According to Mr Stace, 
modern [1952] culture is the arena of a struggle between two 
antagonistic views of the universe and of man's place in it. One is the 
age-old religious vision of the world as a divine and moral order, 
governed by spiritual forces and values. The other, which has been 
produced by science, although it is not a part of science, views the 
world as controlled by nothing but blind natural laws and forces which 
are entirely indifferent to moral purposes and spiritual ideals. The 
latter view which may be called naturalism or secularism, is the 
characteristic content of the modern mind. The problem engendered by the
 struggle of these two world views is the subject of this book The
 author first shows how, historically, the naturalistic view has been 
built up as a result of modern science. he discusses its consequences in
 the spheres of religion, morals, art, literature and philosophy; and 
then finally turns to the central problem which is thus posed for man's 
spiritual life. In 1948, Mr Stace, a Professor of Philosophy at 
Princeton, published in the Atlantic Monthly an article entitled Man 
Against Darkness, which, because it urged that the naturalistic view of 
the world must be accepted, was widely interpreted as an attack on 
religion. In the present book he examines the problem how a belief in 
the essential core of religion, which he interprets not merely as 
"morality tinged with emotion", but as the acceptance of a divine 
principle in the world, and which he bel;ieves to be an essential 
element in man;s higher life, can be maintained without repudiating the 
modern scientific or natural view of the universe. He regards the book 
therefore as a defense of religion against skepticism.

Religion and the Modern Mind PDF

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