Through the Moral Maze: Searching for Absolute Values in a Pluralistic World

This is a seminal work on how to understand and discern between competing views on morality in the modern world. It is written in a straight forward, direct and simple way so that non philosophers, normal people and inquisitive minds can grasp it's depth. The value is not only in providing a mechanism for people to make moral choices, but also in being able to see competing alternatives stripped of their momentary attraction and in their true light. I think this book is the basis for a truly new philosophy of living that we can all use. I cannot recommend it more highly.

Dr. Kane's book thoroughly reviews the major obstacles of relativism and plurality to experiencing a life of joy, happiness, and fufillment in our present era. Nonetheless, his book is full of optimism and hope in both humanity as a whole and in each individual's capacity to contribute to society in a positive way. He offers philosophical insight and support to the idea of a higher realm, which encompasses objective worth and objective truth, to which we all should aspire. After outlining his approach to leading a ethical lifestyle within the moral sphere, he describes how this ideal lifestyle approach applies to such issues as politics, education, multiculturalism, religion, and everyday behavior. Overall, Dr. Kane's book is a promising and inspiring testimonial to society's ability to achieve moral progress if it fully embraces just one simple concept: the End's Principle, already present in most cultures and religions in some format. For anyone who wants to believe in our ability to progess and make the world a better place, I strongly recommend this book.

Dr. Kane provides a compelling discussion of some of the most difficult philosophical and religious issues that greet us at the dawn of the 21st century. As the world grows smaller with the advancement of communication technologies we see cultures, religions, and political ideologies getting larger than their borders and forcing us to think about diversity and pluralism in a new way. Can there be universal ethical consensus given the wide variety of belief systems that seem at times to be fundamentally contradictory? Can our political structures evolve to face the new challenges of our times, or are they destined to become distinct in the mad race of globalization? Kane offers persuasive answers to these questions and more and invites readers into dialogue and deliberation concerning issues that are all to frequently dominated by dogma and partisan ideology. Kane's readable style appeals to those unfamiliar with philosophical jargon but simultaneously maintains the intellectual rigor one would expect in this type of intellectual endeavor. I highly recommend this book to people who are concerned for society and want to think pragmatically about solutions for the dawning of a new era.

"It demeans the search for truth in religion to say that what we have in our scriptures and revelations are merely "myths," or "pretty stories," or "edifying symbols," with no foundation in reality-meant only to galvanize us to lead good lives. But it also insults the intelligence to say that our readings of these same scriptures and revelations are literally and completely true as they stand, knowing how deep are the mysteries they convey and the uncertainties of interpretation and transmission through generations of fallible humans." Dr. Kane provides powerful insight to readers who desire a "third way" between narrow fundamentalism and aimless post-modernism. His fundamental thesis is that belief in the absolute truth of one's own faith need not be incompatible with the 'possibility' of other faiths being true as well. Note the nuance: he's not saying all paths are equal, which is itself an unwarranted dogmatic assertion. His simple premise is that one can be religiously orthodox while remaining humble toward the beliefs of others, which one cannot know for certain are untrue. I read this book as an undergraduate and it was absolutely transformational in my own path toward the Christian faith.