A question for my friends who are religious. There was a really interesting discussion in the Times this week between Garry Gutting and Philip Kitcher, a philosopher at Columbia who calls himself a soft atheist. Rather than dismissing all religion in the way strong atheists like Richard Dawkins might, Kitcher seems to be able to find peace with a concept of refined religion. Here is the key passage: I think there’s a version of religion, refined religion, that is untouched by the new atheists’ criticisms, and that even survives my argument that religious doctrines are incredible. Refined religion sees the fundamental religious attitude not as belief in a doctrine but as a commitment to promoting the most enduring values. That commitment is typically embedded in social movements — the faithful come together to engage in rites, to explore ideas and ideals with one another and to work cooperatively for ameliorating the conditions of human life. The doctrines they affirm and the rituals they practice are justified insofar as they support and deepen and extend the values to which they are committed. But the doctrines are interpreted nonliterally, seen as apt metaphors or parables for informing our understanding of ourselves and our world and for seeing how we might improve both. Okay. Kitcher expresses a hope or an attitude about religion, and how religious and non-religious people might work together, that Ive also long nurtured, in clearer terms than Ive ever considered. But heres my question. I suspect (but do not know for sure) that many religious people would find this notion of refined religion rather dry, insubstantial, and flavorless; that for them, it really is the doctrine, at least as much as the values, that makes religion compelling and attractive. If thats true, there isnt much prospect, as Kitcher would hope, that refined religion might serve as a halfway house on the way to an era when, as he puts it, talk about God or other supposed manifestations of the transcendent comes to be seen as a distraction from the important human problems — a form of language that quietly disappears. Thoughts?
Posted on: Sat, 17 May 2014 14:07:25 +0000
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