3
To a large extent these three issues are inter-related. Given the history and nature of
religious conflict, a political theory aiming to resolve the religion question by invoking a greater
political good, would provide a prescriptive account of religion ‘compatible’ with that good. In
fact, this latter point comes out naturally, as a political theory espouses a particular understanding
of political good, which may very well contradict with aspirations of given religious views, and
so require compromises from the religious constituency. Thus, every conception of political good
aiming to resolve religious conflicts, comes with its own prescriptive account of ‘acceptable’
views; be it ‘tolerant’, ‘moderate’, ‘rational’, ‘reasonable’ religion. Merely presenting a
‘compatible’ or ‘acceptable’ view of religion, however, cannot by itself generate such effects on
religion. A viable political theory would envision a dynamic course which shows how public
manifestations of religion can and do transform into acceptable expressions and discourses. This
does not mean that a political theory should look for ways to transform religion from within—that
would be non-liberal. Rather, it should complement its normative and prescriptive tenets with
insights drawn from the dynamic nature of the practical world.
My goal in this research is to assess political liberalism in light of this perspective. The
focus of the dissertation is political liberalism in general, but the particular attention is given to
Rawls’s theory. Political liberalism is a nascent view and critical reaction to it is in an early
stage. However, it should be noted that, owing to its capacious structure and accommodative
character, theoretical interest is on the rise. The origin of political liberalism lies in the
foundation of the liberal tradition, but its theoretical treatment in contemporary political theory is
a matter of the last two decades. Some early applications emerged in the works of Bruce
Ackerman (1980), Ronald Dworkin (1985), Charles Larmore (1987). But the popularity of the
concept owes mostly to John Rawls. Rawls’s responds to the critics of his famous work, A
Theory of Justice (1971), led him to extend his theory of justice into a political conception, of
which moral basis could be affirmed together by citizens who espouse diverse comprehensive
Convention