Synopses & Reviews
It has long been assumed that the more modern we become, the less religious we will be. Yet a recent resurrection in faith has challenged the certainty of this belief. In these original essays and interviews, leading hermeneutical philosophers and postmodern theorists John D. Caputo and Gianni Vattimo engage with each other's past and present work on the subject and reflect on our modern transition from secularism to post-secularism.
Each philosopher represents a distinct mode of thinking about religion and its relation to society. Caputo submits his philosophy concerning the death of God to Vattimo's deconstructive critique, and Vattimo subjects his interpretation of the modern processes of secularization (which he sees as a recovery of the very essence of Christianity) to Caputo's critique. Their dialogue serves not only as an introduction to the similarities and differences between the two thinkers and their religious perspectives, but also as a method for understanding the broader currents of contemporary culture and modernism.
With grace, wit, and passion, Caputo and Vattimo explore the changes, distortions, and reforms that are a part of our postmodern faith and the forces shaping the religious imagination today. Incisively and imaginatively connecting their argument to issues ranging from terrorism to fanaticism, these thinkers continue to reinvent the field of hermeneutic philosophy.