Reinhold Niebuhr’s Realistic Pluralism

Abstract

While Reinhold Niebuhr was particularly concerned with the “foolish children of light” who expected their ideals to be easily realized in the politics of liberal democracy, his realistic pluralism rests on a broader idea about the relationship of “impossible ideals” to “proximate solutions.” His vindication of democracy in The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness makes a political case for religious freedom that may be relevant even in societies that lack the traditions of liberal democracy. At the same time, he insists on a “religious humility” in politics that becomes even more important under conditions of religious and political pluralism.