The soul of the world

The experience of the sacred against the onslaught of contemporary atheism. From the author of How to Be a Conservative .

Could human beings be reduced to mere chemical reactions? Could science explain our relationship with the sacred, our search for beauty, our desire for transcendence and the sublime? With the firm intention of defending the experience of the sacred against the attacks of contemporary atheism, in *The Soul of the World* , renowned philosopher Roger Scruton argues that our personal relationships, moral intuitions, and aesthetic judgments imply the existence of a transcendental dimension that cannot be fully grasped by the scientific eye.

The author argues that being alive—and understanding who we are—is recognizing the reality of sacred things. Thus, rather than presenting a defense of the existence of God, or the truth of religion, what he proposes in this book is a reflection on why a sense of the sacred is essential to human life, and what its loss can mean. Analyzing art, architecture, music, and literature, Scruton suggests that the purest forms of human experience and expression tell the story of our need for the sacred, and that this search gives the world a soul.

The depth of Scruton's argumentation and the breadth of his knowledge, combined with his exquisite writing, are a balm for the reader. At a time when religious faith is being derided by scientific materialism, *The Soul of the World* concludes that, even with the diminishing role of the sacred in the contemporary world, the paths to transcendence remain open.