Autonomy, rationality, and religious initiation: replies to Hand, Wareham, Gheaus, Lewin, and Clayton

Abstract

John Tillson concludes the symposium on his Children, Religion and the Ethics of Influence by replying to his five respondents. The reply focusses on Michael Hand’s defence of parental rights to raise their children in their faith; Ruth Wareham’s suggestion that the value of autonomy rules out a wider range of impermissible religious influences than Tillson’s account is able to; David Lewin’s alternative criteria for ethical influence and scepticism about rationality’s objectivity; Anca Gheaus’ proposal that initiation into multiple contradictory religious faiths is permissible; and Matthew Clayton’s rejection of the book’s perfectionist political morality.