Code: 04932883

Society without God

Name: Society without God
Brand: NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
SKU: 04932883
Price: 111.46 EUR
Availability: InStock

by Phil Zuckerman

Language: English
Binding: Hardback
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2008
More about this

111.46 €

Low in stock at our supplier
Shipping in 3 - 5 days

Potřebujete více kusů?Máte-li zájem o více kusů, prověřte, prosím, nejprve dostupnost titulu na naši zákaznické podpoře.

Add to wishlist

Blatt für Blatt
0 € -100 %

Give this book as a present today

Order book and choose Gift Order.
We will send you book gift voucher at once. You can give it out to anyone.
Book will be send to donee, nothing more to care about.

Book gift voucher sample Read more

You get 280 loyalty points

Book synopsis

Before he began his recent travels, it seemed to Phil Zuckerman as if humans all over the globe were "getting religion" - praising deities, performing holy rites, and soberly defending the world from sin. But most residents of Denmark and Sweden, he found, don't worship any god at all, don't pray, and don't give much credence to religious dogma of any kind. Instead of being bastions of sin and corruption, however, as the Christian Right has suggested a godless society would be, these countries are filled with residents who score at the very top of the "happiness index" and enjoy their healthy societies, which boast some of the lowest rates of violent crime in the world (along with some of the lowest levels of corruption), excellent educational systems, strong economies, well-supported arts, free health care, egalitarian social policies, outstanding bike paths, and great beer. Zuckerman formally interviewed nearly 150 Danes and Swedes of all ages and educational backgrounds over the course of fourteen months, beginning in 2005. He was particularly interested in the worldviews of people who live their lives without religious orientation. How do they think about and cope with death? Are they worried about an afterlife? What he found is that nearly all of his interviewees live their lives without much fear of the Grim Reaper or worries about the hereafter. This led him to wonder how and why it is that certain societies are nonreligious in a world that seems to be marked by increasing religiosity. Drawing on prominent sociological theories and his own extensive research, Zuckerman ventures some interesting answers. This fascinating approach directly counters the claims of outspoken, conservative American Christians who argue that a society without God would be hell on earth. It is crucial, Zuckerman believes, for Americans to know that "society without God is not only possible, but it can be quite civil and pleasant."