자료유형 | 단행본 |
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서명/저자사항 | The illusion of certainty : how the flawed beliefs of religion harm our culture/ James T. Houk. [electronic resource]. |
개인저자 | Houk, James T.(James Titus), 1955- author. |
발행사항 | Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books, 2017. |
형태사항 | 1 online resource. |
기타형태 저록 | Print version: Houk, James T. (James Titus), 1955- Illusion of certainty. Amherst : Prometheus Books, 2018 9781633883239 |
ISBN | 9781633883246 1633883248 |
서지주기 | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
요약 | In this examination of religion's influence on society, an anthropologist critiques fundamentalism and all mindsets based on rigid cultural certainties. The author argues that the future can only be safeguarded by a global humanistic outlook that recognizes and respects differing cultural perspectives and endorses the use of critical reason and empiricism. Houk coins the term "culturalism" to describe dogmatic viewpoints governed by culture-specific values and preconceived notions. Culturalism gives rise not only to fundamentalism in religion but also stereotypes about race, gender, and sexual orientation. Turning specifically to Christian fundamentalism, the author analyzes the many weaknesses of what he calls a faith-based epistemology, particularly as such thinking is displayed in young-earth creationism, the reliance on revelation and subjective experiences as a source of religious knowledge, and the reverence accorded the Bible despite its obvious flaws. As he points out, the problem with such cultural knowledge generally is that it is non-falsifiable and ultimately has no lasting value in contrast to the data-based and falsifiable knowledge produced by science, which continues to prove its worth as a reliable source of accurate information. Concluding that there is no future to the fundamentalist mindset in a diverse world where religion often exacerbates conflicts, he makes a strong case for reason and mutual tolerance. |
일반주제명 | Religion --Controversial literature. Atheism. Fundamentalism --Controversial literature. RELIGION --Comparative Religion. RELIGION --Essays. RELIGION --Reference. Atheism. Fundamentalism. Religion. |
언어 | 영어 |
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