Religious Truth and Competing Truth-Claims

Abstract

This paper explores whether practical philosophy can offer a new approach to the problem of religious truth, taking the current competition between various conceptions of the good life and their associated core values as a starting point. After a sociological analysis and a philosophical interpretation of the controversy between universal human values and particular cultural values, including religious values, I examine two ways of dealing with this controversy, namely the non-relativist and the non-exclusivist approach. In addition to the traditional view that religious diversity enriches our understanding of values, I am particularly interested in the idea that particular religious values can have a universal significance and contribute to our understanding of what constitutes a good life.