Some New World: Myths of Supernatural Belief in a Secular Age

by Peter Harrison

In his famous argument against miracles, David Hume gets to the heart of the modern problem of supernatural belief. 'We are apt', says Hume, 'to imagine ourselves transported into some new world; where the whole form of nature is disjointed, and every element performs its operation in a different manner, from what it does at present.' This encapsulates, observes Peter Harrison, the disjuncture between contemporary Western culture and medieval societies. In the Middle Ages, people saw the hand of God at work everywhere. Indeed, many suppose that 'belief in the supernatural' is likewise fundamental nowadays to religious commitment. But dichotomising between 'naturalism' and 'supernaturalism' is actually a relatively recent phenomenon, just as the notion of 'belief' emerged historically late. In this masterful contribution to intellectual history, the author overturns crucial misconceptions – 'myths' – about secular modernity, challenging common misunderstandings of the past even as he reinvigorates religious thinking in the present.

Genres: Philosophy, Theology, Religion, History, Sociology, Nonfiction, Science

488 pages, Hardcover

Published May 30, 2024

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Reviews

[Michael King]

"It is crucial, then, to observe a distinction between the teachings of the Protestant reformers on the one hand, and the epistemic crisis engendered by the Reformation on the other. The understanding of faith preached by the reformers, in combination with their rejection of implicit faith, turned out to be unable to bear the weight of the justificatory demands now placed upon it in the new context of religious pluralism. There was a mismatch, in other words, between the central thrust of some Reformation doctrines and the social and epistemic conditions to which the Reformation gave rise."

"Some New World" challenged many of my ingrained presumptions about the Enlightenment and helped me to appreciate how many of its motifs were reappropriations of the Reformation: for this reason, I am extremely grateful to Peter Harrison.

Unfortunately, similar to other reviews made on this book, it was a tedious read which lacked a cutting edge. If there were a shorter version of this book, akin to Carl Trueman's "Strange New World", I would be more likely to recommend it than in its current form.

[Paul Knox]

Brilliantly researched and cogently argued. Certainly ranks alongside Taylor in illuminating the myths of modernity.

[Joseph Yue]

This book can be captured by two words: impressive and shallow. Impressive, because of the vast expanse of its sources; indeed, is there a somewhat notable figure in the European intellectual history who hasn't been cited in this book? In a word, no one can accuse Harrison of not knowing his stuff. Shallow, because it seems that stuff is all he really knows. He has cited many sources, true, but hardly does he ever discuss a theory or a perspective beyond the superficial level, and critical analysis thereof is practically non-existent. As such, Some New World really reads more like a comprehensive literature review on naturalism than anything else: A said X, B said Y, but C critiqued both of them, so maybe Z, but I'm no expert. Given the high quality of his last book and its influence in the field of Science and Religion, this new monograph is quite a disappointment.

[Joel Zartman]

A somewhat laborious argument to demonstrate that the category of the supernatural is recent and simplistic and depends on Christian assumptions which are conveniently ignored.

He rather ingeniously suggests, at the end, that understanding other societies that have not a truncated, secular view of things might be difficult.

[Wayne Larson]

Brilliant