Absolutism and Exclusionism in Religion in Truth

Absolutism and Exclusionism in Religion in Truth in Religion: The Plurality of Religion and Unity of Truth by Mortimer Adler

Numerous discourses discussing issues about the plurality or absolutism of religion, relating these issues in the manner of living, particularly the moral aspect of subsisting to a particular form of religious philosophy. The development of a more complex, yet organized, human society at the turn of the 20th century gave incidence to the development of various philosophical disciplines. These philosophical disciplines include revolutionary viewpoints about philosophy, religion, and morality.

The relationship among philosophy, religion, and morality is studied in Mortimer Adler's discourse on religious philosophy and morality. In Truth in Religion: The Plurality of Religion and Unity of Truth, Adler centers on the argument that in human society, there is only one "truth," which can be illustrated through religion. Hence, it follows that if there is only one "truth," then all other philosophies pertaining to religion and morality are "false." He uses pluralism as a discipline with which to compare his absolutist stance regarding his outlook on truth and religion.

For Adler, pluralism is a discipline that does not subsist to one "truth," but takes into account 'truths' that vary among different societies. Furthermore, he posits that pluralism, as a way of philosophical thought, does not take into account "another realm, concerned with the question of truth, in which unity (of belief) is required and in which pluralism is out of place." Thus, pluralism "there is room for competing and conflicting theories... only as long as no one of them is, at a given time, established as true."

This passage reflects how Adler considers pluralism provided that society only subsists to one 'truth,' most often illustrated through religious philosophy. It is evident that he subsists to absolutism, where values held by the author such as truth and morality are absolute and not conditional. This means that unlike pluralism, absolutism or recognition of one "truth" does not adhere to the relativity of religious philosophy: "... The pursuit of truth is an ongoing process in which the judgment of what is true and false changes from time to time... At a given time, judgments concerning... other alternatives are ruled out as false."