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Review: "Brilliant and provocative... a book every liberal should read."
-John Gray
Description: It is widely believed that the West is becoming more liberal and secular, but the facts point in the other direction.
What no one has noticed is that far from declining, fundamentalist populations are growing and will reverse the march of secularism before 2050. Eric Kaufmann draws on a wealth of detailed research to argue that we are standing on the cups of unprecedented demographic upheaval. Almost everywhere in Europe and the United States, devout families – whether Christian, Jewish or Muslim – are expected their share of the population, while their non-religious counterparts are having too few children to replace themselves.
Religion gave our ancestors an evolutionary advantage over other species. Will it now insulate the faithful from the world’s impending population decline? What will the demographic rise of fundamentalism mean for secularism, modernity and climate change? It is too early to tell how liberal societies will respond to this dramatic population shift but if current trends continue, as Kaufmann suggests in this powerful and controversial book, the religious shall indeed inherit the earth.
Contents: Introduction • The Crisis of Secularism • The Hidden Hand of History: Demography and Society • ‘A Full Quiver’: Fertility and the Rise of American Fundamentalism • The Demography of Islamism in the Muslim World • Sacralisation by Stealth: Religion Returns to Europe • "A Scholar Society’: The Haredisation of the Jewish World • Shall the religious Inherit the Earth? • Index.ISBN - 9781846681448
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Pages : 352
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