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“[A] lucid and thoughtful book... In a spirit of reconciliation, Crane proposes to paint a more accurate picture of religion for his fellow unbelievers.” —James Ryerson, New York Times Book Review Contemporary debate about religion seems to be going nowhere. Atheists persist with their arguments, many plausible and some unanswerable, but these make no impact on religious believers. Defenders of religion find atheists equally unwilling to cede ground. The Meaning of Belief offers a way out of this stalemate. An atheist himself, Tim Crane writes that there is a fundamental flaw with most atheists’ basic approach: religion is not what they think it is. Atheists tend to treat religion as a kind of primitive cosmology, as the sort of explanation of the universe that science offers. They conclude that religious believers are irrational, superstitious, and bigoted. But this view of religion is almost entirely inaccurate. Crane offers an alternative account based on two ideas. The first is the idea of a religious impulse: the sense people have of something transcending the world of ordinary experience, even if it cannot be explicitly articulated. The second is the idea of identification: the fact that religion involves belonging to a specific social group and participating in practices that reinforce the bonds of belonging. Once these ideas are properly understood, the inadequacy of atheists’ conventional conception of religion emerges. The Meaning of Belief does not assess the truth or falsehood of religion. Rather, it looks at the meaning of religious belief and offers a way of understanding it that both makes sense of current debate and also suggests what more intellectually responsible and practically effective attitudes atheists might take to the phenomenon of religion.
Where do we find the core of life's meaning? Right on the job! At whatever work we do--with head or hand, from kitchen to executive suite, from your house to the White House! "Work is the great equalizer--everyone has to come to it in order to find meaning in living: no short cuts, no detours, no bargain rates." "For DeKoster, bringing hope to the world of work is not only crucial to finding meaning in our work, but to finding meaning in our lives as a whole. If we do our daily work without the hope that God is present and active in it, our lives become 'a wilderness of work, ' a desert through which we trudge, desperately thirsting for meaning and purpose. If we work with hope, that thirst will be satisfied--not only in our work, but increasingly in the rest of our lives as well." --Greg Forster, from the Afterword
This volume is concerned with aspects of word meaning within the general methodological framework of generative grammar. Its aim is to diagnose linguists' failure to advance satisfactory theories of lexical meaning, then to propose the requirements that such a theory should meet and, drawing on work in philosophy and psychology, to take the first steps toward satisfying these requirements. The author argues that despite the objections of some philsophers, a scientifically respectable theory of word meaning is possible.
Why do we work each day? Is it only to pay the bills? Are we like the miserable mythological Sisyphus, who was forced to endlessly push a massive rock up a hill only to watch it roll back down? Our beliefs about the meaning of work will either fuel or drain our motivation. Our worldview of work will influence our sense of self-worth. Our philosophy of work will shape our career choices and our impact in the world.Throughout history, philosophers and theologians have presented shifting views of what work means. Some, like Plato, elevated the value of intellectual work, such as philosophy and poetry. He also devalued material work, such as manual labor, running a shop, farming, etc. By contrast, Aristotle gave more value to physical forms of work, the work of the here and now. Who was right?As the Roman Empire decayed, the medieval church (generally speaking) followed Plato's views about work. Thus, noble work was related to those who helped mortals stay focused on the "heavenly realms." But by the early 1500s, prominent theologians like William Tyndale and Martin Luther argued that God valued all work, including the work of common people. Jesus, after all, worked as a carpenter.Twentieth century existentialist philosophers claimed that the world has no intrinsic meaning; therefore, we should fabricate our own meaning through choice and action. As a result, many cultures have adopted a belief about work that says, "You are what you do." This modern perspective leaves us on fragile ground. What happens to human worth when a person is unemployed? What if we work in jobs that the culture devalues? In this study, readers will explore what the Scriptures and contemporary thinkers say about the meaning of work in today's global economy. The study presents the following topics:God's original designs for workThe ultimate purpose of workThe roots of why work is often so broken and difficultThe intrinsic dignity of all workersThe nature of true restThis book is for anyone who longs to discover a profound meaning of daily life, work, and rest.
This book, the first of a groundbreaking series, provides a solid theoretical and empirical grounding from the psychology of religion and spirituality to the emerging field of workplace spirituality. Leading researchers in the psychology of religion have contributed up-to-date reviews within their areas of expertise to help guide the emergence of this exciting new discipline. Each chapter is written with the workplace researcher in mind. Not only is the relevant literature from the psychology of religion reviewed, but it is also made relevant to the workplace setting. The religious and spiritual aspects of such topics as meaning making, emotional resilience, sense of calling, coping with stress, occupational health and well-being, and leadership, among others are discussed within the context of work life. Surely researchers interested in workplace spirituality will keep this book, as well as others in the series, within arm’s reach for years to come.
This is a book for people who want to understand how spiritual ideas can help humanize business. Within, Paul Gibbons, a founder of the workplace spirituality movement twenty years ago, suggests that spirituality touches on every aspect of the human experience at work, on every aspect of human capital, and on the purpose of business and the capitalist economic system.In Meaning, Joy, and Purpose he explores how we can recruit spiritual ideas to help humans find greater meaning and purpose in their work and to improve business practices - that is, to make business more human.The first volume covers individual-level topics only: meaning, work, workaholism, vocation and purpose, happiness, mindfulness, altruism, motivation, engagement, and leadership. The second volume (tentatively called Culture, Capitalism, Sustainability) turns first to talent, employer brand, ethics, service, culture, values, and profitability. Then it turns to 21st century capitalism with its great triumphs and some of its limitations, exploring how spirituality might help us create a more human-centered version of capitalism more fit for the 21st century.To that discussion, Gibbons brings two decades of scholarship in philosophy, psychology, and spirituality and four decades in business from the perspective of an investment banker, consultant and adjunct professor of business. I also bring my perspective as (former) CEO of a start-up founded to bring spiritual principles to development of senior business leaders and their teams.Here are the questions Gibbons tackles in Volume I:?What do we mean by "spirituality"? How is it different from religion??What is the relationship between religion and science??Is the world becoming more or less spiritual??What is the historical relationship between spirituality and work? Where does that leave us today??Can we prove workplace spirituality is of value? What is the evidence??What are the benefits of private prayer or meditation at work??What insight does spirituality give us into human motivation??What is the purpose of purpose??How do we create purposeful lives and organizations??What is the link between leadership and spirituality??Can spiritual experiences at work be cultivated??What would a spiritual consulting firm look like?
How tech giants are reshaping spirituality to serve their religion of peak productivity Silicon Valley is known for its lavish perks, intense work culture, and spiritual gurus. Work Pray Code explores how tech companies are bringing religion into the workplace in ways that are replacing traditional places of worship, blurring the line between work and religion and transforming the very nature of spiritual experience in modern life. Over the past forty years, highly skilled workers have been devoting more time and energy to their jobs than ever before. They are also leaving churches, synagogues, and temples in droves—but they have not abandoned religion. Carolyn Chen spent more than five years in Silicon Valley, conducting a wealth of in-depth interviews and gaining unprecedented access to the best and brightest of the tech world. The result is a penetrating account of how work now satisfies workers’ needs for belonging, identity, purpose, and transcendence that religion once met. Chen argues that tech firms are offering spiritual care such as Buddhist-inspired mindfulness practices to make their employees more productive, but that our religious traditions, communities, and public sphere are paying the price. We all want our jobs to be meaningful and fulfilling. Work Pray Code reveals what can happen when work becomes religion, and when the workplace becomes the institution that shapes our souls.
Though the majority of Americans claim faith in God and adults spend the majority of their time working, these two important dimensions of life are rarely effectively integrated. It is important for people of every faith tradition to consider how, when and if their faith and work are to be integrated. This is especially true as research shows that the integration of faith and spirituality in the workplace results in numerous benefits for individuals, organizations and society - if done respectfully. This book presents key research insights concerning integration influences and strategies for Christians who seek to integrate their faith and their work. Specifically, it discusses how individual, occupational and organizational factors influence faith and work integration, and suggests diverse ways to integrate the Christian faith at work. The Faith and Work Integration Spheres of Influence Model is presented as a tool to guide individuals in better understanding how to develop their own personal plan for faith and work integration within the context of limiting or enabling occupational and organizational factors. It also suggests areas for further research on this topic. Readers will learn how Christian faith and work integration can be maximized based on individual attributes, occupational characteristics, and organizational factors.
Offers an inspirational and compassionate approach to understanding the problems of life, and argues that we should continue to believe in God's fairness.