Chains of Persuasion

a thoughtful and very interesting intervention into the discussion of the appropriate relation between religion and liberal democracy. The book is marked by a number of fruitful conceptual innovations and interesting discussion of numerous illustrative examples that serve to flesh out the meaning of the concepts. Perhaps most importantly, it is marked by an even-handed and even-tempered discussion of religion and politics by an author who is knowledgeable about contemporary political theory, social science, and the practice of religion. -- Patrick Neal, Journal of Law and Religion In this ground-breaking book on the vexed topic of politics and religion, Hertzberg ingeniously revitalizes the specifically democratic impulse of liberal politics. He does so by re-describing both democracy and religion as ways of life between which paths of engagement and collective practices of persuasion can be built. An important book for our troubled, excessively polarized times. -Cecile Laborde, University of Oxford As the world grows ever more tightly connected, religious difference seems not to be going away; what should we do about that? Increasingly one hears suspicions regarding whether broadly liberal democratic regimes can successfully manage such difference. Hertzberg's work substantially helps us see why liberal democratic regimes may have more promise than the critics suspect. This book is a landmark in what we can now begin to call, using Hertzberg's terms, 'post-secular liberal political theory.' -Charles Mathewes, The University of Virginia Avoiding public discussion of politics and religion might make for good etiquette, but Hertzberg shows why it makes for bad citizenship. Democratic life requires more than relegating religion to the purely private. Chains of Persuasion provides a blueprint for (and an example of) how we can do better: a fresh, sophisticated, and wise contribution to democratic theory and public discourse itself. -Michael A. Neblo, Director of the Institute for Democratic Engagement & Accountability (IDEA), The Ohio State University