In 'A Secular Age', Charles Taylor explores the transformation of Western society from a pre-modern world where belief in God was inescapable to a modern secular age where believing in God is just one option among many. Taylor argues against the 'subtraction story' of secularization, which posits that religion has been removed from society. Instead, he describes a complex historical process involving the Reform movement in Christianity, the rise of disciplinary society, and the emergence of exclusive humanism. The book examines how these changes have affected the conditions of belief and unbelief, and how they have shaped modern social forms, moral orders, and spiritual experiences[1][3][4].
This book traces the history of the myth of disenchantment in the development of philosophy, anthropology, sociology, folklore, psychoanalysis, and religious studies. Josephson-Storm argues that the founding figures of these disciplines were not only aware of but deeply involved in the occult and spiritualist movements of their time. He contends that the myth of a disenchanted modern world was constructed in response to these occult revivals, and that magic and enchantment have never truly disappeared from modern society. The book provides a nuanced history of Western thought, showing that magic and secularism have coexisted and influenced each other in complex ways.
Today on Upstream, Rudyard Lynch and Samo Burja discuss the aftermath of the U.S. presidential election, the decline of French influence in Africa, the psychology of modernity, and the potential future of free versus controlled internet. For full show notes, visit: https://highlightai.com/share/d3195f8d-9dc3-4891-83d6-3354a83efbe9
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