ABSTRACT

Systems of belief and values take various forms. First, there are systematic religions and ideologies. Second, an ideology or religion may not cover the whole range of people's values — for instance Christianity does not directly contain a philosophy of science, and so a religion has to reconcile itself to 'secular' forces arising from the procedures and goals of widely accepted practices and activities. The conflicts inherent in the variety of religions and ideologies are such that we would seem to be driven to seek a common value-agreement at a higher logical level. The higher-order values generated from an analysis of the metaphysical aspect of belief-systems are: open-mindedness and the desire for understanding. Ideologies and religions which cannot adapt to the eirenic realism which the world demands should be rejected. Peaceful coexistence is a criterion of those with whom we can in good conscience peacefully coexist.