Abstract

In much of the world, religious thinking and religious arguments are drivers of policy and not just elements governing aspects of private life. The various sects of Islam illustrate that the influence of religious doctrines divides followers of a given religion and not just adherents of one religion from adherents of another or of none. The thinking and argumentation that fuel controversy in these intra-religious cases have been a subject of philosophical discussion, but there is more to say for ideas that may lead to peaceful resolution of disputes or to mutually respectful disagreement with an appreciation of the natural pluralism that is to be expected given differences of culture, language, and resources. This paper is aimed at contributing ideas of this kind.