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Lädt ... Religion für Atheisten: Vom Nutzen der Religion für das Leben (2012)von Alain De Botton
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Melde dich bei LibraryThing an um herauszufinden, ob du dieses Buch mögen würdest. Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch. I think it is only a sense of loyalty to Alain de Botton that prevents me from giving this book one star. It's a loyalty that comes from the enjoyment I got reading [b:The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work|5293573|The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work|Alain de Botton|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320538807s/5293573.jpg|14280293] and [b:The Consolations of Philosophy|23419|The Consolations of Philosophy|Alain de Botton|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320528869s/23419.jpg|14280291] (apart from the first chapter - Socrates was a bore). The great difference is the book's theatre of engagement. In his best books de Botton deals with our inner lives and makes recommendations about how we can best think or feel about things, whereas in Religion for Atheists he deals with the world around us and how we should change it. In other words, he addresses topics for which hard evidence is required. There are none of those warm moments of self-recognition when you find out that you're not the only one who wants this, or wonders that. Instead, I just kept thinking "who says?' angrily as another point was made that sounded nice but which I didn't quite believe. The writing has also lost a bit, I suspect because the author is a bit lost at sea among the world of facts he has accidentally engaged with. The biggest omissions are those whimsical moments of description that de Botton used in his other books to create just the kind of cozy environment for a bit of light philosophy. He would describe a man sitting at a table in a cheap cafe and wonder if he has just finished work and will shortly go home to a house left empty by the recent cancer death of his wife. Let's hope that he returns to that mix of whimsy, melancholy and gentle hope in his next book, as it's missing from this effort. This is the kind of book that will provide lots of material for criticism for those disposed to dislike it. Alain de Botton does not shy away from mixing creative, even outlandish, ideas with a sounds and fascinating analysis of what secular culture loses without religion. He does not treat religions or the religious with kid gloves nor does he give into the denigration of religion common among the "New Atheist" flag bearers. To give an idea of the tone of the book, we can start with the opening: The most boring and unproductive question one can ask of any religion is whether or not it is true ... To save time, and at the risk of losing readers painfully early on in this project, let us bluntly state that of course no religions are true in any God-given sense. ...If this excerpt is intriguing, you may well like the book. If it puts you on the defensive, be warned that it continues in this style. Yes, some of the ideas seem impractical; others are delightful. What matters is not so much the specific ideas as the overarching message that humans are multifaceted creatures, and the current secular society ignores many of those facets. I greatly enjoyed the book.
"…Religion for Atheists might be said to be our default state. We even have a name for it: we call it the Church of England. De Botton’s inspiring book manages to condemn this compromise while offering a glimpse of a more enlightened path." "One wonders how this impeccably liberal author would react to being told that free speech and civil rights were all bunkum, but that they had their social uses and so shouldn't be knocked. Perhaps he might have the faintest sense of being patronised." Prestigeträchtige AuswahlenBemerkenswerte Listen
Was können wir von den Religionen lernen? Die Religion hat einen Reichtum an Dingen zu bieten, die uns helfen, das Leben einfacher und sinnvoller zu gestalten: eine Ethik, damit Gemeinschaften friedlich miteinander leben; sie erfand Malerei, Architektur und Musik, die uns zum Staunen bringen; sie tröstet uns bei Tod, Schmerz und Leiden. Wir können viel von den Religionen lernen, um unser säkulares Leben reicher zu machen (Verlag) Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
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I know the author gets a lot of criticism for over-simplifying some complex ideas, but I disagree that this is what he is doing in this book. First he describes how religion can address spiritual needs, but that addressing these needs don’t necessarily require faith in an unseen deity. He then offers ways that secular society has ignored these needs. Finally, he offers ways that secular “temples” could be built that would address them.
Overall a really interesting book filled with compelling ideas, and a great conversation starter ( )