| Popis: |
Does New Atheism have anything more to offer than a mere negative criticism of religion? Critics of this movement, such as John F. Haught, often propose legitimate retorts. Atheism seems to offer little or no response to some pivotal questions: What does the absence of God really mean? How to pass through the disorienting wilderness of nihilism? How to avoid life numbing cynicism in a contingent reality? Is all hope lost once we embrace atheism? I will show how William James's ontological anarchism holds a strong message for atheists who want to surpass the merely negative deconstruction of religion and spread a message of hope. James's philosophy might contribute to a constructive/positive atheism and offer hope and encouragement for those who try to establish progress. The pragmatic perspective treats progress as possible, thus avoiding utopian or dystopian teleological ends, while at the same time making the possibility of progress and salvation depend on our own efforts, hence rejecting cynicism and nihilism and therefore offering hope. |
