Labels

>Artifiele intelligentie (1) 1§de" eeuw (1) 12de graad (1) 16de eeuw (1) 17de 18de eeuw (1) 17de eeuwse netwerking (1) 17de en 18de eeuw (2) 17e eeuw-18de eeuw (1) 18de eeuw (4) 19e eeuw (2) 2016 (1) 20ste eeuw (3) 21ste eeuw (3) 2de grad (1) 7de graad Provoost en Rechter; 8ste Graad: Intendant der gebouwen (1) AASR (21) AASR 10de graad (1) AASR 18de graad (1) AASR 5 en 6de graad (1) AASR Filosofische graden (1) Adoptie ritus (1) Adoptieloges (2) Agnosticism (1) agnosticisme (1) AI (1) Algemeen (7) Allende Salvador (1) Aloude en Aangenomen Schotse Ritus (7) Amsterdam (1) Angelsaksische benadering (1) Anthropologie (1) anti-maçonnerie (1) Antienst en Moderns (1) Antients (1) Antients and Moderns (1) Antimaçonnisme (4) Antisemitime (1) Antivrijmetselarij (1) Antmaconnisme (1) Antwerpen (1) Arbeid (1) Archieven (1) Archieven Belgie (1) Archieven Nederland (1) architectuur (3) Armenie (1) Artificial Intelligence (1) Artificiële intelligentie (2) Atheisme (16) Atheïsme (9) Atheistische spiritualiteit (1) Audiobook Verlichting (1) Auschwitz (1) Azië (1) Azteken (1) Banket (1) Baron d'Holbach (1) Beeldende kunsten (2) beeldmateriaal (1) Beeldverhaal (1) beeldwoordenboek (1) beleving (1) Belgie (6) Belgie Vrijmetselarij Archief (1) beschutte communicatie (1) Besluiten Opperraden 19e eeuw (1) Bibliofilie (1) Bibliografie (2) Bibliotheken (6) Bibliotheken Duitsland (1) Bibliotheken England (1) Bibliotheken Nederland (1) Bibliotheken USA (3) Bibliotheken Zwitserkand (1) Bijbel (4) Bijbel controverse (1) Bijbel en loge (1) Bijbelse namen en betekenissen (2) Bio wetenschappen (1) Biografie (7) Blauwe graden (1) Blauwe loges (2) Blgie (1) Blinddoek (1) Boeddhisme (1) boekbespreking (1) Boekdrukkunst (2) Boeken (3) Boekenbeurs (5) Boekenbeurs Belleville (1) Boekenbeurs Lille (1) Boekenbeurs Vrijmetselarij Belgie (5) Boekenbeurs Vrijmetselarij Frankrijk (7) Boekenbeurs Vrijmetselarij Parijs (2) Boekensector (1) Boekhandel (2) Boekvoorstelling (1) Bouwstukken Nederland (1) Broederlijkheid (1) bronnenmateriaal (1) Bronnenonderzoek (1) Brugge (1) Bruno Giordano (1) Brussel (1) Buchloge (1) burgerlijke ongehoorzaamheid (1) chansons (1) Christelijk humanisme (2) classificatiesystemen (1) CLIPSAS (1) collaboratie (1) Commune 1871 Parijs (1) Commune de Paris (3) Commune Parijs (1) Commune Parijs 1871 (1) Complottheorie (1) Concentratiekampen (2) Conferenties (1) Conflictbeheersing (1) Congressen (6) Constitutie Desaguliers (1) Constituties (2) Constituties 1723 (1) Constituties 1738 (1) Creationisme (1) culturele studies (1) Cultuuremanicipatie (2) cultuurgeschiedenis (1) Cursussen vrijmetselarij (1) d’ALVIELLA (1) Darwin (1) databank (1) databanken (1) DDR (3) De Gulden Passer (1) debat (1) democratie (2) Desiderius Erasmus (1) Determinisme (1) Diaspora (1) Diderot (1) digitale documenten (1) Digitale media (1) Diversiteit Christelijke godsdiensten (1) Documentatiecentrum GOB (1) doelstellingen (1) Doit Humain (1) Droit Humain (2) drugs klimaat (1) Duitse literatuur (1) Duitsland (14) Duitsland 18-19de eeuw (1) Duitsland cultuurgeschiedenis (1) Duitsland Interbellum (1) Duitsland Online artikels (1) Duitsland Schroeder F L (1) Duitsland Vrijmetselarij (1) Duitsland? (1) Ecosissme (1) Ecossisme Franrijk (1) Eed (1) Egyptische stijl (1) Elzas (1) emblemen (1) Encyclopedieën (1) Encyclopedistes (1) engagement (1) ervaringen (2) Esoterie (2) Essay (1) Esthetica (1) ethica (3) Ethiek (8) Ethiek Atheisme (1) Ethiek WO II (1) Etiquette (3) Eugène (1) Europa (2) Europa Renaissance (1) Euthanasie (2) evolutie (1) Evolutieleer (1) Evolutietheorie (1) Extreem rechts (1) extreemrechts (1) Fantasy (1) Farmacie (1) farwin (1) Filosofgie Algemeen (1) Filosofie (42) Filosofie & levensbeschouwing (9) Filosofie & religie (4) Filosofie 17de eeuw (1) Filosofie 20ste eeuw (2) Filosofie Comenius (2) Filosofie Descartes (1) Filosofie Duitsland 19e eeuw (1) Filosofie Erasmus Spinoza (1) Filosofie filosofen (1) Filosofie Islam (1) Filosofie Italie (1) Filosofie Levensbeschouwing (2) filosofie psychologie (1) Filosofie renaissance (1) Filosofie Spinoza (2) Filosofie vrije wil (2) Filosofie Vrijmetselarij (6) Filosogie Spinoza (1) Filsofie Roman (1) Frankrijk (10) Frankrijk Franse Ritus (1) Frankrijk? Verenigd Koninkrijk (1) Franse letterkunde 18de eeuw/19de eeuw (1) Franse revolutie (1) Franse Ritus (2) Friedrich Ludwig Schröder (2) Gddragscode (1) GE Lessing (1) Gechiedenis Frankrijk (1) Geheim Meester AASR (2) Gelijkheid Man Vrouw (5) Gemeenschappelijkheid (1) gemengde (1) Geneeskunde (1) Gent (2) Geopolitiek (1) Gerectifieerde Shotse ritus (1) geschiedebis (1) geschiedenis (15) Geschiedenis Antwerpen (1) Geschiedenis Belgie (2) Geschiedenis papier (1) Geschiedenis Royal Society of London (3) Geschiedenis vrijmetselarij Rusland (1) Geschiedenis VSA (1) geshiedenis Belgie (1) Gesprekscultuur (1) Geweld (2) Gewetensvrijheid (1) gezel (1) Gids (1) GLNF (1) GOBLET (1) Godsdienstfilosofie (1) Godsidee (1) Graden van Volmaking (1) Grootoosten Italie (1) gulden snede (1) handboeken (1) Hartlib Samuel (1) Hebreeuws (1) hedendaags (1) Herbronning (4) herkomst (1) Hermeneutiek (1) Hermeneutik (1) hermetica (1) Hersenwetenschappen (1) Hiram (1) historiek (1) hofmeester (1) hogere graden? Frederik II (1) Holbach (2) Holocaust (1) homoseksualiteit (1) Hongarije (1) humanisme (22) Humanisme toekomst (1) Humor (2) Husserl Archief (1) Illuminati (1) Individu en gemeenschap (1) Industriële Revolutie (1) Initiatie (3) Instructie (1) Instructies Bouwstukken Jan Broeckx (1) Intelligent Design (1) Interbellum Duitsland (1) Internet (1) Intiem Secretaris (1) Intolerantie (1) Introspectie (1) Inwijding (2) Inwijdingen (2) inzicht (1) Islam (6) Italie (3) jaarboeken (2) Jaarboeken STC (7) Joden (1) Jodendom (1) jodenvervolging (1) journalistiek (1) Kapittelgraden enAeropgaus (1) Kapittelgraden 17 en 19 (1) Kapittelloge Aloude en Aangenomen Schotse Ritus (1) ken u zelve (1) Kennisfilosofie (2) Kennisleer (1) Kennismanagement (1) Klerikalisme (1) Knights templar (1) Komensky Jan Amos (1) kritiek (4) Kritisch onderzoek (1) Kunst (5) kunst seks (1) Kunstmatige Intelligentie (3) Landschapsarchitectuur (1) Latijn (1) Lectuur (1) Leerling (2) Leerling AASR (1) Les Ami sPhilanthropes (1) Lessing (1) Letterkunde (1) Levenbeschouwing 18de eeuw (1) Levenshoudingen (1) Lexica (2) lexicon (1) Lezingen (1) lezingenreeks (1) Liber amicorum (1) libretto (1) licht (1) Liederen (1) Literaire kritiek (1) Literaire prijzen (2) Literatuiur (1) Literatuur (2) Locke (1) Loge (2) Loge arbeid (3) Loge werking (1) Logeleiding (1) loges (1) Loreinen (1) Luik (1) Lyon (1) Maakbare mensheid (1) Maatschappij (4) Maatschappij kritiek en verbeelding (2) Maatschappijkritiek (8) maçonnieke inwijding (1) Maçoonerien vrouw (1) Magic Flute (1) marie Desraimes (2) Martinezisme (1) Mechelen (1) mededogen (1) meditatie (1) Meestergraad (1) Mens & maatschappij (4) mens en maatschappij (2) Mensenrechten klimaatverandering (1) Methode (2) Mithracisme (1) Mjthra (1) Monotheisme (1) Montaigne (2) Montesquieu (1) Moraal (3) Moraalfilosofie (3) Morin (1) Mozart W A (1) Mozart WA (1) Mozarts (1) Multiculturele samenleving (1) Mundaneum Henri La Fontaine (1) Musea (1) muziek (6) Muziek 19de eeuw (2) Mythen (1) naslagwerken (3) Nationalisme (1) Nederland (5) Nederland 17de eeuw (1) Nederland en België (1) Nederland studiedag (1) netwerking (1) Nietzsche (1) nieuw (1) nihilisme (1) Nobelprijs Henri La Fontaine (1) Nobelprijswinnaars (1) Obedienties (1) Obediënties (2) Odd Fellows (1) Onderwijs (2) Onderzoek (5) Onderzoek Nederland (1) onderzoeksbibliotheken (1) onderzoekscentra online artikels (1) Onderzoeksloge (1) ongelijkheid (1) Online artikels (3) Ontvoogding (1) oontstaan GLE (1) Oorspong (1) oorsprong (5) Oorsprong(en) AASR (1) oorsprongen (13) Oorsprongen18de eeuw (2) Oorsrongen (1) Oost Europa (1) Oostenrijk (4) Opus Dei (1) Orde van vrijmetselaren (1) organisatie (1) oVerenigd Koninkrijk (1) overzicht (1) Pansofie (2) pantheisme (1) partner (1) Pasqually (1) Pelikaan symbool (1) perfectieloge (1) periodieken (1) periodieken Frankrijk (1) Pers (1) Pezie (1) Plantin (1) Plato (1) plichten (1) POezie (1) Poëzie (2) Politiek (3) Politieke filosofie (1) Prijzen (1) Prince Hall (1) Prince Hall vrijmetselarij (1) Proefschriften (1) Psychologie (3) Racisme (1) Radicalisering (1) Ratio (1) Rechten van de mens (2) Redenaar (1) Referentiewerken (2) Referentiewerken Vrijmetselarij (1) refrentiewerken (1) Regalia (2) Regulariteit (1) Reguliere Grootloge van Belgie (1) Relgie Atheisme (1) Religie (7) religies (1) religieuze praktijken (1) Religiositeit (1) renaissance (1) Renaissance politiek (1) René Descartes briefwisseling (1) Repressie (1) RER (1) Ridderschap (1) Rite Écossais Rectifié (1) Rite Français (1) riten (1) rituaal (2) Ritualen (10) Ritualen 18e eeuw Groot-Brittannie (1) Ritualen UK (1) Ritualistiek (1) rituelen (3) ritus (2) robotoca (1) Roman (1) Romans (2) Rousseau JJ (1) Royal Arch (4) Royal Arch symbolisme (1) Royal Arch terminologie (1) Rozenkruisers (2) Rozenkruisers REAA AASR (1) Rudolf (1) Salafisme (1) samenleving (4) Samenlevinsaspecten (1) Samenzweringstheorieën (1) Schotse primitieve ritus (1) Schotse Ritus (8) seculariteit (1) Seculiere maatschappij (1) seculiere staat (1) Sociale rechtvaardigheid (1) Sociale theorie (1) socialisme (1) Solidariteit (1) Spanje (1) Spinoza (3) spiritualiteit (7) Spotprenten (1) Steiner (1) stripverhaal (1) Studiedagen (2) Studiekring STC (1) Studiekring Trogonum Coronatum (1) Studieloge (1) Studiezittingen (1) Symb. reizen (1) Symbolen (1) Symboliek (14) Symboliek altaar (1) symbolische loges (1) Symposium (1) taakverdeling (1) Taal (1) Tableaux (2) Tempel symboliek (3) Tempeliersgeschiedenis (1) tempels (1) Tentoonstelling (1) Tentoonstelling vrijmetselarij Hannover (1) Tentoonstellingen (3) Terminologie (1) Terreur (1) Terrorisme (1) Theater Esoterie (1) theologie (1) Theoterrorisme (1) Thomas More (1) Tijdsbegrippen (1) Tijdschriften (3) Tijdschriften Schotse Ritus (1) Toekomst (7) toekomstperspectieven (1) Toekomstvisie (4) Toekomstvisie Vrijmetselarij (2) tolerantie (3) Toneel (1) Toverfluit (1) transatlantisch (2) Transparantie (1) tSchröder (1) Tsjechie (1) Tuileur (1) Twijfels en zekerheden (1) Uitgeverij (5) uitgeverij Frankrijk (1) Uitgevers (3) UK (4) UK Royal Arch (1) Universele Verklaring van de Rechten Van de mens (1) USA (1) Utopia (1) Vaticaan (1) VBegraafplaatsen (1) Verenigd Koninkrijk (3) vergelijkende mythes (1) Vergeving (1) Verhalen (1) Verlichting (22) Verlichting Frankrijk (1) Verlichtingsdenken (4) Verlichtingsidealen (2) Vervolmakingsloge (1) Vierde (1) Visuele kunsten (1) Vlaanderen (2) Vluchtelinencrisis (1) VM Regulariteit (1) Volmaakt Meester (1) Voltaire (2) Voortgezette graden (2) Voortgezette graden AASR (2) Vrfijmetselarij (1) Vrfijmetselarij 21ste eeuw (1) Vriendschap (1) Vrijdenken (1) Vrijdenkers (1) Vrije geesten (2) Vrije meningsuiting (2) vrije wil (2) Vrijetselarij (1) vrijheid (11) Vrijmetselaar (1) Vrijmetselaarsfilosofie (1) Vrijmetselaarsgraden (4) Vrijmetselaarsgraden Blauwe loges (1) Vrijmetselaarstijdschriften USA (1) Vrijmetselarij (174) Vrijmetselarij Nederland cursus (2) Vrijmetselarij 18de -20ste eeuw (1) Vrijmetselarij AASR (2) Vrijmetselarij Algemeen (6) Vrijmetselarij Antwerpen (1) Vrijmetselarij Archieven (1) Vrijmetselarij beeld (1) Vrijmetselarij Belgie (13) Vrijmetselarij Boekenbeurs (1) Vrijmetselarij digitaal (1) Vrijmetselarij Duitsland (9) Vrijmetselarij Duitsland Goethe (1) Vrijmetselarij Duitsland Quator Coronati jaarboeken (1) Vrijmetselarij ethiek (2) Vrijmetselarij Europa Amerika en Kolonies (1) vrijmetselarij filosofie (1) Vrijmetselarij Frankrijk (9) Vrijmetselarij Frankrijk Online artikels (3) Vrijmetselarij Frankrijk tijdschriften (1) Vrijmetselarij Geschiedenis (2) Vrijmetselarij Geshiedenis (1) Vrijmetselarij Glaswerk (1) Vrijmetselarij Groot-Brittannie (4) Vrijmetselarij Groot-Brittannie Schotse Ritus (1) Vrijmetselarij Grootoosten (1) Vrijmetselarij Hongarije (1) Vrijmetselarij Humor (1) Vrijmetselarij Islam (1) Vrijmetselarij Java (1) Vrijmetselarij Media (1) Vrijmetselarij Musea (2) Vrijmetselarij Muziek (2) Vrijmetselarij Nederland (3) Vrijmetselarij Nederland Vlaanderen (1) Vrijmetselarij Onderzoek (1) Vrijmetselarij Oorsprong (1) Vrijmetselarij Oostenrijk (2) Vrijmetselarij Oostenrijk research (1) Vrijmetselarij Rozenkruisers (1) Vrijmetselarij Tentoonstellingen (2) Vrijmetselarij tijdschriften (4) Vrijmetselarij Toekomst (1) Vrijmetselarij UK (1) Vrijmetselarij USA (2) Vrijmetselarij Vredesbeweging (1) vrijmetselarij werkplaatsen (1) Vrijmetselarij Zuid-oost Azie (1) Vrijmetselarij Zweden (1) Vrijmetselarijen (1) vrijmetselerij (1) Vrijmetselrij (1) Vrijmetsetselarij (1) Vrijùetselarij Schilderkunst (1) Vrijzinigheid (1) Vrijzinngheid (1) Vrijzinnig humanisme (4) vrijzinnig onderwijs (1) Vrijzinnigheid (5) Vrijzinnigheid 17de eeuw (1) Vrijzinnigheid ethiek (1) Vrikjmetselarij (1) vroege teksten (1) Vrouw (5) vrouw en initiatie (1) Vrouw en vrijmetselarij (3) Vtrijmetselarij (1) WA Mozart (1) waarden (1) Wallonie (1) welvaart (1) Welvaartsdenken (1) welzijnsfilosofie (1) Wereldoorlog I (3) Wereldoorlog II (2) Wereldoorlog II Kinderen (1) Wereldoorlog II Vrijmetselarij Duitsland (1) Wereldoorlogen (1) wereldvisies (1) werkwijze (1) West-Vlaanderen (1) wet (1) Wetenschappen (2) Wetenschapsfilosofie (1) Willermooz (1) WO I (3) woordenboeken (2) York ritus (1) Zaterdaglezingen 2017 (3) zelfdestructie (1) zelfkennis (1) Zelfkritiek (1) Ziel (1) zingeving senioren (1) Zusters (2) Zwitserland (1)

vrijdag 2 mei 2014

Atheists: The Origin of the Species Nick Spencer


Have atheists got religion wrong – have they been tilting at theological windmills? This impressive history by a Christian, Nick Spencer, has a polemical edge
Spencer NIck
Atheists: The Origin of the Species Nick Spence
London,Bloomsbury, 2014. 320p. ISBN-10: 1472902963


Like new Labour, so-called New Atheism did not just replace the old variety but, for a while at least, almost totally occluded it. Atheism is now sometimes discussed as though it began with the publication of Richard Dawkins's The God Delusion in 2006.

Atheists: The Origin of the Species
by Nick Spencer

Tell us what you think: Star-rate and review this book
To put these recent debates – or more often than not, flaming rows – in some sort of perspective, a thorough history of atheism is long overdue. The godless may not at first be pleased to discover that the person who has stepped up to the plate to write it comes from the ranks of the opposition. But Nick Spencer, research director of the Christian thinktank Theos, is the kind of intelligent, thoughtful, sympathetic critic that atheists need, if only to remind them that belief in God does not necessarily require a loss of all reason.
Spencer's story is designed to illuminate our present, so he understandably restricts himself to western Europe from the late middle ages onwards. It is a compendious though not definitive account, which shows why atheism is not simply the natural result of the rise of scientific knowledge, and religion a simplistic vestige of more ignorant times. Spencer rightly points out that, far from being enemies of religion, science and rationality were  often most enthusiastically championed by men and women of faith. Locke and Newton were, for instance, both profoundly motivated by their Christianity.
In the long run, however, the church is being slowly undermined by the critical powers of inquiry it helped unleash. As Spencer himself argues, a "fateful shift" occurred in the 17th century when rationalists such as Descartes and the Cambridge Platonist Henry More sought to justify Christianity with reason. The idea was that atheism would be "defeated on the battleground of its own choosing", but once the fight moved there, religion found itself permanently on the defensive, on a long-term retreat despite the odd counterattack.
Much of the narrative is strictly historical, but there is also a polemical edge. Spencer wants his history to support three contentions, two of which should not be contentious at all. That we should talk about "atheisms rather than atheism" is self-evident. While the likes of Saint-Simon and Comte had a naive faith in the power of science and reason to create an orderly, happy utopia, later existentialist thinkers such as Nietzsche saw that "much must collapse because it was built on this faith" and looked forward only to a "long dense succession of demolition, destruction, downfall, upheaval".
Nor is there much to disagree with in the claim that atheism was from the start "a constructive and creative phenomenon", not just concerned to tear down the old order but to erect something more enlightened and rational in its place. Even the various atheistic libertines who thought all morality was an illusion believed that a world without constraint would be superior to the religious status quo.
What is more debatable is the contention that "the history of atheism is best seen as a series of disagreements about authority" rather than one primarily about the existence of God. "To deny God was not simply to deny God," writes Spencer. "It was to deny the emperor or the king who ruled you, the social structures that ordered your life, the ethical ties that regulated it, the hopes it inspired and the judgment that reassured it."
This is certainly true. But it does not follow that the tussle between religion and atheism is political rather than philosophical. Take his discussion of the early reformation in the 16th century. "Hundreds of Christians wrote thousands of pages demolishing the theological presuppositions of their opponents," he rightly says, before adding, "the fact that those theological differences might be a cipher for political or social threats is a nuance easily lost amid the aroma of cooking flesh."
Of course, there were political and social factors involved in the various disputes and schisms. But to conclude that therefore their theological contents were irrelevant "ciphers" is a jump too far. It is a false choice to say that the battles must "really" be either political or metaphysical: the messy reality is that they are jumble of both.
Similarly, Spencer wants to encourage us to see religious teachings as more moral than factual or historical. This view goes back to at least the 16th century when Cardinal Cesare Baronio asserted: "The Bible tells us how to go to heaven rather than how the heavens go." It is a neat aphorism, but of course it makes no sense to be told how to get to heaven unless there is a heaven to get to. Beliefs about what is real and what is not are impossible to expunge from all but the most postmodern of theologies.
Spencer is here promoting the conception of "religiosity as pattern of life rather than a set of verifiable propositions". On this view, what matters is not whether difficult doctrines such as eternal damnation or even Christ's resurrection are true or false, but that a life guided by such ideas is somehow richer, more complete, more directed towards a higher good. If that is right, then atheists who have criticised religion for its doctrines have spectacularly missed the point, "tilting at theological windmills". But as Spencer himself argues, we didn't see "theological liberalism redrawing the lines" until the last decades of the 19th century, and, even then, only a minority accepted the new map.
However, following John Gray, he is right to say that there is something odd about the kind of secular humanism that says all we need to do, to quote the famous bus campaign slogan, is accept "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." Believing that human beings are special is natural if you believe God created us apart from other animals, not if you believe we are higher primates whose brains evolved to help us survive and reproduce. This should certainly call into question naive atheist faith in the power of secular reason, even if Spencer goes too far when he suggests it ends up undermining its very basis, "sawing through the branch on which the atheist sat".
Atheists have more grounds to protest that Spencer puts too much weight on some specific periods and episodes that cast them in a bad light. The state-sponsored atheism of the communist world, for example, is discussed at length, even though few western atheists saw the collapse of the Berlin Wall as any kind of defeat for their far more liberal worldview.
He also says "the abrupt death of logical positivism" – the early 20th-century philosophical movement that declared all religious and metaphysical talk as literally meaningless – "marked the end of one of the most significant atheist philosophical traditions". On the contrary, it was a shortlived blip that made the mistake of grossly simplifying the less dogmatic empiricism it had grown out of. The same could be said for the recent "New Atheism spasm".
Although there is plenty here for infidels to argue with, there is much more that is undeniably true and important to know, if you want to understand the complex histories of both present-day religion and atheism. Whether atheism is true, however, depends not on how it got to where it is now, but on how well supported by argument and evidence it now is. History can enrich our understanding of the debate, but it cannot settle it..

Geen opmerkingen:

Een reactie posten