DIALOGUE ON RELIGIOUS ETHICS: A FORGOTTEN DIMENSION IN INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE

Ingeborg G Gabriel

Authors

Ingeborg G Gabriel University of Vienna

Keywords:

Christianity, Culture, Dialogue, Ethics, Globalization, Interreligious Overlapping Consensus, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Multireligious Societies, Norms, Peace, Values

Abstract

The present article argues for a revival of interreligious (and intercultural) dialogue on ethics and law as an instrument of peace. Whereas the first phase of Interreligious Dialogue was marked by a considerable prominence of these topics, they later fell practically into oblivion. This state of affairs is lamentable for two reasons, one theoretical and the other practical. Theoretically the rationality of dogmatic or systematic insights (as found in all faith traditions) is largely exclusive, whereas the rationality of ethics, also religiously founded ethics, is basically inclusive. This means it is open to dialogue and common ground can be found which norms, rules and values better serve humans, the society and the political community they live in. This is of particular importance in today’s multi-religious societies and a world strongly interconnected because of globalization. The article concludes with some practical examples that were geared to form an interreligious alliance of the moderate.

Author Biography

Ingeborg G Gabriel, University of Vienna

Professor Ingeborg G. Gabriel holds the Chair of Social Ethics at the Catholic Faculty of the University of Vienna. She has a Master’s Degree in Economics and in International Relations as well as a PhD in Roman Catholic theology. Before starting her academic career, she worked with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York and in Asia. Her main research interests are ethics in the global world, focussed on human rights. She has for a long time been publishing on ethical issues in ecumenical as well interreligious dialogues. For further information and her publications see http://ktf.univie.ac.at/site/se/. Email: i.gabriel@univie.ac.at

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