Moral and Religious Pragmatism

I am convinced that the ultimate goal of study is to return to or even expand traditional thinking – thinking which instead of being conservative/reactionary or progressive/radical is culturally (or inter-culturally) sagacious.  Even the most Orthodox of any faith or ideology should agree with the Provencal sage, R. Menachem ben Shlomo Meiri (1249 – 1315), who argued that any moral religious system is preferable to the lack of such (Beit haBehira Pesahim 49b).  Or earlier, R. Shmuel HaNagid (b.993) exhorted Moslems not to abandon the path of His prophet Mohammed (Harkavy 1902, 49 n.2).