| |
| Home |
| Community |
| Weekly Events |
| Photos |
| Writings |
| Links |
Rethinking the Secular and the Religious
Explorations in Postmodern Fiction and Philosophy
January 21, 2010, 7:00pm
War Memorial Hall, The University of Guelph
A Lecture by Dr. James K.A. Smith
To the surprise of many who expected the steady triumph of secularization, "religion" remains an important feature of our globalized world. Even the emergence of the "new atheism" and a secular fundamentalism are features of this resurgence of religion. This presentation will argue that we need to reconsider our assumed distinction between the "secular" and the "religious." Drawing on Heidegger, Wittgenstein, and Charles Taylor, I will argue that if we understand religion, not as a certain set of doctrines and beliefs, but in terms of practice--as "liturgy"--then in fact much that we consider "secular" is actually religious. I'll illustrate this using the fiction of David Foster Wallace.
Dr. Smith is an associate professor of philosophy at Calvin College, MI. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Who's Afraid of Postmodernism? and the editor of the Church and Postmodern Culture series. The lecutre will be based on his latest work Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview and Cultural Formation.
Directions to War Memorial Hall
For more information contact: James VanderBerg
