This month I am joined on the podcast by John Inazu, Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion at Washington University in St. Louis. John and I discuss his latest book, Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect.
We talk about the relationship between the law and violence, the role of faith formation in how we approach disagreement, the things people say when they think “everyone listening is just like them,” and more.
Altogether, John’s new book charts a surprising path to navigating differences with empathy and respect. For those seeking a fruitful and generative path through and beyond this cultural moment of division, Learning to Disagree is a worthy read.
Show Notes:
Alasdair MacIntyre, After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory
Robert M. Cover titled “Violence and the Word.”
Timestamps:
3:50 — Which “John Inazu” is writing this book?
7:30 — The process of writing Learning To Disagree
12:40 — The relationship between law and violence
16:00 — The role of benevolence, mercy, and grace in our legal system
18:00 — Rethinking the “problem” of faith formation
22:30 — “I am amazed at the things that people say when they think everyone listening is just like them”
From the Author: In Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect, Inazu draws from his experiences teaching law to show how it is possible to disagree about hard issues. By finding nuance in some of today’s most divisive issues and taking time to learn how the other side thinks, Inazu gives readers ideas and tools to navigate the differences and disagreements they encounter in their everyday lives without sacrificing their own convictions.
John Inazu is the Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion at Washington University in St. Louis. He teaches criminal law, law and religion, and various First Amendment courses. He writes and speaks frequently about pluralism, assembly, free speech, religious freedom, and other issues. John has written three books and published opinion pieces in the Washington Post, Atlantic, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, USA Today, Newsweek, and CNN. He is also the founder of the Carver Project and the Legal Vocation Fellowship and is a senior fellow with Interfaith America.
can we learn to disagree? a conversation with john inazu