Vigilant Faith

Vigilant Faith
Author: Daniel Boscaljon
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2013
Genre: Agnosticism
ISBN: 9780813934631

In Vigilant Faith: Passionate Agnosticism in a Secular World, Daniel Boscaljon takes up the contemporary challenges to faith by skepticism and secularism. He proposes a model of faith for believers and unbelievers alike--a passionate agnosticism--that is rooted in a skeptical consciousness. Skepticism and faith are structurally similar, he writes, in that they share an "unknowing" quality. The author argues that vigilance--the act of keeping watch, a spiritual practice in its own right--is as necessary a precondition for the structure of faith as it is for the structure of skepticism. A suspension in uncertainty and an openness to possibility require vigilance, he attests, if faith and skepticism are to avoid the often dogmatic tendencies of both theism and atheism to cling to their own brands of certainty and knowledge. Boscaljon has three aims: to expand the current, post-theistic definitions of God for greater relevance to human beings on an individual and existential level; to integrate skepticism into faith so that it will restore the importance of faith to current theology and recover it from anti-intellectual bias; and to conceptualize the vigilance of faith in such a way that can provide a vocabulary for distinguishing "good faith" from "bad faith." He offers a variety of cultural examples ranging from film to poetry to represent a life of faith and to show how its components come together in practice. As an alternative to the prevailing fundamentalisms in today's world, his book proposes a paradigmatic understanding of faith in which theism, atheism, and agnosticism refuse to differ.

Agnostic-Ish

Agnostic-Ish
Author: Josh Buoy
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2016-04-09
Genre:
ISBN: 9780692710517

This is a book about science, religion, and the world in between. I was born into a Christian family, but fell out of religion and in love with the scientific method. I had little need of faith, I thought, when science could tell me so much more about the world, and ask so little of me in return. But as I aged into young adulthood, a new chapter of my story began. Did I really know why I believed what I believed? How could I be so certain of my convictions when I hadn't even honestly considered the evidence? This book traces my journey through the furthest reaches of thought, a journey that took me through the realms of psychology, biology, physics, and belief. Could I find a place for faith in the modern world? Or was I right to cast it off as I did?

How To Be An Agnostic

How To Be An Agnostic
Author: Mark Vernon
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 287
Release: 2016-04-30
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0230301444

The authentic spiritual quest is marked not by certainties but by questions and doubt. Mark Vernon who was a priest, and left an atheist explores the wonder of science, the ups and downs of being 'spiritual but not religious', the insights of ancient philosophy, and God the biggest question.

God Is Not Great

God Is Not Great
Author: Christopher Hitchens
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2008-11-19
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1551991764

Christopher Hitchens, described in the London Observer as “one of the most prolific, as well as brilliant, journalists of our time” takes on his biggest subject yet–the increasingly dangerous role of religion in the world. In the tradition of Bertrand Russell’s Why I Am Not a Christian and Sam Harris’s recent bestseller, The End Of Faith, Christopher Hitchens makes the ultimate case against religion. With a close and erudite reading of the major religious texts, he documents the ways in which religion is a man-made wish, a cause of dangerous sexual repression, and a distortion of our origins in the cosmos. With eloquent clarity, Hitchens frames the argument for a more secular life based on science and reason, in which hell is replaced by the Hubble Telescope’s awesome view of the universe, and Moses and the burning bush give way to the beauty and symmetry of the double helix.

Pragmatist Truth in the Post-Truth Age

Pragmatist Truth in the Post-Truth Age
Author: Sami Pihlström
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2021-09-23
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1009051504

It is commonly believed that populist politics and social media pose a serious threat to our concept of truth. Philosophical pragmatists, who are typically thought to regard truth as merely that which is 'helpful' for us to believe, are sometimes blamed for providing the theoretical basis for the phenomenon of 'post-truth'. In this book, Sami Pihlström develops a pragmatist account of truth and truth-seeking based on the ideas of William James, and defends a thoroughly pragmatist view of humanism which gives space for a sincere search for truth. By elaborating on James's pragmatism and the 'will to believe' strategy in the philosophy of religion, Pihlström argues for a Kantian-inspired transcendental articulation of pragmatism that recognizes irreducible normativity as a constitutive feature of our practices of pursuing the truth. James himself thereby emerges as a deeply Kantian thinker.

To Be an Agnostic

To Be an Agnostic
Author: James Kirk Wall
Publisher: iUniverse
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2009-08-14
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1440166579

To Be an Agnostic Seeking knowledge, truth and wisdom through the philosophy of agnosticism Chicago Todays America seems to split in two opposing parties: those who feel religion is under attack, and those who feel religion is unjustly pushing itself into secular life. While many books exist that either promote or bash religion, few book explore religion and spirituality from a neutral, agnostic standpoint. Author James Kirk Wall, an agnostic himself, set out to fill this void with his new book, To Be an Agnostic. To Be an Agnostic neither endorses nor opposes religion. Rather, Mr. Wall takes his readers on a journey of intellectual exploration, using both ancient and modern philosophers to explain the greater meaning of life. The book teaches: an agnostic approach to problem solving solid foundations of learning and obtaining knowledge argumentation techniques decision making skills religious tolerance how to face the issue of death and dying promoting opportunity, freedom and justice Ultimately, this book promotes simplicity as the essence of truth, says author James Wall. Morality and ethics are regarded above all else. We must know what is good, promote what is good, and defend what is good. To Be an Agnostic includes insight and words of wisdom from great philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle and Socrates, Eastern philosophers Confucius and Lao Tzu, Americas Founding Fathers, U.S. presidents, military commanders, religious figures, activists, celebrities, heroes and well-known agnostic thinkers such as Thomas Huxley. Without attacking or dismissing religion or faith, the book frames agnosticism as a modern bridge between religion and atheism. Readers, whether religious or not, will enjoy the opportunity to expand their horizons and increase their understanding of alternate viewpoints as it relates to matters of faith or lack thereof.

Agnosticism and Christianity

Agnosticism and Christianity
Author: T. H. Huxley
Publisher: Editions Le Mono
Total Pages: 63
Release: 2016-05-16
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 236659190X

"The people who call themselves "agnostics" have been charged with doing so because they have not the courage to declare themselves "infidels". It has been insinuated that they have adopted a new name in order to escape the unpleasantness which attaches to their proper denomination..."