ePub After God (Religion and Postmodernism) by Mark C. Taylor in History

Review

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Magnum OpusBy CustomerThis may well be one of the most important interdisciplinary works of contemporary cultural observation and theory. Although it is remarkably dense; that is a result of Taylor's precision of language in what can otherwise be a very ambiguous field. He connects the development of Western thought from the Reformation through Derrida and beyond with such intricate dovetailing that I needed multicolored highlighters to make sense of it. It was well worth the effort. My only criticism is that in his explanation of "figuring" he ignores both Husserl and Merleau-Ponty; and that his explanation of "schema" ignores anything that has a possible hint of Jung; to which they are clearly related.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Best theological work I've read in a whileBy Kryu45Best theological work I've read in a while. Very pleased and impressed with Taylor's treatment of the historical and religious sense of the self that develops out of Jena; the fateful year of 1968; emergent theory of biological systems; references to the Age of Aquarius and finishing out with a focus on water as an example of complex dynamic system at work. Taylor's call to move beyond the 'altarations' of absolutes and extremes that constitute; animate and perpetuate binary systems of violent dualisms by recognizing the interdependent and complex nature of relations between things in the world - this relational stance; rhysomic and complex in nature; celebrates differences and consumes origin ary experiences as foundational to the world beyond binary expressions of will to power. Taylor's virtual and continually-figuring world of complex adaptive systems point to a collaborative and emerging theological grid including and beyond the current hierarchical and institutional treatment of knowledge and authority. Taylor's treatment of the Dispensationalist par excellence one Mr. Billy Graham and Dominionists like James Dobson is well worth the read for its political and philosophical critique. Well worth your time.4 of 5 people found the following review helpful. the "complex adaptive network" and your involvementBy barrybMark Taylor is the head of the religion department at Columbia University. Therefore he is at the forefront of emerging postmodern thought in America; in response to the French philosophy which currently has taken center stage. His university champions this movement and his position is extremely important for understanding how we are involving ourselves in this process in America. Taylor's position is actually situated at the beginning and end chapters of the book. The center section presents a chronological view of how this new school came into being. So if you don't want the history lesson right away; you could read the first chapter and the last two chapters and just take in Taylor's position. This is rewarding in itself. You get two books for the price of one. Taylor's fundamental position is to challenge the theory of entropy ; that everything is unavoidably headed for dissolution and chaos. He says the new science has found room for neg-entropy and that theology should adopt this neg-entropy theory also. In this way; the self can approach the abyss of darkness and its repetition of sameness with a real anticipation of difference and its potential to "self-actualize into a sub-system of order. The key here is that Taylor admits to "objective" self-organizing sub-systems; not just our subjective construction of those sub-systems. Both go hand in hand. The self is to construct a "complex adaptive network" type model of reality for positing which will function dialectically and be open to revision. We make this move at those points in history where we find a moment of punctuated equilibrium; where a phase-shift in structure has created instability and a chance for a the "new" to emerge. The self should continually be involved in "learning"; how to understand the eschatology of the infinite. Taylor's model is consistent and graspable. But; beware of his explanations and logic. He creates difficulty in accessability at times which takes some straining to get through. He's not always clear or "sure". But it can be pictured eventually. Just stick with it. Not light reading; but I thought it was rewarding And it's good to know where Columbia university stands in postmodern thought. I'll go 5 stars with just a light warning about accessability.