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This book examines the post-secular idea of 'religion for non-believers'. The new form of unbelief which is dubbed as 'tourist atheism' is not based on absolute rejection of religion as a 'dangerous illusion' or 'mere prejudice'. Tourist atheists instead consider religion as a cultural heritage and a way of seeking perfection. What are the origins of these new forms of atheism? What are the implications of the emergence of a type of atheism which is more open toward religious teachings, rituals, arts, and world views? Hashemi argues that public intellectuals must consider that it is a sign of a post-secular age in which believers and non-believers go beyond mere tolerance and engage in a creative process of co-practice and co-working.
List of contents
Introduction.- Part I. Prometheanism.- 1. Ever-changing Images of God-Man Relationship.- 2. The Emergence of a New Type of Atheism.- 3. The Necessity of Unmasking Atheism.- Part II. Pilgrim and Tourist Atheism.- 4. Pilgrim Atheists and the Myth of Warfare.- 5. Tourist Atheists as Players.- 6. Tourist Atheists' Religion as Act.- 7. The Revival of the Comtean Dream?.- Part III. Beyond Prometheanism.- 8. The Primacy of Training over Truth.- 9. A Post-Secular Reading of Public Sociology.- Index.
About the author
Morteza Hashemi is a visiting research fellow at the University of Warwick, UK, and a social researcher in post-secularism and technology
Summary
This book examines the post-secular idea of ‘religion for non-believers’. The new form of unbelief which is dubbed as ‘tourist atheism’ is not based on absolute rejection of religion as a ‘dangerous illusion’ or ‘mere prejudice’. Tourist atheists instead consider religion as a cultural heritage and a way of seeking perfection. What are the origins of these new forms of atheism? What are the implications of the emergence of a type of atheism which is more open toward religious teachings, rituals, arts, and world views? Hashemi argues that public intellectuals must consider that it is a sign of a post-secular age in which believers and non-believers go beyond mere tolerance and engage in a creative process of co-practice and co-working.
