Society, Law and Politics
Thought
The focus of the Institute’s work in the areas of society, law and politics has been the application of the universal ethics of the Noahide laws to these realms. The Director, Rabbi Dr Shimon Cowen has authored a full-scale work entitled The Theory and Practice of Universal Ethics – the Noahide Laws, published in 2015, which drew endorsements of the Noahide laws from a Governor General of Australia, Major General Michael Jeffery, The King of Morocco, H. M. Mohammed VI and the President of the European Union, H.E. Herman van Rompuy. This book has since been translated into Russian, Spanish, Chinese and Indonesian.
Additionally, he has published two volumes of essays applying universal ethics to a host of practical social and cultural issues as well as treating theoretical issues of universal ethics. One, entitled Politics and Universal Ethics, published in 2011 received bipartisan launches in all six State Parliaments of Australia. A second volume, entitled A Populism of the Spirit – Further Essays in Politics and Universal Ethics, appeared in 2023.
Speech
Over the years the Institute has hosted many symposia and forums on contemporary political issues with the participants of federal and state politicians. It has also engaged academics, judges, senior bureaucrats and other experts in the application of the Noahide laws to specific in culture and society.
Prior to elections, it has held forums with politicians of a number of parties on key ethical issues which came to the fore at the times of those elections. It also held forums with religious leaders and politicians on questions of religious freedom as these became acute in the face of legislation. A number of symposia dealt with questions of the creation of a common culture of universal ethics.
The Director has conducted Zoom classes with an international audience on the Noahide laws. Some of these have been ongoing and others limited series. In 2023, the Institute hosted the first Australasian and South-East Asian Noahide conference in Melbourne.
As in all departments of its work, the Journal of Judaism and Civilization is a repository of the proceedings of many of these seminars, which can be seen in its cumulative index
Action
Whilst formally non-partisan, the Institute has sought to draw individual political parties and politicians towards knowledge and endorsement of the universal ethics of the Noahide Laws. It has held seminars with politicians. Various of the book launches were opportunities for politicians to address the Noahide laws; and one political party has included the Noahide laws as guiding principles of the party.
At elections times, the Institute has profiled the political parties in relation to the stances on matters of universal ethics and has produced campaign literature for the use of those candidates willing to stand for these values.
The endorsements by major international heads of state, such as those included in the Director’s The Theory and Practice of Universal Ethics – the Noahide Laws (see above) is understood here also as a form of political action, inasmuch as they are sources of major practical influence.
