Violence, Morality and conscience in the postmodern context

A theological reflection on violence based on Gianni Vattimo

Abstract

This article aims to address the postmodern context from its perspective on violence, religion, morality and conscience. The phenomenon of violence has accompanied human beings since time immemorial and remains in their new coexistence, marked by experiences of conflict, aggression and difficulties in tolerance. Gianni Vattimo is a thinker who carries out a meticulous analysis of the reality of violence, mainly in its relation to the return of religion and the civilizational crisis, characterized as postmodernity. Thus, this article proposes to analyze the issue of violence in the context of religion and human morality, seeking to perceive “theologically” and based on Vattimo’s contributions, how to shed light on the complex reality of violence, and the contribution that Christianity and religions in general can make to overcoming this problem. It will be analyzed from three moments: in the first, violence in the current context will be presented; then, the notion of religion and violence from Vattimo’s perspective; finally, tolerance as a theological-moral category in the face of violence in the midst of violence in the postmodern contex.