The Joy of Secularism

11 Essays for How We Live Now
Erscheinungsjahr 2012
ISBN: 978-0-691-15602-6
Verlag: Princeton University Press

Buch, Englisch, 272 Seiten, Format (B × H): 151 mm x 233 mm, Gewicht: 435 g

Can secularism offer us moral, aesthetic, and spiritual satisfaction? Or does the secular view simply affirm a dog-eat-dog universe? At a time when the issues of religion, evolution, atheism, fundamentalism, Darwin, and science fill headlines and invoke controversy, The Joy of Secularism provides a balanced and thoughtful approach for understanding an enlightened, sympathetic, and relevant secularism for our lives today. Bringing together distinguished historians, philosophers, scientists, and writers, this book shows that secularism is not a mere denial of religion. Rather, this positive and necessary condition presents a vision of a natural and difficult world--without miracles or supernatural interventions--that is far richer and more satisfying than the religious one beyond. From various perspectives--philosophy, evolutionary biology, primate study, Darwinian thinking, poetry, and even bird-watching--the essays in this collection examine the wealth of possibilities that secularism offers for achieving a condition of fullness. Factoring in historical contexts, and ethical and emotional challenges, the contributors make an honest and heartfelt yet rigorous case for the secular view by focusing attention on aspects of ordinary life normally associated with religion, such as the desire for meaning, justice, spirituality, and wonder. Demonstrating that a world of secular enchantment is a place worth living in, The Joy of Secularism takes a new and liberating look at a valuable and complex subject. The contributors are William Connolly, Paolo Costa, Frans de Waal, Philip Kitcher, George Levine, Adam Phillips, Robert Richards, Bruce Robbins, Rebecca Stott, Charles Taylor, and David Sloan Wilson.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Levine, George

Fachgebiete

• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften: Allgemeines Populärwissenschaftliche Werke
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften Interdisziplinär
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Philosophie: Sachbuch
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft | Kulturwissenschaften Kulturwissenschaften
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Angewandte Ethik & Soziale Verantwortung

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Contributors vii

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction 1

George Levine

Chapter 1: Challenges for Secularism by Philip Kitcher 24

Chapter 2: Disenchantment--Reenchantment by Charles Taylor 57

Chapter 3: Enchantment? No, Thank You! by Bruce Robbins 74

Chapter 4: Shock Therapy, Dramatization, and Practical Wisdom by William E. Connolly 95

Chapter 5: Freud?s Helplessness by Adam Phillips 115

Chapter 6: A Secular Wonder by Paolo Costa 134

Chapter 7: Prehuman Foundations of Morality by Frans B. M. de Waal 155

Chapter 8: The Truth Is Sacred by David Sloan Wilson 168

Chapter 9: Darwinian Enchantment by Robert J. Richards 185

10: The Wetfooted Understory: Darwinian Immersions by Rebecca Stott 205

Notes 225

Index 253

Über Autor(innen)

Levine, George
George Levine is professor emeritus of English at Rutgers University and the founder and former director of the Rutgers Center for Cultural Analysis. His many books include "Darwin and the Novelists" and "Darwin Loves You" (Princeton).