A lucid exploration of how social scientists have come to approach “the things we hold sacred.”
A learned excursus into the sociology of religion.
Appiah, well known for his contributions to social science, here examines the late-19th-century rise of two of its constituent disciplines, sociology and anthropology, and their treatment of religion. Whereas religion had earlier been largely viewed as all-encompassing, it came to be seen as “more a product of political and social forces than a shaper of them,” just another component of culture. Looking closely at pioneers such as Edward Burnett Tylor, Georg Simmel, Max Weber, and Emile Durkheim, Appiah discerns “a larger disciplinary toolkit emerging from their years of wrestling with religion.” Each scholar took different approaches but helped piece together the earliest dicta on how religion works: among “primitives,” as magic; among “civilized,” as a community-building system (“Religion upholds the norms of a community; magic often subverts them”). Weber would move on to dissecting Protestantism as the driving force of capitalism—injecting himself, Appiah holds, in a “social-policy debate” that found German Catholics in minority settings discriminated against economically and socially. Weber also ventured, daringly, that the isolation of individual Protestants vis-à-vis God served to “advance the economic rationality of collective enterprises.” Reading Appiah’s book, which originated as a series of lectures, presupposes background in the social sciences and their history, but he writes clearly and approachably, with interesting asides along the way (Weber, for instance, introduced into the language the term “charisma” as we now use it and “seems first to have seen charisma as the personalization of magic”). He also weighs how considering religion as a “folk category,” as social scientists do, can be alienating to practitioners: “The propositional content of the Nicene or Athanasian Creed is obscure and perhaps incoherent, but the act of avowing it can matter a lot.”
A lucid exploration of how social scientists have come to approach “the things we hold sacred.”Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780300233063
Page Count: 328
Publisher: Yale Univ.
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
A short, smart analysis of perhaps the most famous passage in American history reveals its potency and unfulfilled promise.
Words that made a nation.
Isaacson is known for expansive biographies of great thinkers (and Elon Musk), but here he pens a succinct, stimulating commentary on the Founding Fathers’ ode to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” His close reading of the Declaration of Independence’s second sentence, published to mark the 250th anniversary of the document’s adoption, doesn’t downplay its “moral contradiction.” Thomas Jefferson enslaved hundreds of people yet called slavery “a cruel war against human nature” in his first draft of the Declaration. All but 15 of the document’s 56 signers owned enslaved people. While the sentence in question asserted “all men are created equal” and possess “unalienable rights,” the Founders “consciously and intentionally” excluded women, Native Americans, and enslaved people. And yet the sentence is powerful, Isaacson writes, because it names a young nation’s “aspirations.” He mounts a solid defense of what ought to be shared goals, among them economic fairness, “moral compassion,” and a willingness to compromise. “Democracy depends on this,” he writes. Isaacson is excellent when explaining how Enlightenment intellectuals abroad influenced the founders. Benjamin Franklin, one of the Declaration’s “five-person drafting committee,” stayed in David Hume’s home for a month in the early 1770s, “discussing ideas of natural rights” with the Scottish philosopher. Also strong is Isaacson’s discussion of the “edits and tweaks” made to Jefferson’s draft. As recommended by Franklin and others, the changes were substantial, leaving Jefferson “distraught.” Franklin, who emerges as the book’s hero, helped establish municipal services, founded a library, and encouraged religious diversity—the kind of civic-mindedness that we could use more of today, Isaacson reminds us.
A short, smart analysis of perhaps the most famous passage in American history reveals its potency and unfulfilled promise.Pub Date: Nov. 18, 2025
ISBN: 9781982181314
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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