The Be-ist: Getting Real in a Secular Age

The Be-ist puts forward a pragmatic,fresh concept of secularity for our fast-moving but often angst-ridden age. Drawing on a wide array of contemporary sources for an overview of “where we are,” the author suggests it is time for a new re-thinking of our place and purpose in life, and proposes how we might take action and re-energize our lives accordingly. Part I, “Go Fresh,” presents the newly-cast secular position—Be-ism—and a case for it. Part II, “The Job and the Manual,” considers how to integrate a fully secular outlook into real life. The book alludes to popular culture, cognitive science, literature and the arts, and demographic trends. It highlights the growing convergence, the “consilience,” of technology, the sciences and the humanities. “Who Leads?” dwells on the secular leaders of our age and their influence. “Getting Real” considers how secularism itself could eventually gain more traction in our culture.