Why I Am Not a Secularist

Philosophy/Political Science Challenges the limitations of traditional secularism-now in paperback! Religion's influence in American politics is obvious in recent debates about school prayer, abortion, and homosexuality. Many liberal secularists decry this trend, rejecting any interaction between politics and religion. But in Why I Am Not a Secularist, distinguished political theorist William E. Connolly argues that secularism, although admirable in its pursuit of freedom and diversity, too often undercuts these goals through its narrow and intolerant understandings of public reason. In response, he crafts a new model of public life that more accurately reflects the needs of contemporary politics. "This is a first-rate book by one of the most creative political theorists in the country. As powerful as it is original." Stephen White, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University "William Connolly is one of the subtlest, boldest, and most intellectually fertile political/moral theorists now writing in the United States. His book is an incisive critique of dogmatic rationalism, an immensely valuable analysis of the psycho-social dynamics of 'identity politics'-both local and global-and a compelling argument for a strenuous and potentially self-transforming ethics of 'critical engagement.'" Barbara Herrnstein Smith, author of Belief and Resistance William E. Connolly is professor of political science at the Johns Hopkins University. Translation Inquiries: University of Minnesota Press