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This book offers a fresh and accessible interpretation of G. W. F. Hegel's most famous book, the Phenomenology of Spirit. Drawing on important recent work on the social dimensions of Hegel's theory of knowledge, the book shows how his account of how we know rests on his account of how we ought to live. It argues that Hegel views conflict as an unavoidable part of living together, and that his social ethics involves relationships and social practices that allow people to cope with conflict and sustain hope for reconciliation. Communities create, contest, and transform their norms through these relationships and practices, and Hegel's model for them are often the interactions and rituals of the members of religious communities. The book's close readings reveal the ethical implications of Hegel's discussions of slavery, Greek tragedy, early modern culture wars, and confession and forgiveness. The book also illuminates how contemporary democratic thought and practice can benefit from Hegelian insights. Through its sustained engagement with Hegel's ideas about conflict and reconciliation, the book makes an important contribution to debates about how to live well with religious and ethical disagreement.

This book addresses one of the most enduring puzzles in political philosophy and constitutional theory—why is religion singled out for preferential treatment in both law and public discourse? Why are religious obligations that conflict with the law accorded special toleration while other obligations of conscience are not? The book analyzes the concept of religious toleration, which has long been the paradigm of the liberal ideal of toleration of group differences, as reflected in both the constitutions of the major Western democracies and in the theoretical literature explaining and justifying these practice. The book shows why our reasons for tolerating religion are not specific to religion but apply to all claims of conscience, and why a government committed to liberty of conscience is not required by the principle of toleration to grant exemptions to laws that promote the general welfare.