James Rowell

Dr. James L. Rowell received his PhD in religion at the University of Pittsburgh and has been a full-time teacher of world religions at Flagler College since 2006. He is the author of Making Sense of the Sacred, a book about comparative world religion, and also Gandhi and Bin Laden: Religion at the Extremes. His interests in comparative religious ethics focus on such figures as Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Reinhold Niebuhr, and Abdul Ghaffar Khan. His website can be found at https://www.meaningofreligion.com. He also has a YouTube Channel titled Meaning of Religion.

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Milton Friedman Misrepresents Adam Smith

Milton Friedman, though greatly enamored with Adam Smith, misrepresented Smith’s concept of self-interest

Just War and Jihad

Within both Christianity and Islam there are theological disputes around when the use of military force is permitted

Christian Realism, Islamic Realism 

Is there a version of Islam recognizable to most Muslims that ethically bears resemblance to the principles of Christian Realism? 

Democracy’s Failure in Pakistan and then Afghanistan

The story of democracy’s failure to take root in Afghanistan is directly related to its failure in Pakistan

Starship Troopers: Heinlein’s Classic Realism

The novel Starship Troopers (1959) remains a classic of realist political philosophy in the democratic tradition

Niebuhr and Gandhi: Comparative Religious Realism

Ghandi and Niebuhr both believed in the power of religion to shape societies and history

Living in a Nuclear World

We cannot uninvent nuclear weapons, so what is the next best option?

Nuclear Weapons and the Imperative to Preserve Humanity

The ultimate responsibility anyone could have, from a pauper to the President, is the preservation and protection of humankind; something…

The Elusive Hunt for Economic Justice

Economic power must not be too concentrated in the government or among a few private citizens

Four Endings to the War in Ukraine

What terms will Ukraine, Russia, and the West ultimately come to?