The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality

by Andre Comte-Sponville, Nancy Huston (Translator)

Overview

The perfect antidote to the fiery rhetoric that dominates our current national debate over religion, The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality is the ideal companion to such bestsellers as The God Delusion and God Is Not Great. I n this inspiring book, bestselling author and philosopher André Comte-Sponville offers a new perspective on the question of God's existence, acknowledging the good that has come of religion while advocating tolerance from both believers and non-believers. Through clear, concise, and often humorous prose, Comte-Sponville offers a convincing appeal for a new form of spiritual life-one that at its heart celebrates the human need to connect to one another and the universe.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780143114437
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/30/2008
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	1,082,816
Product dimensions:	7.16(w) x 10.88(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

André Comte-Sponville is one of France's preeminent contemporary philosophers. Previously a professor at the Sorbonne, he is the author of The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality and A Small Treatise on the Great Virtues, an international bestseller that has been translated into 25 languages. He lives in Paris.

Nancy Huston is the author of numerous works of fiction and nonfiction, including the critically acclaimed Fault Lines, which won France's Prix Femina and was shortlisted for the Orange Prize. She has also won the Prix Goncourt des Lycéen, the Prix du Livre-Inter, the Prix Elle, and the Governor General’s Award for Fiction in French. A former resident of Calgary and New Hampshire, she now lives in Paris.

Editorial Reviews

This book's title is not a spoof. Prominent French philosopher André Comte-Sponville refuses to believe that "atheist spirituality" is an oxymoron. He is equally impatient with notions that atheism necessarily entails a leveling nihilism. In place of such extremities, he bases his spiritual but god-free humanism partly on Eastern spiritual traditions and Western ethical norms. A book for free thinkers not afraid of surprising themselves.

At first blush "atheist spirituality" may sound like a contradiction in terms, but French philosopher Comte-Sponville makes a compelling argument for a profound dimension of experience that is god-free. His idea of spirituality also bears no small resemblance to Eastern spirituality, and the philosopher-author does not hesitate to cite great Eastern thinkers in this catalogue of references to great minds grappling with important questions. We can do without religion and without God, the author argues, but we can't do without fidelity and community. Comte-Sponville's humanism is deeply traditional, but the red flag "atheist" will undoubtedly affront religious traditionalists. That's unfortunate, because the author's style of arguing is civil and witty, unlike a lot of public discourse on this subject. He draws deeply on the history of philosophers who have pronounced on the subject of God's existence, disposing of the everything-is-permitted nihilism often associated with atheism. Nor does he argue that religion is dangerous, a stance in vogue among today's bestselling atheists. God just isn't logically necessary, but we can still have love, ethical behavior and even the experience of eternity. Formerly a Sorbonne professor, Comte-Sponville presents big ideas with masterful and witty clarity. For those who prefer Kant to cant, this refreshing little book is perfect. (Dec. 31)

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Publishers Weekly

A wonderful book . . . offers a generosity of spirit, communion and wisdom.

The Washington Post

A truly inspiring essay . . . An uplifting and timely tribute to Godless spirituality. (Ayaan Hirsi Ali, author of The New York Times bestseller Infidel)

Ayaan Hirsi Ali