Index
Index
A
Abelard, Peter 175–176
abstract ideas vs. experience 133–134, 167-168
accountability 112–114
Age of Reason 24, 80, 102–103, 182, 183, 195, 206, 261
alienation 165–166
alternative hypotheses 97–101
Arnold, Matthew 169
art, role in seeking meaning 8, 50, 89, 139
atheism
dogmatism 99
in Soviet Union 257
interest in spirituality 15
limits 65, 116, 196
morality 84–85, 114
natural world 156
on human nature 15, 23
on reality 132
on theism 108, 124, 257
secular humanism 212–213, 216–221
Augustine of Hippo 35, 38–40, 67, 108, 123, 136, 187, 199, 201, 203
Confessions 42–44, 170
author
conversion experience 116–117, 196
experiences 22
on humanism 213, 224
on theology 136–137
sense of wonder 150
views 106, 121
autobiographical memory 43
awe See wonder, sense of
B
Babylonian Exile 174–176
The Balcony and the Road (Mackay) 70–75, 129, 138, 174
big picture 7, 8, 12, 16, 18, 59–75, 78–80, 87–89, 94–96, 105, 132, 146, 148–149, 172, 183, 196, 201, 208, 262, 268
biological model of humanity 28–29, 32–34, 52–54, 103, 206, 247
biosemiotics 60
black holes, existential 163–165
Brave New World (Huxley) 48, 228, 252
Brunner, Emil 150
Buber, Martin 119–120
C
Camus, Albert 22
Chesterton, G. K. 8, 48, 162, 173
Christianity See also Augustine of Hippo; Scripture; Lewis, C. S.; sin
appreciation of natural world 156–157
creation of humanity 45–46, 90–91, 95
divine revelation 63
engagement in the world 71, 95
eternal life 257
exile 172–177
grace 51, 66, 82, 202
Holy Trinity 150
image of God 90, 156, 198–200, 231
incarnation 70, 172
parallels with science 148–151
rationality 105
relationship to God 117, 120
sacraments 95
spirituality vs. theology 136–138
stories 89–96
suffering 132–138
transcendence of human nature 231
vs. Darwinism 200–201
vs. Marxism-Leninism 257–258
weaknesses of humanity 51, 82, 198–204
citizenship 173
classical thought/ideas 42, 47, 48, 61, 123, 173
communication See also language; poetry; propaganda
study of 60
through stories 89–96
understanding ideas 150
complexity 24–27, 33, 35, 39, 65, 80–81, 126, 149, 151, 188, 199, 203–204, 246
context 32, 60, 201, 206–207, 215 See also The Balcony and the Road (Mackay)
conversion experiences 42, 66–67, 116–117, 196
Copernicus, Nicolaus 10, 20, 21
creation of humanity 45–46, 90–91, 95
playing at being God 248
creation of meaning 101, 108–114
creation of the universe 90–91, 95, 152, 156
Crick, Francis 28
cultural context 32, 52, 59, 70, 122
D
Darwin, Charles 20, 205, 211, 243–244, 261
Darwinism 16, 52, 141, 193, 200–201
artificial selection 243–246
has some features of a religion 16
neutrality of natural selection 52, 193, 211–212
Dawkins, Richard 40, 52–54, 124
Darwinism 16, 29, 54
on religion 194, 222
rationalism 103–104
selfish genes 53–54, 206–207
The God Delusion 31, 220–221
The Selfish Gene 52–53, 206–207
view of nature 9, 82, 153–154, 156, 260
death 258
dehumanization 120, 218, 223, 225, 228–230, 246
delusions
as a coping mechanism 51, 59, 102, 194
of goodness 44, 185, 197–198
of objectivity 71
protecting against 123
Derrida, Jacques 109
detachment See objectivity
dignity 40, 218, 226 See also dehumanization
discernment 19, 49, 63, 79, 81, 129, 251
disenchantment 143–145
distinctiveness of humanity 14, 20, 23, 25, 39, 48, 211
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor 113–114
doubt 126–127
duality of human nature See human nature, duality of
E
Eagleton, Terry 223, 238, 240, 254
education
humanism 224–228
propaganda 257
understanding ideas 150
Einstein, Albert 9, 11, 71–73, 155, 253, 261
emotions 80, 103, 110, 118, 123, 133–135, 169
enhancement of humans See transhumanism
Enlightenment ideas 122–124, 184, 195–196, 207, 215, 239–240, 241
enrichment of narratives 18, 204
equality of social groups 231
Erasmus, Desiderius 212, 215–216
evaluation
critical reflection 20
leading to change 237
of frameworks 112
of human nature 198, 228
of progress 238
evil 85–86, 132, 181, 187–189, 201–202, 204, 209, 221–222, 229, 239–241
evolution 40, 52–54, 194, 195, 201, 205, 211
evolutionary anthropology 141
evolutionary lag 248
exile 172–177
existentialism 10, 157, 164, 183, 202
experience See The Balcony and the Road (Mackay)
informing frameworks 128–129
limits of 62, 63, 81
stories 71
subjectivity 168
vs. abstract ideas 133–134, 167–168
F
faith
a journey 66
dogmatism 127
in progress 193
joining the story 71, 94
loss of faith 130–131, 134
theology vs. spirituality 136–137, 170–172
transcends human limits 37, 156
vs. science 103–105
working with science 17
fashions in ideas 30–32, 60, 61, 100
Feuerbach, Ludwig 103, 105–110, 184
flaws See weaknesses of humanity
Frankl, Viktor 128
Franklin, Benjamin 122
French Revolution 196, 234, 239
Freud, Sigmund 20–21, 103, 106, 204, 209, 261
G
genetics 206, 207, 243–246, 248–250 See also evolution
genocide 195–196, 228–230, 253 See also Holocaust
goals 47, 80, 198–199, 237, 254
God 85, 89, 124–125, 154–156, 165, 208 See also Christianity
a human invention 113, 219–221
acts of God 93
as creator 151–152
atheism 97, 104, 106
brings transcendence 224
creation 91
divine revelation 63
God’s-eye perspective 69–70
goodness of 134, 136
image of 90, 198–199, 200, 231
indicated by nature 156, 172
knowledge of 117, 120, 150–151
longing 170–172
purpose of pain 132
reliance on God 202
good vs. evil 86, 185–189, 204, 223
goodness
living a meaningful life 73
not innate 183
of God 134, 136
“Great Chain of Being” 45–46
H
Heidegger, Martin 47, 123, 164–165, 263
Heinlein, Robert A. 72–73
Holocaust 131, 193, 209, 228–230, 238 See also Frank, Anne
homesickness 165–170, 173–176, 198
human nature 19–34, 38–39 See also violence, weaknesses of humanity
compassion 141
distinctiveness 211
duality of 37, 131, 182, 184, 187–189, 192, 204, 207–209
longing 173, 182
storytelling 91
transcendence through God 224
transhumanism 251
humanism 23, 106, 193–195, 209, 211–232, 246
Huxley, Aldous, Brave New World 48, 228, 252
Huxley, Thomas H. 200–201, 203, 205, 211
I
group 60–62, 90
loss See also dehumanization
loss of 169
rebirth/reinvention 94–96
ideologies 53, 60–62, 124, 229, 234
imagination 8, 26, 44–46, 88, 106, 161 See also art, role in seeking meaning; stories
as a lens 154
limits 82
myths 91–93
role in science 139–157
vs. rationalism 8
immortality 255–258
independence of thought 45–47, 54, 61, 106, 113
institutions 197
intellect vs. emotion 133–135, 170–172
J
Japan 191–192
Jesus Christ 137, 164, 165, 172, 202, 230
Judaism 93
judgment (human) 103, 111, 112, 208, 234
of morality 198, 252
of philosophy 126
on others 186, 204
Jung, Carl 90
K
Kant, Immanuel 35
L
language
humanism 214–218, 224
limits 149
of dehumanization 227–228
of delusion 186–187
of renewal 204
of sin 196, 199
Lewis, C. S. 10, 107, 118, 120, 228, 237
The Abolition of Man 228
The Chronicles of Narnia 95
conversion experience 66, 107
A Grief Observed 133–135, 138
Mere Christianity 171, 208
on subjectivism 116
“On the Reading of Old Books” 74
rationalism vs. emotion 170–172
seeing things properly 64–67
seeing through others’ eyes 74
successor to Augustine 43
suffering 132–138
The Four Loves 30, 118
The Pilgrim’s Regress 66, 118
The Problem of Pain 132–138
Surprised by Joy 43
“The Weight of Glory” 170
literature 8, 48, 50, 74, 91, 95–96
logic 124
longing 65–66, 77, 105, 108, 169–177, 199, 246, 254
loyalty 60–62
to scientific orthodoxy 85–99
to social group 60–62, 223, 226
Luther, Martin 203
M
Mackay, John Alexander See The Balcony and the Road (Mackay)
Manichaean dualism 222
Marxism 16, 65, 79, 94, 126, 130, 214, 255–258
and progress 236–237
vs. Christianity 184, 257–258
mathematics
and God 156
as proof of concept 124
in the natural world 154–155
meaning 83–86
construction of 101, 112
failing 138
global vs. situational 78–79
lack 110
search for 12, 37–39, 77, 108
through suffering 136–137
why vs. how 127–130
medical techniques 24, 189–190, 241, 244, 247–250
medieval ideas 59, 137, 153, 175, 214–215
mind, human 64
limits of 9, 39, 43, 101, 147, 195
moral ambiguity 187–190
moral enhancement 252
moral perfection 198
progress through technology 249
taught, not innate 53, 86
mortality 254–258
mountain analogy 25–26
multidisciplinary study 5, 17–18, 27–34, 145 See also partial view
Murdoch, Iris 21, 40, 48–51, 113
mystery 42, 139–142, 144, 150, 154, 169
myths 91–93
N
napalm 191–192
natural law 230
natural sciences 9, 124, 144–147
natural selection 200–201, 205, 212, 243–244
natural theology 151–153
natural world 8–9, 35, 81–83, 157
alienation 159–161
as an indicator of God 156
Nazism 4, 86, 128, 131, 207, 209, 218, 227, 229–230, 245
neutral universe 159, 164, 255
New Atheism 16, 83, 102, 126–127, 215, 220–222, 238
Newton, Isaac 37, 82, 125, 139
Niebuhr, Reinhold 4, 197, 223, 236–237
nihilism 113
O
objective truth 122–124, 140, 145, 157, 187
objectivity 40, 50, 51, 62, 67–75, 100
external validation 109
vs. subjectivity 115–118, 144–145, 233–235
observation 31, 64, 67–75, 162
external 31
limits 81, 148–149
natural world 8–9, 88–89, 142
vs. participation 130
openness to ideas 97–100
opponents, criticism of 99, 100–102, 194, 235
optimism, unrealistic 43–44, 197, 206–209, 227–228
in Western culture 5, 184, 195
myth of progress 193, 233, 235–241
origin of humans 159–161
original sin 206
otherness
cultural supremacy 223, 235–236, 246
evil 187–189
out-groups 192, 230–231
oversimplification See reductionism
P
paganism 92
pain 136–138
partial view 33, 36, 38, 42, 44, 49, 68, 81, 92, 125–127, 140, 262
Pascal, Blaise 39, 126, 159, 170
Paul, the apostle 65, 95, 202, 208, 262
philosophy 6–7, 77–79, 83–85, 115–116, 164
as a science 12
classical thought/ideas 13, 123
critical tools 24
giving meaning 123
in the “real” world 193
modern 126
of humanism 215
of science 146
of transhumanism 247
postmodern 109
vs. scientism 23
Pico della Mirandola, Giovanni 40, 45–48, 184, 211, 215, 218, 246
poetry 8, 90, 144–145, 160, 169
political context 53, 100, 215
Pope, Alexander, Essay on Man 36–37, 62, 195
posthumans 246–254
postmodernism 47, 94, 109, 112, 261
progress, myth of 193, 233–258
psychology 7, 24, 43, 118, 128–131, 204
public engagement
philosophy 83, 193
scientific ideas 11, 52
R
racial ideologies 228, 245–246
rationalism
as human nature 238
criticism 104, 151, 170
in science 9–12, 80, 84–85, 144, 146–147, 184, 193
view of Christianity 133
vs. complexity 39, 65, 86–89, 103
vs. wonder 144
rationality, in religion 123
vs. optimism 235–241
reason 123, 146–147, 170, 171, 241
reductionism 22–23, 27–30, 32, 36–38, 80–81, 125
relationships, human 29–30, 32, 60–62, 73, 102–103, 118–120, 223 See also social groups
relativism 112
a human invention 219
as a framework 9, 42–43, 79, 123
common features 17
coping 128–130
corruption 222
criticism 40, 106, 153, 184, 188, 194, 219–223
dehumanizing ideologies 229–231
fundamentalism 61, 97–99, 126
identity 90
immortality 254–258
limits 9
role of imagination 139
secular humanism’s view 219–223
social organizations 102
stories 92–93
subjective time 42–43
three needs 14
vs. science 154, 241
war 242
weaknesses 223
wonder, sense of 8, 148
working with science 17
Renaissance ideas 44, 87, 146, 213–219, 224
resurrection 257
Russell, Bertrand 123, 127, 263
S
sacraments 95
science 9–13, 82–87, 97 See also technology
and progress 234, 241
and sin 204–207
criticism 189
cultural supremacy 243–246
innocence in 189–192
inspiration 8, 141–143
language 169
limits of scientific method 9, 11, 21, 29, 39, 80, 82, 149
need for proof 124–125
on human nature 206
orthodoxy 22–23, 99, 124, 125
parallels with theology 148–151
philosophy 145–147
role in war 192, 242, 252
role of imagination 139–157
role of theories 145–147
space-time 71–73
subjectivity 68
violence 184
vs. religion 154
working with religion 17
Scripture
1 Corinthians 65, 82, 262
2 Corinthians 82
Ecclesiastes 170
Ephesians 66
Exodus 93
Galatians 95
Hebrews 174
Job 151
New Testament images 81, 95, 173, 201–204
Old Testament images 151–152, 167, 171–176
Philippians 173
Psalm 8 172
Psalm 19 151–152
Psalm 23 138, 172
Psalm 139 35
Romans 202, 208
secular humanism 211–223
self-determination 44, 110, 114
self-examination 3–5, 19–22, 38–39, 42, 48–51
selfishness 40, 52–54, 113, 223
sin 43–44, 82, 120, 196–209, 251
social aspects of humanity 32, 223
social groups 60–62, 90, 100–102, 110–112, 223, 226
socialism 94, 236–237, 257–258
sociobiology 205
solutions 185–189
Soviet Union 119, 189, 218, 256–257
subjectivity
approaches to meaning 62–63, 111–119, 157
concept of home 165–168
in experience 40, 164
in nature 144–145
Lewis, C. S. 171
measuring progress 233–235
of observation 67–75
viewpoints 67
suffering 81, 132–138, 183, 249
T
technology
and progress 241–246
dehumanization 225
role in war 183, 189–192, 242, 252
search for immortality 254–258
telescopes 146, 148
transhumanism 246–254
the universe 177
inspires wonder 35, 143, 147, 152–154
scientific understanding 20, 82, 89, 125, 145–147
space-time 71–73
theology
as a framework See Christianity: big picture
knowledge of God 117, 150
of creation 90
of the natural world 151–153
vs. experience 172, 199
vs. spirituality 136–138
theories, scientific 82–87, 145–147
theory vs. observation 8, 133–135, 166–168, 240
Tolkien, J. R. R. 90–92, 242–243, 255
The Lord of the Rings 90–92, 243
totalitarianism 225
transcendence
of biological origins 141, 207
of death 255
of human nature 12, 73, 79, 113
through God 199, 224, 230–231
transhumanism 54, 246–254, 258
traumatic experiences 78, 127–138
truth 37, 60–62, 69, 92, 115–117, 121–125, 140, 157, 172, 186
twentieth century 4, 195, 218, 241–242
U
ultimate questions 14, 83, 126, 263
uncertainty, living with 125–127
V
viewpoints, multiple 24–27, 67, 92, 98–99, 142, 215
violence 38, 80, 184–185, 194–197, 200, 205–207, 211, 225, 242–243, 246
W
war 184–185, 205–206, 225–227 See also World War I; World War II
weaknesses of humanity 5, 20, 39, 54, 62, 99, 119, 181–183, 196–200, 252 See also delusions; sin
Wittgenstein, Ludwig 10, 62, 80, 89, 123, 161, 217, 263
wonder, sense of 6–9, 13, 35, 140–146, 148, 157, 162
World War II 128, 131, 191–193, 227–228, 242
worldview
distorted 80–82
reinforcing 193
subjective 157