Man Made God: The Meaning of LifeWhat happens when the meaning of life based on a divine revelation no longer makes sense? Does the quest for transcendence end in the pursuit of material success and self-absorption? Luc Ferry argues that modernity and the emergence of secular humanism in Europe since the eighteenth century have not killed the search for meaning and the sacred, or even the idea of God, but rather have transformed both through a dual process: the humanization of the divine and the divinization of the human. Ferry sees evidence for the first of these in the Catholic Church's attempts to counter the growing rejection of dogmatism and to translate the religious tradition into contemporary language. The second he traces to the birth of modern love and humanitarianism, both of which demand a concern for others and even self-sacrifice in defense of values that transcend life itself. Ferry concludes with a powerful statement in favor of what he calls "transcendental humanism"—a concept that for the first time in human history gives us access to a genuine spirituality rooted in human beings instead of the divine. |
Contents
The Withdrawal of a Question | 1 |
From John Paul II to Drewermann | 33 |
The Secularization of Ethics and the Birth of Modern Love | 60 |
CHAPTER THREE The Sacred with a Human Face | 93 |
CONCLUSION The Humanism of Humanity Made God | 131 |
NOTES | 145 |
| 165 | |
| 169 | |
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Common terms and phrases
absolute affirmation André Comte-Sponville arguments from authority become believe Bernard Kouchner Buddhism charitable Christian claim conscience contemporary contrary culture Dalai Lama death democratic denounce devil divine Doctors without Borders doubt egoism eighteenth century emotion ethics of authenticity Eugen Drewermann everything evil example existence fact feeling forms freedom Freud give heart human Ibid idea ideal ideology illusions immanence imposed incarnate individual intellectual Jean-Marie Lustiger kind least live logic longer meaning modern moral nature Nietzsche object one's oneself ourselves Paris Pascal Bruckner passion person philia philosophy political principle psychoanalysis question radical reality reason reductionism regard relation religion religious remains Rony Brauman sacred sacrifice sciences secular seems sense social society Somalia speak sphere spirituality symbolic television theological ethics theology theonomy things tion traditional trans transcendence truth unconscious universe values Veritatis Splendor wet nurse Whence