Description
Book SynopsisSpirituality for the Independent Thinker is a tough-minded but inspirational guide to the ways in which science, philosophy, and everyday experience converge into spiritual questions. It takes one of the greatest of all possible questions—why does anything exist instead of nothing—and draws from it a wide-awake spirituality that does not require meditation and does not lead to any bossy rules.
Trade Review“A remarkable, beautiful, learned, and personal book that bears reading and re-reading. It starts with the question of why anything exists, and then explores the power of living in the ’now'." —Paul R. Fleischman, author of Wonder: When and Why the World Appears Radiant, Karma and Chaos, and other books
“The fashionable dualism of ‘magical thinking vs. rational thinking’ by which faith and reason are increasingly defined today has endured centuries of careful critique by theologians, philosophers of religion, and even philosophers of science. As an historian, Richard Striner offers us a wonderfully different and uniquely compelling confutation of this dualism.” — Michael Epperson, Founding director of the Consortium for Philosophy and the Natural Sciences and the History and Philosophy of Science Program at California State University, Sacramento, US
"Like his political hero Abraham Lincoln, Striner values independent thinking. This highly readable text is ideal for courses in philosophy."— William D. Pederson, American Studies Endowed Chair, LSU Shreveport, US
“While admitting the benefits that hundreds of millions of people take from their religious belief and practice, Striner deftly points out the serious drift away from the logical shore that many must take in order to maintain their beliefs. In opposition to this, Striner proposes a ‘tough-minded’ spirituality that avoids the trap of wishful thinking.” —Douglas E. Cowan, Professor of Religious Studies and Social Development Studies, Renison University College, Canada
Table of ContentsPreface; 1. Toward a Spirituality of Independent Thinking; 2. Metaphysics, Physics, and the Spirituality of Now; 3. Why Is the World the Way It Seems?; 4. Freedom, Spirituality, and Struggle; 5. Theology and Worship; 6. The Misuse of Spirituality; 7. Paradigms of God; 8. Mysticism; 9. A Path of One’s Own; 10. Ontology and Mind; Epilogue; Appendix A: The Reality on Now as an Ontological Condition; Appendix B: The Ontological Complexities of Now: A Quantum Model; Notes; Index.
