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Public Justification and Religious Liberty: A Convergence-Based Reformulation of the Argument from Respect

Albolote, Rafael M
Abstract
This thesis critiques the consensus model of public reason, which holds that coercive laws must be justified by shared, secular reasons. I argue that this model inadequately respects religious citizens and fails to uphold liberal commitments to respect and reasonable pluralism. In response, I defend the convergence model, which permits citizens to justify laws through diverse but intelligible reasons rooted in their own worldviews. After addressing major objections from Jonathan Quong and Stephen Macedo, I apply the convergence framework to religious liberty, drawing on Alan Patten’s principles to assess which model better protects freedom of conscience. I conclude by reformulating the Argument from Respect, showing that convergence offers a more inclusive and morally defensible foundation for public justification in pluralistic democracies.
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2025-05-01
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Undergraduate Honors Theses
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Albolote_Public_Justification_Religious_Liberty.pdf
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Tucker, Chris
Costa, Victoria
Rashkover, Randi
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Philosophy
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https://scholarworks.wm.edu/handle/internal/11857
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