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Many of the critical political issues of our time—from the 1992–1995 Balkan Wars to the continuing crisis in the Middle East to the role of Muslim immigrants in Western Europe—revolve around issues of religion and tolerance. The predominant approach to these concerns is to espouse the doctrines of liberal humanistic virtue. These doctrines, however, fail to resonate in communities that maintain more traditional religious definitions of self and society.
Modest Claims, which features essays by Seligman and dialogues between scholars representing the three monotheistic faiths, provides the beginnings of a very different set of arguments on tolerance and tradition. In so doing it seeks to uncover the sources of toleration and pluralism that exist within the traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Most contemporary approaches leave these sources largely unexplored and often marginalize them in current public debates and social agendas. Seligman and his dialogue partners seek to engage traditional understandings to uncover internal components that make dialogue between different religions and cultures possible. Espousing the idea of translation as a metaphor for the tolerant act, Modest Claims takes difference seriously as an aspect of existence that can be neither trivialized nor ignored. It explores and develops specifically religious arguments for tolerance and acceptance of others, as well as new strategies for understanding difference that are not rooted in individualist worldviews.
This important and timely book breathes new life into the search for peace and toleration in an increasingly fractured world.
“No one is better qualified to assemble such a group … than Adam Seligmen, a tough-minded, profound scholar … Seligman is a master at creating dialogue among visionary thinkers from a variety of cultures. [He] is a vital asset … to the future of Jewish theology in a crowded world.” —Sh’ma
"Adam Seligman's Modest Claims contains both personal reflections as well as those of various 'dialogue partners' on the nature and need in our own day of religious toleration." —Christian Scholar's Review
"...the discussion flows brilliantly and one finally feels what it is like to be the proverbial fly on the wall in a room filled with great minds discussing great ideas. ...the reader will wish to continue the conversation with others. More one could not hope to ask from a text." —Multicultural Review
“… offers essays by Seligman and dialogues between scholars representing the three monotheistic faiths and provides the beginnings of a very different set of arguments on tolerance and tradition. In doing so, it seeks to uncover the sources of toleration and pluralism that exist within the traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The author argues that most contemporary approaches leave these sources largely unexplored and marginalized in current public debates and social agenda. This book is a substantial and significant contribution to this topic which will continue to shape our future in many seen and unseen ways.” —Contact 145
"In his book, Modest Claims, Seligman frames the question of tolerance this way: Is monotheistic religion necessarily intolerant? Seligman replies: 'The answer is "no," if you are asking: "Are [Western monotheistic religions] necessarily intolerant?"'" —Jewish Herald Voice
Adam B. Seligman is professor of religion at Boston University.
Interlocutors: Nasr Abu Zayd, Peter Berger, Joan Estruch, Menachem Fisch, Shlomo Fischer, Nilüfer Göle, Friedrich Wilhelm Graf, Sohail H. Hashmi, Rusmir Mahmutćehajić, Adam B. Seligman, Suzanne Last Stone, Dorothee C. von Tippelskirch, and Claire Wolfteich.