KICKING THE SECULARIST HABIT

… is the title of of an interesting piece by David Brooks in The Atlantic Monthly, in which he explains why he no longer thinks that, as the world becomes richer and better educated, it’ll become less religious. His observations as to why it is that a lot of bright, well-off, well-educated folks are either turning toward religion or at least not turning away from it are worth reading. Taken to their logical conclusion, though, I find the argument troubling, especially his call to “resist the impulse to find a materialistic explanation for everything.” I’m not sure what the alternative is. If we’re simply to take everything at face value and say, “Well, that’s God’s will” then there will never be any progress. Indeed, virtually all of modern science and medicine rests on the impulse Brooks wishes us to resist. I’m pretty sure Brooks knows that, so I wish he would have explained himself.

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.