The Dignity of Difference: How to Avoid the Clash of Civilizations [Paperback]

This is a magnificent book.

The Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, has taken on some of the most fundemental questions in Philosophy and Theology in order to try and answer one basic but vital question about the future of our shared World: "Can we all live together peacefully - and if so how?"

Following a wave of anti-globalisation demonstrations, the bombing of the Twin Towers in New York and the subsequent "War on Terrorism" by the United States. Jonathan Sacks is asking the question "Does it have to be like that"?

In something of a "tour de force" (but not unusually for Rabbi Professor Sacks) he draws on modern and ancient writers, on Philosophers, Economists and Futurologists as well as on many traditional Jewish religious sources, commentaries and scholars.

In the course of seeking an approach that will work he introduces and argues for one or two refreshingly radical ideas challenging Platos idea of universal "Truth" as well as those people who claim a monopoly on spiritual truth.

This is an important book, in my opinion, as in it Chief Rabbi Professor Jonathan Sacks, a Jewish religious leader and modern scholar of some standing, systematically lays out a new religious and philosophical grounding from which interfaith dialogue and co-operation are possible. He calls for "a global conversation".

The book is not too long and is written in a clear and readable style.

In an age of extremism, "The Dignity of Difference" explores the need for the human race to become more tolerant and resprectful to those who are "different" from us. The key message is clear; that it is a mistake to attempt to impose a single way of life in a plural word. Due to increased globalisation, we are more and more aware of others in the world and we cannot help compare and contrast "us" and "them".

The terrifying reality of what happens when civilizations clash was made evident in New York on September 11th. Sacks' book portrays a hope....a hope that the future is not inevitably a future of dispair where groups continue to be locked in an ever-increasing circle of conflict and retaliation. He advocates that this cycle can be broken through systematic programmes of control, contribution, compassion, creativity, co-operation, conservation and conciliation. Each of the major monotheisms (Islam, Christianity and Judaism) hold what they believe is the ultimate exclusive "truth", but Sacks pleads for tolerance and understanding that each group has their own truth which is right for them. One thing that every human being shares is that we are all unique and different from every other person, and this difference should be celebrated with dignity and acceptance.

This book explores important issues that are relevent to everyone and anyone who has a stake in the future of the world. It is written by a Rabbi but it is not a book which spouts religious ideology. Instead it discusses the interactions of human beings with each other and with the world, and the ways in which we all need to be proactive if we are to avoid further clashes of civilization.

At a time when religion is being claimed as a justification for killing, peace-loving people of faith are on the defensive. Fundamentalist or orthodox religiosity has acquired an especially dangerous reputation. In this fraught context, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks argues that orthodox religion could be, not only harmless, but a force for world peace. As chief rabbi of the mainstream Orthodox synagogues of Britain, Sacks speaks from deep within his own tradition, and his voice is worth listening to. His hope is to contribute to a "global conversation" in which voices of all religions, and of those with no religion, take part.

Sacks is not limited to ideas from his own tradition. He quotes many different classical and contemporary thinkers. Yet, appropriately in his attempt "to bring a Jewish voice" into dialogue with others, Sacks returns again and again to the Hebrew Bible. This is a wise choice: even today, the Bible is the source of many core assumptions in cultures with a Christian heritage. Most people, though, remain unfamiliar with Jewish perspectives on the Bible, rooted in the nuances of the Hebrew text and the experience of the Israelite people confronting an invisible God.

The heart of Sacks' Biblical argument is that the God of the Israelites is the universal God, but the religion of the Israelites is not a universal religion. The people of Israel are "chosen" and given their own set of laws, not given to other nations; yet the Bible assumes that the God of Israel is the God of other nations as well. (The inhabitants of Nineveh in the Book of Jonah are among many non-Israelites who trust in the one God.) Therefore, Sacks concludes, Biblical monotheism teaches not uniformity, but diversity. "God is God of all humanity, but no single faith is or should be the faith of all humanity" (p. 55).

This insight is part of a far-reaching philosophical argument. Plato, a founding figure of Western philosophy, believed that the surface details of everyday experience, different from moment to moment and from person to person, are mere shadows of the unchanging, universal truth. The universal is far more important than the "particular", the earthly reality which is marred by differences. Many philosophers and mystics have shared Plato's outlook, but Sacks insists that the particular is at least as holy as the universal. This is the message of the Biblical idea of the "chosen people": "God... turns to one people and commands it to be different in order to teach humanity the dignity of difference" (p. 53). Without quite acknowledging it, Sacks is allying himself with postmodernist thinkers who have attempted, over the last several decades, to question claims of universality wherever they occur. His hope is to nourish a religious world-view with no room for intolerance, coercion, or terrorism.

Readers may wonder to what extent Rabbi Sacks is representative of Jewish thinking. His method of working out ideas by interpreting texts, especially from the Bible, is classically Jewish. His thoughts, however, may meet with a more critical reception among his coreligionists than elsewhere.

Judaism, like many religions, is divided into orthodox and liberal streams. Liberal Jews, while likely to agree with many of Sacks' conclusions, may note with dismay that his many references to interfaith dialogue celebrate his encounters with Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists, but never with fellow Jews of non-Orthodox persuasions. Sacks himself suggests early on that he hopes to engage an Orthodox readership. Since much of the dynamism of religion is in orthodox movements, he says, "it is here that the struggle for tolerance, coexistence and non-violence must be fought" (p. 18). But from an Orthodox viewpoint, his way of quoting the Bible carries little weight. What does carry weight is tradition, the teachings of great rabbis from ancient, medieval and modern times. Sacks rarely cites traditional Jewish teachings; he takes liberties with those he does cite; and some of his interpretations of Scriptural verses ignore well-established traditions about their meaning. Those few adherents of Orthodox Judaism who may embrace intolerance and even violence will have valid reasons, from their own religious perspective, to dismiss Sacks' arguments.

In the end, Rabbi Sacks, despite his Orthodox credentials, is not so much a representative of Judaism as a creative, engaged thinker working with the resources at hand. For the rest of us, his voice is not only worth hearing but may be an inspiration to join in, drawing on our own resources whatever they may be, in the vital, necessary activity of "global conversation".