W@TC - Tolerance Beyond Liberal Democracy: Montesquieu’s Religious Pluralism

Wan Ning Seah is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at Duke University, specializing in political theory. Her research interests are in religious pluralism and toleration, democratic theory, ancient and early modern political thought, as well as French political thought. Her dissertation examines the relationship between religious pluralism and regime type, with a focus on how and under what conditions some regimes that do not fit neatly into the category of liberal democracy have managed to sustain religious pluralism. Drawing from the history of political thought and a comparative analysis of the Roman Empire and Singapore, she explores the various forms that religious pluralism can take and the normative implications of this account of pluralism for our understanding of toleration. Her other work examines the concept of civil religion in Rousseau's Social Contract. Prior to graduate school, Wan Ning worked as a Foreign Service Officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore. She received her B.A. from Middlebury College.

Toleration is often viewed as a liberal-democratic value, even though pluralism is salient in different kinds of societies worldwide, including regimes that are not fully liberal or democratic. In this talk, Seah shows that Montesquieu offers theoretical resources for reflecting on the practice of pluralism beyond liberal societies. Drawing on The Spirit of the Laws and Persian Letters, Seah argues that Montesquieu's views on toleration should be read in the broader context of his pluralism and particularism. This allows us to conceive religious pluralism as a practice that takes different forms in different regimes.

This event will be hybrid. Registration is required to join via Zoom. Lunch will be provided from Bul Box.