The poverty of secularism : an open world governed by the creator versus a closed, imaginary world that develops on its own : with a response to Richards Dawkins's "The God delusion" / Benjamin Fain ; [translated from Hebrew by Karen Gilbert].

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fain, Benjamin, 1930- author.

Standardized Title:

Dalut ha-kefirah. English

דלות הכפירה. אנגלית http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2014077424

Language:

English

Hebrew

Subjects (All):

Judaism and science.

Judaism and secularism.

Secularism.

Physical Description:

232 pages : illustrations; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Jerusalem ; New York : Urim Publications, [2013]

Summary:

In this book, the author presents two worldviews. The first is the theocentric view of divine providence. God governs and is involved in the development of the world, including that of the animal kingdom. The second worldview is atheistic-materialistic and secular. It regards the abundance of different life forms, human society, economics, beliefs, and emotions as the products of one factor: matter and its movement. Through an analysis of the foundations and assumptions of the secular worldview, the author demonstrates its weakness and lack of rational basis. Book jacket.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Man - Mystery of Mysteries 13

Chapter 2 The Laws of Nature-Science

1 The Laws of Nature 25

2 The Spiritual World 41

3 The Unity of the World and the Laws of Nature 54

4 A "Scientific" World Governed Solely by the Laws of Nature 60

5 Free Will 66

6 Free Will and the Openness of the World to the Will of Man and Divine Providence 74

Chapter 3 Knowledge of the World

1 Scientific Knowledge 81

2 Secular Solutions to the Problem of Scientific Cognition 87

3 The Nature of Scientific Discovery 94

4 God and Man. Divine Revelation 101

5 Reason, Logic and Philosophy 113

6 Conclusion: The Place of Science in Knowledge of the World 121

Chapter 4 The Creation of the World and its Development

1 The Creation of the World, and the Development of the Inanimate World 126

2 The Creation of the Laws of Nature - the Anthropic Principle 132

3 The Theory of Evolution - Science or Metaphysics? 135

4 Darwinism - a Metaphysical, not a Scientific, Hypothesis 140

5 Evolution and Creativity 145

6 Proofs that an Evolutionary Process in a Closed World Cannot Lead to the Creation of Man 150

7 The Evolution of Life - a Providential Process 155

Chapter 5 The History of Man

1 The Era of Man 160

2 Non-determinism of the World Open to God and the Will of Man 162

3 Human History - Divine Planning and Free Will 165

4 The Secular Approach to History 167

Chapter 6 The Meaning of Life

1 "Under the Sun" - The Secular Analysis of the Meaning of Life 172

2 The Problem of Suffering and Evil in the World - the Holocaust 178

3 The Meaning of Life - a Connection to God 185.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical reference (pages [225]-232)

ISBN:

9789655241365

965524136X

OCLC:

862052531