The Illusion of Certainty: How the Flawed Beliefs of Religion Harm Our Culture by Houk, James T.
The Illusion of Certainty: How the Flawed Beliefs of Religion Harm Our Culture by Houk, James T.

The Illusion of Certainty: How the Flawed Beliefs of Religion Harm Our Culture

In this examination of religion's influence on society, an anthropologist critiques fundamentalism and all mindsets based on...
$49.17 AUD
$49.17 AUD
SKU: 9781633883239
Product Type: Books
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Author: James T. Houk
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Subtotal: $49.17
The Illusion of Certainty: How the Flawed Beliefs of Religion Harm Our Culture by Houk, James T.

The Illusion of Certainty: How the Flawed Beliefs of Religion Harm Our Culture

$49.17
The Illusion of Certainty: How the Flawed Beliefs of Religion Harm Our Culture by Houk, James T.

The Illusion of Certainty: How the Flawed Beliefs of Religion Harm Our Culture

$49.17
Author: James T. Houk
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Description
In this examination of religion's influence on society, an anthropologist critiques fundamentalism and all mindsets based on rigid cultural certainties. The author argues that the future can only be safeguarded by a global humanistic outlook that recognizes and respects differing cultural perspectives and endorses the use of critical reason and empiricism. Houk coins the term "culturalism" to describe dogmatic viewpoints governed by culture-specific values and preconceived notions. Culturalism gives rise not only to fundamentalism in religion but also stereotypes about race, gender, and sexual orientation.Turning specifically to Christian fundamentalism, the author analyzes the many weaknesses of what he calls a faith-based epistemology, particularly as such thinking is displayed in young-earth creationism, the reliance on revelation and subjective experiences as a source of religious knowledge, and the reverence accorded the Bible despite its obvious flaws. As he points out, the problem with such cultural knowledge generally is that it is non-falsifiable and ultimately has no lasting value in contrast to the data-based and falsifiable knowledge produced by science, which continues to prove its worth as a reliable source of accurate information.Concluding that there is no future to the fundamentalist mindset in a diverse world where religion often exacerbates conflicts, he makes a strong case for reason and mutual tolerance.

Author: James T. Houk
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Published: 12/05/2017
Pages: 381
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 9.00h x 5.90w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781633883239


Review Citation(s):
Choice 05/01/2018

About the Author
James T. Houk is professor of anthropology at Our Lady of the Lake College in Baton Rouge, LA. A Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Houk received his PhD in anthropology from Tulane University and has done extensive fieldwork in Trinidad, Jamaica, and India. He is the author of Introduction to Anthropology: An Interactive Text and Spirits, Blood, and Drums: The Orisha Religion in Trinidad, as well as the novel Humanus Diabolicus: A Postmodern Prophecy.
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