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The State of the Enlightenment

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photoIn April, 1966, the cover of Time magazine asked "Is God Dead?" Well, "no" the answer turned out to be.

Despite centuries of science, the Enlightenment's resistance to religious dogma, and modernity's romance with reason, faith has not only survived but made a huge comeback in recent years.

Now a raft of books, some bestsellers, argue again that humans must get beyond religion to move forward. That fundamentalism and doctrine breed conflict and darkness.

But could it be that, despite the pullback of the religious right in recent U.S. elections, it is still science and reason that are in deep retreat?

This hour On Point: Enlightenment values, religion, and who owns the future.

Guests:

Rick Shweder, Professor of Comparative Human Development at University of Chicago and co-editor of "Engaging Cultural Differences"

George Kateb, Professor Emeritus of Politics at Princeton University and author of "Patriotism and Other Mistakes"

Sam Harris, author of "Letter to a Christian Nation" and "The End of Faith"

This program aired on December 11, 2006.

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