Beyond church and state : democracy, secularism, and conversion / Matthew Scherer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Scherer, Matthew, 1977-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Secularism.

Religion and politics.

Physical Description:

x, 240 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Cambridge University Press, 2013.

Summary:

"Secularism is often imagined in Thomas Jefferson's words as 'a wall of separation between Church and State'. This book moves past that standard picture to argue that secularism is a process that reshapes both religion and politics. Borrowing a term from religious traditions, the book goes further to argue that this process should be understood as a process of conversion. Matthew Scherer studies Saint Augustine, John Locke, John Rawls, Henri Bergson and Stanley Cavell to present a more accurate picture of what secularism is, what it does, and how it can be reimagined to be more conducive to genuine democracy"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: Introduction: beyond the separation of church and state: secularism as conversion; 1. The authorized narrative and crystalline structure of conversion in Augustine's Confessions; 2. Toleration and conversion in Locke's letters: it is 'above all things necessary to distinguish'; 3. The crystalline structure of conversion: Henri Bergson's Two Sources; 4. Saint John (Rawls), the miracle of secular reason; 5. The wish for a better life: Stanley Cavell's critique of the social contract; Conclusion: 6. From Supernovas into The Deep: secularism as conversion, a conversion of secularism.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781107026094

1107026091

OCLC:

806019853

Online:

Contributor biographical information

Publisher description