Philosophy of Religion Research

Liberalism and the Theological Roots of Social Order

Document Type : Short Paper

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

This essay investigates the theological roots of social order in the works of three liberal philosophers: Smith, Kant, and Rawls. Each of these philosophers, in a different way, has discussed the relation between the practical possibility of the ideal social order and theology. For Smith, the invisible hand leads the pursuit of individual self-interest to the common good (an ideal social order); But the invisible hand is a metaphorical concept, based on the divine plan for the world. Kant also presupposes the existence of God as a necessary condition for the practical possibility of the highest good (the compatibility of laws of nature and morality). Finally, Rawls connects the possibility of a well-ordered society (moral social order) to a special conception of divine nature and the specific type of relationship between human and God.

Keywords

Adam Smith. 1976. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. Edited by R. H. Campbell, A. S. Skinner and W. B. Todd. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Adam Smith. 2002. The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Edited by Knud Haakonssen. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kant, Imanuel. 2012. Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, 2nd edition. Edited by Mary J. Gregor and Jens Timmermann. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kant, Immanuel. 2015. Critique of Practical Reason, 2nd edition. Translated and Edited by Mary Gregor. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Rawls, John. 1999. A Theory of Justice. Harvard University Press.
Rawls, John. 2005. Political Liberalism, 2nd edition. New York: Columbia University Press.
Rawls, John. 2009. A Brief Inquiry into the Meaning of Sin and Faith (with “On My Religion”). Edited by Thomas Nagel. Harvard University Press.
Philosophy of Religion Research
Volume 20, Issue 1 - Serial Number 39
The short papers published in this issue are in the field of Practical Theology.
July 2022
Pages 109-116