New Books in Intellectual History Brook Ziporyn, "Experiments in Mystical Atheism: Godless Epiphanies from Daoism to Spinoza and Beyond" (U Chicago Press, 2024)
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Jun 16, 2025 
Brook Ziporyn, a Professor at the University of Chicago and author of 'Experiments in Mystical Atheism,' explores the idea of a deeper form of atheism that transcends traditional theism and scientism. He discusses how insights from Daoism, Buddhism, and Western philosophy can lead to 'godless epiphanies.' The conversation covers the complexities of purpose, karma, and interdependence in Eastern thought, while advocating for a mystical atheism that remains spiritually rich without reliance on a higher power.
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Mind as Ultimate Cause
- Anaxagoras introduced mind as the ultimate first principle, implying purposive activity underlies all reality.
- This teleological structure leads to a dichotomous worldview, shaping Western philosophy's oscillation between theism and mechanism.
Four Responses to Purposivity
- Four categories shape responses to purposivity: emulative theism, compensatory theism, compensatory atheism, and emulative atheism.
- Emulative atheism affirms purposelessness and non-agency as vital human experiences joining the universe's non-purposeful nature.
Confucianism's Productive Paradox
- Confucianism rejects a single divine purpose and values wu wei as foundational.
- It balances spontaneous non-deliberate action with deliberate cultivation, forming a productive ethical paradox.
