Society for social Research

Title: WESTERN ATHEISM

Author: Dr. Rabindra Ray

ABOUT THE BOOK

This essay is an attempt to explore the contemporary forms of irreligiousness and anti-religiousness, centred on what is the title of the work—Western Atheism. The work attempts to criticise and delimit these, without being unfair to their claims of ‘superiority’ that have given them their privileged place in academies of learning. Originally conceived as a much more extended treatise, the work can hardly claim comprehensiveness, though it is more than adequate as an introduction. While the work cannot introduce the irreligious to religion, a task much more adequately undertaken and accomplished by a whole, extremely large corpus of texts, it can hope to indicate the direction for deeper reflection. For the religious, the work can serve to acquaint them with some idea of the scope and depth of the contemporary challenge. It is to those who are confused that the present work is primarily addressed, and even if it does not suggest to them the resolution of their confusion, it does wish to argue and firmly, that the way out of their confusion is not in less thought, but deeper and more courageous thought. The book will have served its purpose, if it can alert its readers to the depth and profundity of the contemporary challenges in reflection, and inspire them to forage widely, think boldly, and act cautiously.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rabindra Ray was born in Patna and received his formal education in Patna, Delhi, Kanpur, and Oxford. A poet and painter, he always was and remains a keen student of culture and its manifestations not excluding the scientific. He has been Research Associate at the G. B. Pant Social Science Institute in Allahabad, and since ‘89 a teacher at the Department of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. His parents live in Darjeeling and he spends as much time as he can, with them.