Marx&PhilosophyReviewofBooks

CharlesTaylor
DilemmasandConnections:SelectedEssays
BelknapPressofHarvardUniversityPress,CambridgeMA,2011.424pp.,$39.95hb
ISBN9780674055322

ReviewedbySheldonRichmond

Commentonthisreview

Aboutthereviewer
SheldonRichmond

SheldonRichmondisanIndependentScholarandauthorofAestheticCriteria:GombrichandthePhilosophiesofScienceof
PopperandPolanyi.Recentlyretiredfromworkingfor31yearsinsystemsandinformationtechnologywiththeCanadian
FederalGovernment,hewritesbookreviewsinvariousfieldsanddoesperformancephilosophyatacademicconferences.

More...

Review
CharlesTaylor,theeminentCanadianphilosopher,needsnointroduction.However,thisselectionofessayslacksan
introductionandoneisneeded.Thereadermightwonder,initsabsencewhytheseessaysinparticularwerechosenforre
publicationinbookformandwhatmainthemesorissues,ifany,connectthem.Iplaninthisreviewtoprovideasimulation
ofanintroductoryessayforthebook.Beforesummarizingeachoftheessays,hereisanoverviewofthebookandofTaylor's
approachtophilosophy,accordingtomyunderstanding.Ingeneral,throughouthiscareer,Taylordeploysthethemeofhow
toresolvetheproblemofunityanddiversityinvariousrecurringsituationsinsomeverylargeandmajorbooks,insome
smallbooks,andinessays.Manyoftherecurringsituationsconcernthefollowing:Howcanunityorcommonalityin
understandingoccuracrossthepluralityofcultureswhentherearedifferentconceptualsystems?Howcandiversenations
occupyasinglestatewithauniqueidentitybelongingtothemaingroupinpowerandachievesomeformofsocialharmony
thatrespectsthediversityofgroupsandnations?Howcandiversereligionsandseculargroupsfindaplacetogetherina
commonsocialspherewheredifferencesareapplauded?Inshort,Taylor'sapproachcanbeseenasanattempttobridgethe
apparentcontradictionbetweenunityanddiversity.Taylordoesnotseekanewformofunity,butaimstokeepthe
discretenessofdiverseelements.Theunityisachievedthroughacontrapuntalharmonythatcreatesacommonsocialand
conceptualspace.Taylor'sapproachresultsinacomplexitythatinvolvesamultithematicandamanyvoiceddialogical
discussion.Heusescommentaryandcritiquethatincludesdiscussionofhistorical,philosophical,andideological
backgroundsfortheissuesheexamines.Thisishardtosummarizewithoutoverlysimplifying.So,myshortsummariesof
eachofTaylor'sessaysdevolvesintohummablesinglethemeversionforasinglevoice.

Iamnotgoingtofollowtheactualorderofthebook'schaptersinthisvirtualintroduction.Iambasingmyorderonthe
logicalimportanceoftheessaysforthedevelopmentandapplicationoftheTaylorsphilosophicalapproach.Ithinkthe
mostimportantchapterishismonographlongessay,Chapter11,TheFutureoftheReligiousPast(21486).Itisa
condensedversionofTaylor'smostrecentmajorbook,ASecularAge(HarvardUniversityPress,CambridgeMA,2007).To
repeat,Ioversimplifyintheseminiaturesummaries,andforthemostpartIavoidthespecializedvocabularyCharlesTaylor
introduces.Heasks:howhasreligionfunctionedthroughouthistory?Religionprovidedacommonsystemofmoralityand
cosmologyforentirecohesivecivilizationsuntilthemodernera,whenthepublicspherebecamealmostdevoidofareligion
thatformsacommonframeworkforcommunitylifeandacommonoutlookonmorality.Inthisnewworld,individuals
developedprivateversionsofreligion,privatemoralitiesandprivatecosmologies.Variousproblemsarecreatedbythe
extremedisenchantmentofthepublicsphere:wehavethinnedoutmoralityandpolitics,andatbestallowedspacefora
pluralismofnationalities,cultures,andconceptualsystemswithinnationstates.Atworst,wehaveallowedspacefor
dangerousformsofnationalismandideologicalsystems.AsIhavesaid,IsimplifyandleaveoutdiscussinghowCharles
TaylordeployscategoriessuchasneoDurkheimian,theageofmobilization,porousself,bufferedself,horizontal
values,verticalvalues,andotherconceptsaspartofaconceptualandlinguistichorizonthatCharlesTaylorhas
developedforhistoricalandphilosophicalstudies.

Afterponderingthecoreessayofthebook,onemightwanttoskiptotheverylastessay,Chapter16,WhatWastheAxial
Revolution?(36779).Theaxialrevolutionwasthecreationofthekindofreligionthatwehavelostinthesecularagewith
itspostaxialreligions.Inshort,wehavelostasenseofuniversalcommunityintouchwithacommonworldview.This
essayisfundamentaltothebooksmainthesis:Modernity,withitslackofcommunity,allowsroomforasecularspace
devoidofacommonreligiousframeworkforunderstanding.Secularsocietieshaveprivatereligionsbuthavenodominant
publicreligionformingacommonbasisforsocialandpoliticalactivity.

Whatsortofreligiondowehaveinoursecularage?ThisquestionisaddressedinChapter8(14664),Religious
Mobilizations.Themobilizationprocessinvolvesgettingdisaffectedandisolatedindividualsintonewformsofreligious
practiceinmodernityandthesecularage.Religionsaretransformedintopoliticalpressuregroupsthatendorsevarious
valuesthatarechallengedbymodernity.

InChapter9,ACatholicModernity(16787),thecurrentshapeofCatholicismisanoutcomeofreligiousmobilizationand
takesitscurrentshapeasaresponsetothechallengesofmodernity.Catholicismcannolongerbecatholicabouthow
diversegroupswithinCatholicismpracticethereligion:theremustbeapluralitywithinCatholicism.

Iftheimportofthesecularageisnotyetclear,thefollowingessaysinthisbookprovidehelp:Chapter13,WhatDoes
SecularismMean?(30325),andChapter14,DieBlosseVernunft(ReasonAlone)(32646).ThesewordsfromChapter
14pointedlysaywhattheimportofsecularismisforus:humansfoundthemselvesaloneinanindifferentuniverse,
condemnedtomakeuptherulesastheygoalong...[suffering]thedeliciousillusionsofaselfsufficientreason(346).

Whataretheperilsofourattemptsatcreatingaselfsufficientreasonwithoutrelyingonbroadercosmologicaloutlooks
suppliedbytraditionalreligions?AperilofdisenchantmentasdiscussedinChapter12,Disenchantment
Reenchantment(287302)occurswiththeattempttocreateanimpossiblereenchantmentinthelacunathatisleftbythe
scientificoutlookwheremysteryintrudes.Theperilsofattemptingtoreplaceunifyingmoralitiesandethicswithmoral
principlesandphilosophiesbasedonreasonalone,withtheirsingledimensionalrulesarediscussedinChapter15,Perilsof
Moralism(34763)andChapter1,IrisMurdochandMoralPhilosophy(323).CharlesTaylorsuggeststhatacureforour
failedattemptstobuildrationalsingledimensionalrulebasedmoralitiescanbefoundintranscendentmoraloutlooksthat
lookbeyondthehumanistichorizon.

Taylor'sconceptofthehorizontheboundariesofconceptualsystemsisexplainedinChapter2,Understandingthe
Other:AGadamerianViewonConceptualSchemesandtheviewofhowtogobeyondthehorizonofaspecific
conceptualschemeiselaboratedsomewhatinthefollowingessays:Chapter3,LanguageNotMysterious?(3955)and
Chapter4,CelanandtheRecoveryofLanguage(5677).Tobehonest,IcouldnotgraspwhyCharlesTaylorincludedthe
latteressay,orevenwhyhehadaninterestinPaulCelan,aJewishRomanianpoetandHolocaustsurvivorwhocommitted
suicidein1970,untilIreadandrereadthepoemsCharlesTaylorselectedtotranslateinthisessay,especiallythislinefrom
oneofthepoemstherearestillsongstobesungontheothersideofmankind(76).

AccordingtoTaylor,oneofthegreatapparentperilsandevenevilsresultingfromthefailuresofoursecularagewithitsloss
ofunifyingcosmologiesandethicssuppliedbytraditionalreligionsisthepropensityforviolenceexceedingtheviolenceof
theCrusadesandInquisition:Itisperhapsnotanaccidentthatthehistoryofthetwentiethcenturycanbereadeitherina
perspectiveofprogressorinoneofmountinghorror.PerhapsitisnotcontingentthatitisthecenturybothofAuschwitzand
HiroshimaandofAmnestyInternationalandMedecinsSansFrontieres(187).Isthisviolenceinthemoderneraaninherent
featureofthesecularage?Thefollowingessaysattempttoexplainviolenceaswellasdevelopingasocialandpolitical
theoryforguidingusinhowtolessenifnoteliminateitinoursecularage:Chapter10NotesontheSourcesofViolence:
PerennialandModern(188213),Chapter5,NationalismandModernity(81104),andChapter7DemocraticExclusion
(anditsRemedies?)(12445).TheshortandsimplifiedversionofTaylor'sargumentsisthatdemocraciesinthemodern
worldofnationstatesarelinkedwiththemajoritynationalitywhereminoritiesareineffectdisenfranchised.Theremedyfor
disenfranchisementwithindemocraciesistoincludetheexcludedinacommonnationalframework(identityspace).
However,themostdifficultsocialproblemisattheinternationallevel,asdiscussedinChapter6,Conditionsofan
UnforcedConsensusonHumanRights(10523).Eachnationstatehasitsowncultureandideology(socialimaginary)
anditsownidentityspace,leadingtoadynamicofmutualmiscomprehensionandcondemnation(120).Buthowcanthe
mutualhatredamongthemanynationsandaspiringnationsbeovercome?Weneedtomovealongthepathtoconvergence
...[through]...creativereimmersionsofdifferentgroups,eachintheirownspiritualheritage,travelingdifferentroutestothe
samegoal(123).Taylorseemstobesayingthatmutualenmityduetoideologicaldifferencesisthemainsourceofconflict.
ButonecanaskTaylor,whywhenwelookatsocialviolenceasaformofprotest,doweseenotonlyadynamicofmutual
miscomprehension,butalsoadynamicofeconomicdisaffectionandtheassertionofterritorialdemands?Onemightwantto
challengeTaylor'sapparentlynarrowfocusonideologiesbyzoomingouttoawidervisionthatincludeseconomicand
territorialdisparitiesandlosses.

Insum:Inthisvirtualintroductoryessay,Ihavesuggestedthattheseessaysareproductsofacommonapproachdeveloped
byCharlesTaylorwhichcontinuestheapproachdevelopedinASecularAge.Heattemptstoprovideanoverarching
historicalschemeforthemanydifficultandimportantproblemshediscussesfromhowcommunicationispossibleamonga
pluralityofconceptualschemesofpoliticalandnationalsystemsandofreligiousandnonreligiousoutlooks.Sincethereis
noepilogue,letmeinventatwosentenceepilogueforthebook.Thepurposeofthisbookistoaddressachronicproblemof
themodernworld:theproblemthatThemodernworld,religiousandsecular,suffersfromadeepriftinitsself
understanding,anideologicalblindnessofmassiveproportions(213).Thequestionforthereaderis:hasCharlesTaylorin
anywaymadethedeepriftsomewhatshallower?

31December2013

Comments
Reviewinformation
Source:MarxandPhilosophyReviewofBooks.Accessed30November2014
URL:http://marxandphilosophy.org.uk/reviewofbooks/reviews/2014/902

ThisreviewislicensedunderaCreativeCommonsAttributionNonCommercialNoDerivs3.0UnportedLicense.

FollowusonTwitterFollowusonFacebook

Marx&PhilosophySociety2014 Contactus ValidateXHTML/CSS ISSN20422016