After atheism : science, religion and the meaning of life

If science has replaced God, is life necessarily meaningless? This book argues that the advances of science and the retreat of religion in secular society does not have to mean a life without spirituality. The broadside against religion launched by a new breed of evangelical atheists has generated much heat but little light. Locked in battle against their Christian opponents the argument goes nowhere fast, and in an age of extremism, nurtures the dangerous vice of intolerance. Mark Vernon was an Anglican priest, left a conviction atheist, but now finds himself to be a committed and increasingly passionate agnostic. Part personal story, part philosophical search, After Atheism argues that the contemporary lust for certainty is demeaning of our humanity. The key to wisdom -- as Socrates, the great theologians and the best scientists know -- is understanding the limits of our knowledge. -- Back cover Front Matter....Pages i-xi Introduction....Pages 1-12 Socrates’ Quest: the Beginning of Wisdom....Pages 13-38 Cosmologists and Darwinists: the Limits of Science....Pages 39-56 Visions of Reality: Science and Wonder....Pages 57-83 Bad Faith: Religion as Certainty....Pages 85-110 Christian Agnosticism: Learned Ignorance....Pages 111-137 Following Socrates: a Way of Life....Pages 139-163 How to Be an Agnostic: an Aphoristic A–Z....Pages 165-188 Back Matter....Pages 189-198