authority. If so, the appeal to interfaith dialogue is at best a promissory note since believers of different faiths claim superior authority, and thus deny others of equal normative standing. In response to this worry, one may note that there is ample historical evidence that the increment of religious rights and freedom has significantly helped assuage societal conflicts. How to interpret this evidence is nonetheless a divisive issue. On a widespread view, the appeal to religious authority is instrumental and serves the ultimate purpose of revealing a common core of fundamental values, independently shared by all religions. On a competing view, religious institutions contribute to shape and define the basic values that can serve as the shared ground for interfaith collectives. This project aims to provide the theoretical and practical framework for recognizing an active role to interfaith dialogue in mediating conflicts, within the constraints of fair democratic procedures of legitimacy. The main challenge is to explicate how religious authority is compatible with the principle of equal normative standing that is at the core of modern ethics and democracy, and capable of grounding shared action toward peace. This challenge will be addressed by taking an interdisciplinary approach, which combines resources and methods from philosophy (action theory, general and moral epistemology), and law (international and comparative law, canon law, and arbitration law). While current philosophical and juridical studies focus on the objective sources of religious normativity, this project covers a significant lacuna by investigating the relation between the objective sources of religious authority (i.e., traditions, norms, and normative practices) and the subjective sources of religious authority (propositional and normative attitudes such as belief, hope, and faith). Attention to this relation will uncover underexplored resources for structuring fair arbitration, rational negotiation, and explaining the emergence of new forms of shared agency driven by the values of democracy and committed to peace.

PI del progetto e unità o docenti coinvolti

P.I.: BAGNOLI Carla PO - Professore Ordinario. Department: Dipartimento Educazione e Scienze Umane. Academic Recruitment Field: FILOSOFIA TEORETICA.

COLIVA Annalisa PA - Professore Associato. Department: Dipartimento Educazione e Scienze Umane. Academic Recruitment Field: 11/C4 - ESTETICA E FILOSOFIA DEI LINGUAGGI. 

FERRARI Isabella PA – Professore Associato – Department: Dipartimento di Ingegneria "Enzo Ferrari". Academic Recruitment Field: 12/E2 - DIRITTO COMPARATO.

NERI Massimo PO – Professore Ordinario -  Department: Dipartimento di Comunicazione ed Economia. Academic Recruitment Field: 13/B3 – ORGANIZZAZIONE AZIENDALE.

PACILLO Vincenzo PO – Professore Ordinario - Department: Dipartimento di Studi Linguistici e Culturali. Academic Recruitment Field: 12/C2 - DIRITTO ECCLESIASTICO E CANONICO. 

LAPI Chiara – Assegnista di ricerca - Department: Dipartimento Educazione e Scienze Umane. Academic Recruitment Field: 12/C2 - DIRITTO ECCLESIASTICO E CANONICO. 

contributo vinto: 59.297,00€