DOC A Dialogue of Civilizations by Jill Carroll in History

Review

64 of 66 people found the following review helpful. Pleasantly surprisingBy Michael SummersThe author finds resonances among the views of a prominent Turkish Muslim scholar and those of Confucius; Plato; Immanuel Kant; John Stuart Mill; and Jean Paul Sartre on crucial themes such as inherent human value; moral dignity; freedom; education and responsibility. It is amazing to see those resonances among these significant figures who are seperated by oceans or continents in space and centuries in time. The author must especially be commended for her bringing into dialogue of a 20th century atheist French philosopher (Sartre) and a contemporary; very devout Muslim thinker on the issue of responsibility. A must read for those who do not buy into the thesis (prescription?) of the clash of civilizations. The foreword by Prof. Akbar Ahmed is a gem by itself.15 of 17 people found the following review helpful. some insider infoBy Joseph Clay; Ph.D.I am glad I waited until tonight to write the review: Dr Carroll spoke at Stanford; and I had the opportunity to listen to her answers to various questions regarding the book; as well as some general background about how; when and why the book was written.In a nutshell; the book compares the ideas of Gulen; a Turkish Muslim intellectual and scholar; with ideas of famous philosophers on various subjects; such as education; ideal human being; and responsibility. It is a thin book; about 100 pages; and Dr. Carroll tried to make it accessible to the public by cutting out in-depth academic hair-splitting. She also does not assume familiarity with the works of any philosophers mentioned therein. But do not be fooled; this is not a book you can read in a single session. I often had to stop and contemplate; and digest all the information I read; especially since I was not a social science major. So; it took me a while to finish. Overall; an interesting read.In her own words; she chose to write on Gulen because she thinks the schools and other activities/projects of the people in Gulen movement can play a crucial role in promoting peaceful coexistence of people from different backgrounds. The book is not an antithesis of the famous "clash of civilizations": she personally thinks the clash is possible; even probable; but not inevitable. The only way to avoid it; she asserts; is to value each other simply because we are human. That is why she demonstrates in her book how ideas of philosophers of vastly different backgrounds resonate with each other. We are all human; and we can certainly find a lot of things we agree on. This is not to overlook our differences; but rather acknowledging and welcoming the differences as a reality of life. We need to learn with each other.One of the most intriguing chapters is the chapter on responsibility; where Dr. Carroll compares the ideas of Gulen on responsibility with Sartre; famous French existentialist philosopher; who is also an atheist. Despite doubts of the publishers; she insisted the chapter stays; to illustrate even a deeply devoted Muslim like Gulen and an athesist like Sartre can find certain things to agree on.I applaud Dr. Carroll for her efforts to promote "dialogue among civilizations" in a world that appears to get crazier every day.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Johngreat