Secular Writing
The unexamined life is not worth living.​​
- Plato
The Postsecular Sacred - Jung, Soul and Meaning in an Age of Change by David Tacey
The author, who is a Christian, redefines spirituality beyond atheism and dogmatic religion. Citing modern greats like Derrida and Habermas, Tacey rejects the binary of secular materialism vs. religious fundamentalism, and explores the sacred as immanent in life, art, and nature.​ Written within the context of modern academia, Tacey's work identifies the deception of the dogma of materialist secularism, and points to a phenomenology of valid insight and awakened heart. Available from Routledge.
The Blind Spot - How Science Cannot Ignore Human Experience by Adam Frank, Marcelo Gleiser and Evan Thompson.
It's tempting to think that science gives us a God's-eye view of reality. But we neglect the place of human experience at our peril. In The Blind Spot, astrophysicist Adam Frank, theoretical physicist Marcelo Gleiser, and philosopher Evan Thompson call for a revolutionary scientific worldview, where science includes—rather than ignores or tries not to see—humanity's lived experience as an inescapable part of our search for objective truth. Available from MIT Press.
The Science Delusion - freeing the Spirit of Enquiry by Rupert Sheldrake
Rupert Sheldrake, a British biologist, challenges the unexamined yet commonly accepted dogmas of materialist science. Arguing that the blind belief in materialist dogma limits inquiry, Sheldrake advocates a more open, exploratory science. Sheldrakes book critiques rigid scientific assumptions. While controversial, there is nothing in Sheldrakes argumentation that is not founded on sound research and logical analysis.
Available from Coronet Books.
The Idea of the World by Bernardo Kastrup
The Idea of the World offers a grounded alternative to the frenzy of unrestrained abstractions and unexamined assumptions in philosophy and science today. Kastrup exposes the logical fallacies and internal contradictions of the reigning physicalist ontology and its popular alternatives. His background as engineer and computer scientist ensures the logic is held within the accepted rational paramenters of today's science.
Available from Iff Books.
Realities and Relationships: Soundings in Social Construction by Kenneth J. Gergen
One of the most rewarding encounters in my late encounter with the Western Humanities was the engaging writings of Kenneth Gergen whose constructionism identifies the complexity (and empty essence) of phenomena and the primary role of subjective experience. Along with Kuhn, Nagel, and Foucault, Kenneth Gergen is among those who offer insights that will enable the modern person to appreciate themes such as dependent arising and emptiness. Available from Harvard University Press.
The Monk and the Philosopher by Jean-Francois Revel and Matthieu Ricard
An engaging dialogue covering a wide range of topics relevant to any reflective person between Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk, and his father, renowned French philosopher Jean-François Revel. The conversations cover science, ethics, and the meaning of life, contrasting Eastern spirituality with Western rationalism. While sharing his father's appreciation for the Western philosophical tradition, Ricard highlights Buddhism’s relevance, offering insights on happiness, consciousness, and human flourishing. Available from Penguin Random House.
Secularizing Buddhism - edited by Richard Payne
A collection of informed essays examining how Buddhism is adopted in the modern context, and the challenges inherent to integrating the Buddhist knowledge and practice tradition. The authors question whether the parameters and assumptions of modern and traditional Western knowledge, including the dichotomies such religious vs. secular, modern vs. traditional, and premises intrinsic to our definitions of historicity and rationality, as well as the modern "mindfulness" movement are helping in our understanding of this living legacy. Available from Shambhala Publishing.​
