Our first step is not to pretend to answer questions but to pose questions clearly, in ways that would allow people of different views at least to start from some common ground. If I were to condense all this into one question, it would look like this:
Which practices, systems, and fundamental conceptions of what it means to be human,
are consistent with a sustainable human presence on the earth, respectful of other life,
in societies that provide the necessary resources for all people to live a decent life,
within a culture that fosters individual flourishing alongside a meaningful sense of collective identity,
helping us to take seriously our obligations to ourselves, each other, and to the non-human world?
Embedded in that one question are, of course, many complex questions that people have pondered for centuries without clear resolution. Completely new insights are unlikely to emerge here; maybe there are no truly original insights to be had by anyone. But if we want to take politics and theology seriously, we can’t pretend not to understand these questions, and we can’t evade our responsibility to struggle to understand and then to act on that understanding.
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This essay is excerpted from Robert Jensen’s new book, All My Bones Shake: Seeking a Progressive Path to the Prophetic Voice, from Soft Skull Press.
For more information, go to http://www.softskull.com/detailedbook.php?isbn=978-1-59376-234-6
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