Rajus wrote:
<And, 'sanctity of human life', perhaps, can be added to the useful
list you have provided, Tim?
Western political leaders' hypocritical reference to this term is very
annoying.>
In the context of this list reference to (hypo)critical reference is worth
thinking about.
Hypocrisy is something that seems to me to be part of the human condition.
It refers to a gap between the ideals we seek to uphold, or at least
articulate, and our poor efforts in actually living these ideals.
'Sanctity' is something else. I don't think we, as social scientists (if
that is what we are) have been particularly good at dealing with it.
I note that some commentators are helping us to gain some insights into what
it might mean in an Islamic context.
The Western liberal and perhaps even postmodern tradition have been rather
good at equating such concepts with 'fundamentalism' (whatever that is)
particularly when they are found within the vocabulary of what might be
regarded as 'unenlightened' or maybe pre-poststructuralist essentialists.
Personally the terms raised by Rajus have very deep meaning. My own
hypocrisy makes we wary of evaluating the hypocrisy of the other.
Seamus Grimes
NUI, Galway
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