This is a fantastic book that's part personal memoir, part history lesson, and part psychotherapeutic journalism. It’s both self-depreciatingly honestThis is a fantastic book that's part personal memoir, part history lesson, and part psychotherapeutic journalism. It’s both self-depreciatingly honest and frankly celebratory concerning the story of modern Ireland.
O’Toole’s tale begins as he comes to consciousness in the late 1950s, in a nation isolated by “the moral protectionism of [Bishop] McQuade’s repression and the economic protectionism of high tariff barriers instituted by the Fianna Fail government �.� While growing up in the 1960s, he feels how that need for self-protection affects all public and private relations around him. It requires a show of unity in the face of external foes, with restoration of some lost spiritual purity. As an American woman in the 1960s observes that “Adolescence lasts longer in Ireland, I think, than it does in any other country because the sexes are segregated so rigidly.� When Father Joseph O’Connor returns from the surprisingly reformist Vatican II council in 1965, he announces to his parish in Dublin, “Allow me to assure you. No change will worry the tranquility of your Christian lives.�
Of course almost every young person also seeks to escape the confines of the past. The young people are leaving Ireland in droves, seeking exactly the things that protection of Ireland’s purity denies them. O’Tool explores the social and personal walls that block people from knowing each other. He also tells, with slowly mounting enthusiasm, how these walls have come down, with hypocrisies exposed, false hopes dashed, and Ireland much the better for it.
O’Toole is a great investigative reporter, giving highly insightful chapters on numerous episodes of recent history. There are plenty of villains and heroes. As for heroes, he highlights some of the female leaders who have helped to largely transform Irish society. He features Mary Raferty’s electrifying 1999 documentary States of Fear, which exposed the horrors of child abuse in the nation’s clerically-run reformatory and residential industrial schools. He relates the victories of Mary Robinson, Ireland’s first female president, who oversaw the decriminalization of homosexuality, contraception, and divorce. Near the end, O’Toole reflects on the 2015 referendum that overwhelmingly approved legalizing gay marriage. His own father had demonstrated the turn to accepting people openly rather that keeping who they are secret, behind walls of conventional shame. Concerning the referendum his father had told him, “Sure of course it will pass. Everybody knows somebody who’s gay.�
I want to give an example of how appreciative O’Toole gets toward Ireland’s cultural opening, and flourishing of creativity it brings. This is his review of the 1990s theatrical performance Riverdance:
Riverdance was as much a redefinition as a reclamation of Irish tradition. What made it so exhilarating was the sense, not so much of invention, as of recognition. The slickness, the confidence, the professionalism may have been a far cry from the Irish immigrant dance halls of the 1950s in New York or Boston, where ceili bands alternated with swing orchestras, and jigs and reels were thrown in with rumbas, waltzes, sha-chas and tangoes. But the cultural mix was the same. Ireland and America, folk art and Tin Pan Ally, the pure and the hybrid, never had bee, for most Irish people most of the time, distinct entities. What Riverdance was saying was not only that this was okay, but it was sort of splendid. Cultural promiscuity was a lot more fun than cultural purity....more
This is a fairly voluminous collection of evidence and experiences about life after death. Kean tells her own stories, other people’s stories, and sevThis is a fairly voluminous collection of evidence and experiences about life after death. Kean tells her own stories, other people’s stories, and several chapters are reprints of studies done by experts. Some stories are gripping and seriously convincing, but parts of the studies were boringly analytical. Kean herself is clearly a believer, who wants to honestly admit the limits of our evidence. Regarding the mass of reports regarding personal survival after death, she puts it this way on page 220:
"... the hypothesis of complete continuity remains unproven, and all sorts of possibilities remain open. Is there partial or complete survival? Sentient survival, or (far worse than mere extinction) survival with just a lingering, dim consciousness? Is there long-term survival or survival during a brief period of disintegration? Is there enjoyable survival, or survival such as one would wish to avoid? Survival as a individual, or survival with one’s individuality for the most part dissolved in something larger? Is survival the rule, or is it just a freak? To these and other questions I can at the moment see no very clear answers.�
But on page 9, she confidently predicts the following: “The reader will encounter the reality of the most refined psychic functioning throughout this book, and by the end will have no questions as to it’s existence.�
And by page 246 she can conclude, “So I too can’t see a reason not to trust the intuitive certainty that comes during the experience, when one steps unintentionally outside the materialist framework. In these moments, I can’t see a reason not to believe.�
I sort of like it when people express both doubt and certainty at the same time.
As for my own experience, I’ve had my share of people telling me what spirits, angels, or God are saying, about things like how I should be raising my kid. But since I didn’t experience those voices myself, I had doubts about whether I should live according to what other people heard. Furthermore, I always suspected that religious leaders make up things you have to do to get an afterlife. So you could say I’m every open minded toward doubt. Except for the fact that I once floated right out of my body, and can remember every detail of it like it was yesterday....more
Schall is on a mission to rescue the world from absolutist secular ideologies. These, he argues, are movements claiming to be humanity’s ultimate soluSchall is on a mission to rescue the world from absolutist secular ideologies. These, he argues, are movements claiming to be humanity’s ultimate solution and final goal. And to correct such extremist idealism, Schall urges a return to a balanced Augustinian understanding—that no fallible human system can ever be the ultimate answer. In realizing our limitations, we must place our trust in a higher power.
I concede that Schall has a point. Absolutist ideology is madness. In religious terms it’s a kind of idolatry. But don’t most idealists for human progress just try to make things better, see what helps, and discard what doesn’t? Isn’t accusing them of worshipping false gods a bit like Protestants accusing Catholics of worshipping (rather than just respecting) their saints? And isn’t it commonly religious leaders who claim to know God’s infallible, ultimate will for the world?
To my mind, Schall’s best insight concerned the danger of thinking that changing our outer social environment will solve our inner struggles. Clearly, we also need inner change to achieve a better life. But don’t those two things go together?...more
This early effort to explore the relations between biology, sociology, and ethics is extremely careful and detailed, dealing with deep skepticism fromThis early effort to explore the relations between biology, sociology, and ethics is extremely careful and detailed, dealing with deep skepticism from scientists of the 1970s and 80s. But it leads to a discussion that has always fascinated me, namely the boundaries of our cultures, loyalties, and identities, and especially how those boundaries have been evolving over time....more
American mortician seeks world of alternatives to the West’s sanitized, over-commercialized funeral industry. She finds adventure, creativity, ritual,American mortician seeks world of alternatives to the West’s sanitized, over-commercialized funeral industry. She finds adventure, creativity, ritual, sustainability, humanity, and even wicked humor among the planet’s rising numbers of people involved in finding better, more meaningful ways to honor the dead and the planet. Somehow, Doughty makes the journey extremely enjoyable....more
This is just wonderful. It's unstintingly honest and fascinatingly reflective. I'd like to quote just a few lines that suggest Armstrong's quietly insThis is just wonderful. It's unstintingly honest and fascinatingly reflective. I'd like to quote just a few lines that suggest Armstrong's quietly inspiring journey:
"In the convent we had been carefully trained never to tell our troubles to one another, and it would never have occurred to me to unburden myself to my peers." They were forbidden to have "particular friendships ... since all love must be given to God."
"I had to face the grim fact that I no longer had ideas of my own. Indeed, I had been carefully trained not to have them."
"I couldn't believe in the prospect of immortality. But could faith not simply bring an enhanced life, here and now? A more abundant life, as Jesus had promised ... ?"
"What I now realize, from my study of the different religious traditions, is that a disciplined attempt to go beyond the ego brings about a state of ecstasy."...more
Perrett looks at many issues surrounding death, and treats both science and philosophy as necessary tools for examining the linked practical and sociaPerrett looks at many issues surrounding death, and treats both science and philosophy as necessary tools for examining the linked practical and social questions. He considers philosophical issues in a rigorously discipled, open-minded way, with a range of religious understandings considered plausible unless proven otherwise. Each secular or religious understanding offers some answers, and leaves other questions undealt with. It helps deal with some problems, but not others....more
Corbin presents a range of insights and writings of Sufi mystic philosophers, discussing and “mapping� the multi-dimensional realms of our cosmos. As Corbin presents a range of insights and writings of Sufi mystic philosophers, discussing and “mapping� the multi-dimensional realms of our cosmos. As Shaikh Abu’i-Qasim Khan Ibrahimi explains, We should at this point give a brief outline of the question of Hurqalya, of the description of the universe and its situation among the planes of being. We would like to bring to an end all difficulties of those of our brothers who, having been attracted to theosophical gnosis, have perhaps not paid sufficient attention to this point.
In his “Physiology of the Resurrected Body,� Shaik Ahmed Ahsa’i details the phases or levels of the human body-mind: the elemental material body, the incorruptible spiritual body, the astral body, and the essential original body. Such things are perceived through the eye of imagination, which Mulla Sadra (Shadruddin Shirazi) claims is "independent of the physical organism, and consequently surviving it."
For these visionaries, the imagination is actually a perceptive sense. The things it sees or dreams are realities, but on differing levels of reality. Of the things envisioned by mystics, Shihabuddin Yahya Suhrawardi asks, How can the brain, or one of its cavities, contain the mountains and oceans seen in a dream, whether the dream be true or false, no matter how one conceives of, or explains, this capacity?
All this reminds me of Ken Wilber’s description of the phenomenological method: "If you stand where I stand, and look where I am looking, you will see what I see. Then we will discuss it.� And I wonder what's happening if I don’t see it. Are we actually standing in different places, looking in different directions? Are the Sufi theosophists able to agree on what they see through the eye of the spirit? Do they perceive the same planes of consciousness explored in the Upanishads?
On some points of interpretation, they beg to differ. Shaikh Abu’i-Qasim Khan Ibrahimi argues that Shadruddin Shirazi is quite mistaken. His system presupposes a series of transformations: the mineral itself becomes vegetable, which in turn passes to the animal state; the animal finally becomes a human being. This system is contrary to the teaching of the Book of God and the traditions of our Imams....more
Harris thinks like a moral animal in motion, scoping out the surrounding terrain of our experience, looking for better options in life. As a scientistHarris thinks like a moral animal in motion, scoping out the surrounding terrain of our experience, looking for better options in life. As a scientist, he’s convinced we can ask good questions, learn what helps us, and end up making better choices that increase human well-being. In other words, he figures that science can increasingly help us figure out what's better and worse for all concerned—instead of sticking to traditions, ancient teachings, or ideological principles no matter what. To me, it doesn’t sound too controversial. His argument, however, grows complicated, with discussions of cognitive functions, moral reasoning, cultural relativity, and social science. It’s fascinating but dense. Maybe I’ll just share some good quotes from the book:
The moment we admit that we know anything about human well-being scientifically, we must admit that certain individuals or cultures can be absolutely wrong about it.
Because moral virtue is attractive to both sexes, it might function as a kind of peacock’s tail: costly to produce and maintain, but beneficial to one’s genes in the end.
Perhaps there’s no connection between being good and feeling good � and therefore no connection between moral behavior � and subjective well-being.
We will embarrass our descendants, just as our ancestors embarrass us. This is moral progress....more
I really like this. It's a very clear, entertaining exploration of our drive for immortality throughout history. I'm not sure that escaping death is qI really like this. It's a very clear, entertaining exploration of our drive for immortality throughout history. I'm not sure that escaping death is quite so central to all that we do. But Cave weaves a fascinating mega-story with a great rationale. Our efforts to keep living, hopefully forever, take four main forms: (1) make the body last forever; (2) arrange for the body to be resurrected (and then last forever); (3) arrange for the soul to live forever; (4) arrange for your fame, beauty, accomplishments, progeny, or whatever, to give you some eternal legacy. Those hopes or strategies, Cave claims, are what drives civilization, religion, and just about everything. It seems he takes even the Buddhist remedy for suffering, of relinquishing all attachment to things that pass away, is yet another strategy for gaining eternal existence....more
I like Rossano’s casual way of discussing how people do or don’t experience something sacred. He looks at it as a matter of relatedness, and views theI like Rossano’s casual way of discussing how people do or don’t experience something sacred. He looks at it as a matter of relatedness, and views the evolution of religion as a story of how people have related and found meaning in their lives. He examines “agency detection,� by which people see intelligent animation in nature, in animals, in collective associations of people, or in the universe. They experience a sense of relationship, and “you can’t prove to somebody that they don’t have a relationship.� For those who experience relatedness, “experience in the evidence.� It’s an interesting history starting around 70,000 BCE, in which, as Robin Horton put it, religion can “be looked upon as an extension of the field of people’s social relationships beyond the confines of purely human society.�...more
Guthke surveys literature from over the past few centuries, with a specific focus on stories featuring immortality -- who might get it, under what conGuthke surveys literature from over the past few centuries, with a specific focus on stories featuring immortality -- who might get it, under what conditions, if it could be optional, what it might be like, and whether it would be a blessing or a curse. The stories and plots are commonly complicated, and the verdict is very mixed. The authors imagine a lot of problems with immortality, and many reasons why mortal life would be preferable....more
A great collection of studies on how views of the afterlife evolved in China. One rather striking difference from Western myths is that China seems toA great collection of studies on how views of the afterlife evolved in China. One rather striking difference from Western myths is that China seems to have no story of a time before mortality, or of how death entered the world. It's not like we used to be immortal, and did something wrong to deserve mortality. Basically, death is presumed inevitable and natural. The images of our fates after death are extremely diverse, according to changing social concerns. Ancient tombs are built to enshrine hierarchies of status, or else to replicate the comforts of home. The underworld develops a fiendishly oppressive bureaucracy. Families compete to make their members' graves more prestigious than those of others. Daoists claim that dead commoners live on as ghosts, but the enlightened attain a state of nothingness, free from all care. Where Westerners often feel that belief in the afterlife gives comfort and tranquility, many Buddhists argue that such hopes are just emotional attachments that cause suffering. Overall, I found this parade of Chinese responses to mortality refreshing, and sometimes refreshingly comical....more
This is a very careful examination of the fragmentary traditions preceding historical Zoroastrianism. In this tradition, the "nucleus" of religious prThis is a very careful examination of the fragmentary traditions preceding historical Zoroastrianism. In this tradition, the "nucleus" of religious practice was ritual, mainly concerned with warding off evil or exorcizing demons. This concern focuses heavily on women, as "a woman's body is naturally linked to evil by blood pollution." The cruciality of procreation generates concern to control it, with abortion providers viewed as evil sorcerers. All this generates a rich demonology and a maze of rules to guard or restore purity.
Naturally, this survey of evils in the ancient mind has entertainment value. As the foreword notes, I wanted above all to share my love of these fascinating myths with my students and with the public, so they too can enjoy the world of evil....more
This book starts off brilliantly, with a Toronto street scene described in ways that evoke whole worlds of memory, wonder, and myth. And Rowland’s proThis book starts off brilliantly, with a Toronto street scene described in ways that evoke whole worlds of memory, wonder, and myth. And Rowland’s proposed intellectual adventure sounds promising � to reconnect with life as a unity of spirit through a grand family vacation to famous sites of medieval French history.
Rowland feels that the modern world has lost its sense of wonder and wholeness. Quantitative science and cost-benefit economics have reduced “value� to a margin of profit. Nothing is deemed to exist unless it can be physically measured. He wants to take his teenage kids to a world where the sacred and mundane were one, and he hopes to do this by visiting France's greatest cathedrals, its beautiful rural towns, and, strangely enough, the ruins of fortress castles where followers of the heretical Cathar sect made their last stands against the armies of Catholic orthodoxy.
According to Rowland, the dualistic Cathars (who believed that the physical world was a creation of Satan) were forerunners of modernist materialism. The scientific revolution then split spirit from matter, and ruled that only the material is real. The old sense of the universe as one wonderous spiritual unity was lost. He discusses all this with his family as they go on their dream vacation, and it soon grows familiarly pedantic.
I got confused how the hierarchical universe of the Catholic inquisitors could be viewed as so holistic. Concerning the reductionism of quantified science, it seems to me we do have some literalistic scientists who claim that nothing exists unless they can measure it. And we do have some literalistic religious people claiming that nothing can exist that’s not in the Bible. But most religious and scientific people I know assume we're still exploring the universe, and endless wonders are yet to be discovered (or maybe revealed). We have social sciences to study how we relate, evaluate, and how we can live better. I thought Ockham's razor did not so much split the universe into material vs imaginary, as to unite the heavenly and earthly into one cosmos.
All told, I'd say it was a great vacation. But the philosophical debates about what’s wrong with our perceptions sort of interfered with the perceiving....more
This is a really helpful overview of the main alternative kinds of morality. Maybe it's a bit over-explained, but Birsch tries to avoid assuming what This is a really helpful overview of the main alternative kinds of morality. Maybe it's a bit over-explained, but Birsch tries to avoid assuming what the readers already know. It made me more aware of what's going on when I find somebody's moral reasoning offensive. ...more
Like many religious people, Chopra presumes to inform you what happens after death. But he does it in a whimsical way, unlike the solemn theological cLike many religious people, Chopra presumes to inform you what happens after death. But he does it in a whimsical way, unlike the solemn theological certitude I’ve often heard from Western preachers. He tells the Hindu folktales he heard as a child. He believes that near-death experiences are real, but shaped by personal expectation: “A child can come back from heaven and report that it was full of baby animals at play, a cardiac patient can report sitting on God’s lap, and being told by the Almighty that he must return to earth �.�
Although Chopra weaves in accounts from many cultures, his mainframe world view is Vedantic cosmology. And in this universe, all things are naturally evolving toward higher consciousness through many manifestations: “Depending on your level of awareness, you project your own heavens, hells and purgatories, to work through on the physical plane as well as astral planes.�
In this reality, different levels of awareness seem to be more than mental states—they are altered states of matter and energy. As beings grow more aware, their “frequency� (or “vibration�) gets higher, but we can only perceive beings within our own frequency range. At higher levels, “There are an almost infinite number of astral planes, divided into a higher and lower astral worlds, and even the lowest ones vibrate at a higher frequency than the material world.� Also, “During the astral journey souls meet other souls vibrating at a similar level of evolution. You may meet some souls that you encountered in the physical world if they are on your frequency.� It’s a metaphysics were spirituality, radio frequency, and maybe temperature down to absolute zero, all seem to be functions of vibration rate.
Chopra explains all this with reference to groundbreaking research in physics, medicine, and psychology. He aims to meet “the burden of proof� regarding eternal life, but I’m unclear what his impressive evidence proves. Anyway, I like it: “You can take your mind beyond walls. There is freedom outside, and having achieved it, you will never have to go the heaven or hell again.� Furthermore, “Hell is the suffering you think you deserve.�...more
Spong's perspective on religion in general is nearly as broad as Joseph Campbell’s. His personal journey from total believer, to scholarly critic of sSpong's perspective on religion in general is nearly as broad as Joseph Campbell’s. His personal journey from total believer, to scholarly critic of simplistic traditions, to seeker of mystical insight, resembles that of Reza Aslan. I enjoyed his reflections a lot, and took a pile of notes. Many of his lines are almost unforgettable. ...more
This is fantastic. The best and most entertaining approach to comparative mythology I've seen. Mirabello focuses on a central theme (the afterlife), aThis is fantastic. The best and most entertaining approach to comparative mythology I've seen. Mirabello focuses on a central theme (the afterlife), and rambles through all theologies, mythologies, and philosophies of the world, exploring the many alternative visions. Let me just quote his disclaimer:
"I have tried to avoid the idealistic twaddle of the pseudo-occultists, the boilerplate sermons of the established religions, the unadulterated bilge of self-proclaimed prophets, the ontological nonsense of the hack metaphysicians, and the smug nihilism of scientific materialists. ... I have no salvationist agenda. There are no dogmas here--simply fragments of ideas--gathered from many cultures across time."...more
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