This page is an archive from the previous version of The Row Boat, which is why it doesn't look and work the same as the current version. However, these archives are fully functional and integrated with the new system.

Why does this site permit advertising?
Click here to discuss.

The Row Boat

"Had we but world enough, and time..." *

AAR Day 1

11/18/2007 02:40:11

The first day of American Academy of Religion conference 2007 is over and my paper is presented. I was there from 9 in the morning until 11. Lots of people will probably contest me on this, but for me the highlight of the day was Jeffrey Stout's talk, "The Folly of Secularism." From anyone else, I probably would have dismissed it, but after reading his extraordinary Democracy and Tradition, what he said makes a lot of sense.

As a secularist/non-theist himself, he argues that the secularism of Sam Harris and Richard Rorty, which would seek to aggressively promote secularism (even to the point of violence) is as much a threat to democracy as radical theocrats. He showed convincingly that their position leads to an impasse, removing the possibility of creating broad-based alliances over shared concerns. With his usual optimistic pragmatism, Stout passionately contends that nontheists can be secular without be secularists.

It is a fascinating political critique of the New Atheists' "belief in belief" argument, which rails against religious moderates for defending the crazy beliefs that make radicalism possible. At the same time, Stout's presentation was incredibly heartfelt. He is just about the only person going who can make me feel proud to be an American.

Kudos also to UCSB's own Catherine Albanese (also one of my thesis readers), whose A Republic of Mind and Spirit won one of the AAR book prizes for the year. Her work has made a deep impact on me, helping a great deal in sorting through the strange and diverse religious influences at work in my early childhood, when my parents were eager spiritual searchers.

re: AAR Day 1 - 11/18/2007 07:31:26
Posted by Eli

Glad you're enjoying AAR. I would have loved to have heard Stout's talk. Even as an avid atheist, I feel some discomfort around both the Sam Harris-types and the secular humanists-types who want to turn secularism into a religion. The last thing we need is another religion with its self-righteous piety. As for the Sam Harris-types, maybe I don't want to believe that organized religion can be as powerful as they portray it.

Congrats on your paper.

re: AAR Day 1 - 11/18/2007 07:44:37
Posted by BT

Will you be there for Monday's "Agamben and Messianism" panel?

re: AAR Day 1 - 11/19/2007 15:16:05
Posted by nathan

Actually, at the last minute, I decided to miss out on the Agamben panel, which a friend of mine is presenting at, if only because the panel on Kim with Cornel West and Judith Butler was so spectacular. It was a great note to end on, to come home, and to think about the next thing.

See my next post though, I am eager for your opinion on whether his "state of exception" makes sense in terms of love.

Printer-friendly version

The Row Boat basks under a liberating Creative Commons license