IN PRAISE OF DOUBT --- HOW TO HAVE CONVICTIONS WITHOUT BECOMING
A FANATIC by Peter L. Berger and Anton C. Zijderveld. HarperOne, 2009
    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (vii-ix)

    "If we did not have the doubts,
    Where then would be joyful certainty?"
    QUOTE by Goethe (ix)

    1) THE MANY GODS OF MODERNITY (1-24)

      [1] What is the current state of "secularization" in the world? (4-7)

      [2] What is "plurality," and what does it mean for individuals and society? (7-12)

      [3] How does modernity's shift from "fate" to "choice" affect us? (12-17)

      [4] How does plurality affect religion, both individually and collectively? (17-24)

    2) THE DYNAMICS OF RELATIVIZATION (25-48)

      [1] What is "relativization"? (25-31)

      [2] What are "cognitive defenses," and why are they necessary? (31-36)

      [3] How does relativization play out in terms of religion? (36-44)

      [4] What is meant by "dialectic of relativization"? (44-48)

    3) RELATIVIZATION (49-68)

      [1] How does relativization affect the way people see religious and moral "others"? (48-53)

      [2] What is "postmodernism," and how does it fit into the Western worldview? (54-56)

      [3] How do relativists avoid relativizing themselves? (57-62)

      [4] What is wrong with relativism? (63-68)

    4) FUNDAMENTALISM (69-88)

      [1] How did the term "fundamentalism" originate? (69-71)

      [2] What are the characteristics of contemporary fundamentalism? (71-73)

      [3] How do fundamentalism and relativism compare? (73-75)

      [4] What does fundamentalism look like on a small scale and in an entire society? (75-81)

      [5] What requirements do fundamentalist groups typically impose? (81-85)

      [6] What is the ultimate cost of fundamentalism? (86-87)

    5) CERTAINTY AND DOUBT (89-120)

      [1] Are there not some "truths" that are absolute? (90-94)

      [2] How do "true believers" handle doubt? (94-103)

      [3] What, then, is "doubt"? (103-105)

      [4] Is doubt an "all-or-nothing" proposition? (106-111)

      [5] What distinguishes "sincere doubt" from mere cynicism? (111-113)

      [6] Can doubt exist without falling into relativism? (113-119)

    6) THE LIMITS OF DOUBT (121-146)

      [1] At what point, and how much, should doubt itself be doubted? (121-123)

      [2] How can we arrive at "moral certainty"? (124-129)

      [3] What does "philosophical anthropology" bring to the discussion? (130-134)

      [4] Is morality part of "human nature"? (135-137)

      [5] Is "morality" simply a matter of following principles? (137-141)

      [6] How can a climate of "healthy doubt" be maintained societally? (142-145)

    7) THE POLITICS OF MODERATION (147-166)

      [1] What is meant by "politics of moderation"? (148-150)

      [2] What is the "freedom" to which all human beings are entitled? (150-153)

      [3] Can human freedom and "dignity" be institutionalized? (154-158)

      [4] How does an "ethic of moderation" work? (158-166)

    INDEX (167-179)
Return to Essay-Set #1: Focus on the Self-Liberation Philosophy