Certainty and doubt
how to have convictions without becoming a fanatic
1st ed.
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Author
Contributions
- Zijderveld, Anton C., 1937- - Contributor
Publication
2009 - HarperOne/HarperCollins Publishers, New York, New York (State)
Language
English
Word Count
44,750 words, Guess
Page Count
179 pages
Identifiers
- Internet Archiveinpraiseofdoubth0000berg
- ISBN-139780061778162
- ISBN-100061778168
- LibraryThing8208162
- Goodreads5250478
and 4 more
- Library of Congress Control Number2008055098
- OCLC Control Number262884218
- Better World Books9780061778162
- Open LibraryOL23043123M
Classifications
- DDC121/.63
- LCCBD215 .B47 2009
- LCCBD215.B47 2009
Description
Modernity was supposed to usher in a rational secular world where religion was marginalized. Some even predicted it would disappear. But religion has not only survived—it is growing and thriving in the modern world. Defying predictions, we live today in a world of plurality where diverse groups live under conditions of civic peace and in social interaction. However, this arrangement is not without tensions. How do we handle moral issues, such as abortion or homosexuality, when different groups have strongly held but opposing viewpoints? And how does culture maintain its harmony when confronted with the challenge of an aggressive fundamentalism?The answer, according to world-renowned sociologists Peter Berger and Anton Zijderveld, is doubt. Not the stupefying doubt of relativism where we become incapable of any decision because we are overwhelmed by options, but a virtuous use of doubt that allows us to move forward boldly with strong moral convictions without caving in to the fanatic's temptation of seeing everyone who disagrees with you as the enemy. How we as individuals and as a society can find this ideal balance is the subject of this deceptively simple but revolutionary work.In Praise of Doubt takes the reader on an exciting whirlwind tour of the history of modernity, religion, the rise of psychology, Marxism, and the intellectual challenge of relativism, the failure of totalitarianism, fundamentalism as a modern invention, and the startling conclusion explaining why truth, even religious truth, needs doubt to survive and thrive.
Description
Two top sociologists map out how people can reclaim their convictions from the twin dangers of fundamentalism and a loss of moral values, exploring the roles of humor, doubt, and social norms in moderating views to avoid becoming fanatical.
Subjects
Other Editions
- Certainty and doubt: how to have convictions without becoming a fanatic
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