From Steve: I wanted to share an
impression that I have from reading Howard Gardner's piece. It's a shame that
Howard Gardner has never studied Talmud. He would have a very different
appreciation about how ancient sources can be interpreted and made
relevant for any time and place. His proposed Agora or Commons for us Jews is
probably an open page of Talmud with the conversation across the ages inviting
our input and reactions. Somehow, in this LRP world of ours, that heritage of
moral dialectic, proof of argument, and reinterpretation of ancient ethical and
moral concepts needs to be juxtaposed to Gardner's position. Perhaps our ISI
participants can teach Howard Gardner a thing or two!.
COMMENT BY JAY:
ReplyDeleteAlas, I wouldn't put too much hope in Gardner's appreciation at least of the religious roots of our moral dialogues and traditions. I happened to be reading his recent book and just came across the following: "Though not a religious person myself, I have no desire whatever to belittle religion or to challenge those who believe in a deity...Yet my decision not to dwell on religion is deliberate. I don't believe for a minute that pursuit of goodness is dependent on any particular religion, or, indeed, on religious beliefs altogether. Indeed, considerable empirical evidence documents that various kinds of misdeeds are as likely, or more likely, to be committed by religious believers than by atheists or agnostics...That said, I would be thrilled if a new,truly universal belief system, which could be religious or spiritual in tone, were to emerge and to help individuals carry out various roles in
a more ethical manner."
Well, maybe there is hope after all if we could come up with some form of "tikun olam" that he could identify with. Is there a version of religious or spiritual purposefulness for the atheist and agnostic?