He argued for the innate goodness of human beings and for absolute free will.
It’s the kind of phrase that forces you to hit the pause button and break it down in order to unpack what these two words together mean. One phrase Smith used, which my friend who was listening with me in the car ended up discussing for a while afterwards was: Epistemic Pelagianism. Later on, I picked up a hard copy to read as well, as there are some parts of the book which aren’t particularly well-suited for digesting properly listening at 1.5 speed while driving at dawn through the mountains. I first listened to half of this book via audiobook on a drive to climb La Plata Peak, a Colorado 14-er. Smith’s book is not just a summary though, he also applies many of Taylor’s ideas to Christianity: both how Christianity contributed to and is influenced by this modern secular age. I don’t believe her: why be afraid of nothing? There is a nagging, haunting hunch in the heart and mind of every person, that there is something more than this life and this world… A God to whom they will answer, an existence beyond the grave.Īnother aspect of the secular, exclusive humanism is the concept Taylor called “the buffered self”, which refers to the idea that an individual is an island unto themselves: that there is a firm boundary between the self and others, as opposed to the “porous self” which characterized people in previous eras. I remember another family member describing how utterly terrified she was of dying, yet when I asked her what she believed about life after death, she said she doesn’t know, and assumes there is nothing. Someone I used to know The Postal Service, “We Will Become Silhouettes”īasically, no matter how much a person claims to not care whether God exists, or there is life after death, they are haunted by thoughts of it. The imminent frame is only concerned with what is right in front of them, “the here and now”, and yet, Taylor explains that exclusive humanists who inhabit the imminent frame are “haunted by transcendence.” Smith points this out by quoting lyrics from The Postal Service: Smith’s book introduces you to Taylor’s key concepts and arguments, as well as some of his key terms, such as his analysis of the secular mindset as the “imminent frame.” This reminded me of a conversation I had with a relative years ago, who is my same age (an older millennial) when we started talking about the existence of God, she said, “Maybe God does exist, but: who cares?” The Imminent Frame: Haunted by Transcendence I for one, though I am intrigued by Taylor’s book and its analysis of modern secular culture, balked at the 900+ page tome. Smith’s purpose in writing a book about a book is that A Secular Age is both intimidating in its size and is written in a way which is inaccessible to many readers who would benefit from its content. Smith for several years now, and I recently read his book, How (Not) to Be Secular, which is a summary and study guide of Charles Taylor’s book, A Secular Age.
If you’re looking for a short but extremely thoughtful book with intensely helpful cultural insights, then here you go: Looking for some light reading? How about an audio book for your next leisurely drive? This might not be it.
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