Why
we need a materialist spirituality for the secular left, and how to
build one.
The
left commonly rejects religion and spirituality as
counter-revolutionary forces, citing Marx's famous dictum that
"religion is the opium of the people." Yet forms of
spirituality have motivated struggles throughout history, ranging
from medieval peasant uprisings and colonial slave revolts, to South
American liberation theology and the US civil rights movement. And in
a world where religion is growing, and political movements are ridden
with conflict, burnout, and failure, what can the left learn from
religion?
Red
Enlightenment argues not only
for a deepened understanding of religious matters, but calls for the
secular left to develop its own spiritual perspectives. It proposes a
materialist spirituality built from socialist and scientific sources,
finding points of contact with the global history of philosophy and
religion.
From
cybernetics to liberation theology, from ancient Indian and Chinese
philosophy to Marxist dialectical materialism, from traditional
religious practices to contemporary art, music, and film, Red
Enlightenment sets out a
plausible secular spirituality, a new socialist praxis, and a utopian
vision.