Experience of Atheism: Phenomenology, Metaphysics and Religion

A new book explores atheism from a phenomenological perspective, engaging with the experience of belief and faith. Contributors from France and the UK discuss the relationship between experience, belief, and atheism, challenging traditional notions. The focus on experience opens up new areas of understanding in a field that is constantly evolving, revealing the co-creation of religious and atheistic belief in a pluralistic society.

Format: Hardback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 03 June 2021
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Religious and atheistic belief are explored in a collection of essays by renowned phenomenologists from both France and the United Kingdom. Atheism, often portrayed as the denial of religious belief, is approached from a phenomenologically informed perspective, engaging with it from the standpoint of experience. The emphasis on experience ignites fresh discussions regarding the relationship between belief, faith, and atheism, as they intertwine and complicate each other. What unites the contributors is their connection to the phenomenology that emerged in France following the works of Heidegger and Husserl. Prominent French thinkers such as Jean-Luc Nancy, Quentin Meillassoux, and Catherine Malabou, among others, offer thought-provoking ideas on atheistic faith, the demise of God, and anarchic faith, expanding our understanding in a field characterized by constantly evolving parameters and core concepts. The book reveals the profound influence and co-creation of religious and atheistic belief in a pluralistic society where religious belief is just one among many options. The fact that religious faith has transitioned from being optional to, in many contexts, feeling strangely alienated from society, significantly alters the experiences of both believers and non-believers. A shift towards focusing on 'experience' rather than 'belief' leads us towards a mode of experiential knowledge that refuses to privilege atheistic belief and dismisses the reality of religious belief.

Weight: 472g
Dimension: 164 x 240 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350167636