[lit-ideas] Re: Huntington's thesis
- From: eternitytime1@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2006 13:34:14 -0500
Hi,
Wonder who liked it over at the Telegraph? <g>
It does look intriguing...
a bit different take from that of our Merger of Civilizations, but still not
bad...
Best,
Marlena in Missouri
The Dignity of Difference: How to Avoid the Clash of Civilizations
by Jonathan Sacks
From Library Journal
The chief rabbi of Britain and the Commonwealth, Sacks is well known through
his appearances on British television and through his 12 books (e.g., A Letter
in the Scroll). Americans will be taken with his incisive arguments and clear
writing style. What he presents here is not a treatise on Jewish faith and
customs but a look at the discontents of our world and how religious values can
unite rather than divide us. Sacks sees certain values (e.g., education,
responsibility, charity) as imperative to any new world order, regardless of
one's religious beliefs. Though these values might seem self-evident, he shows
how their absence causes much that is wrong. He further exhorts us to explore
more covenantal relationships, which he defines as "a bond, not of interest and
advantage, but of belonging" and sees as paramount to our survival-more so than
commercial relationships, however essential they are to capitalist society.
Throughout, Sacks makes reference to demanding philosophic
al thought, but he provides some much-needed spiritual uplift in this
post-9/11 world, and his work is accessible to informed lay readers. Larger
libraries should consider.
Paul Kaplan, Lake Villa Dist. Lib., IL
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Medicine, Conflict, & Survival, January 2003/Volume 19, No. 1
"?beautifully written and eminently readable."
Dan Cohn-Sherbok, The London Times
"It is a splendid book. In the light of September 11, it is timely, sensible,
well-written and thoughtful."
Daily Telegraph
"stands far above the many other books about globalisation...a prophetic
work...[and]a guide for the perplexed of our time."
The Independent
"The Dignity of Difference is a profound book that forces believers to think."
The Herald (Glasgow), March 8, 2003
"tackles our obsession with Platonic hegemony and our insipid relativism in a
brave polemic which is bolstered by feverish intelligence."
David Shasha, Center for Sephardic Heritage
"powerful...earth-shattering...WE MUST ALL READ THIS BOOK...profound and deeply
moving"
Jason A. Miller, The Voice, February 2003
"Sacks ingeniously looks to the torah for insight into the great debate....this
book is a fresh perspective"
Book Description
The year 2001 began as the United Nations Year of Dialogue between
Civilizations. By its end, the phrase that came most readily to mind was 'the
clash of civilizations.' The tragedy of September 11 intensified the danger
caused by religious differences around the world. As the politics of identity
begin to replace the politics of ideology, can religion become a force for
peace?
The Dignity of Difference is Rabbi Jonathan Sacks's radical proposal for
reconciling hatreds. The first major statement by a Jewish leader on the ethics
of globalization, it also marks a paradigm shift in the approach to religious
coexistence. Sacks argues that we must do more than search for values common to
all faiths; we must also reframe the way we see our differences.
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