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Red Enlightenment: On Socialism, Science and Spirituality
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.
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.
- GenresTheory
315 pages, Paperback
Published May 9, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 26, 2024
I've been reconsidering a lot of my approaches to spirituality lately and so this book came around at the right time. It's a very fascinating, high-level analysis of Enlightenment philosophy through a socialist lens. I found it a bit meandering—I would have liked something a bit more focused on what the chapters specifically about spirituality were doing (i.e., how can we use this stuff as a movement). The more abstract conceptual chapters did this less. Regardless, it's a daring and timely proposal and well worth reading.
April 6, 2023
In this ambitious book, Graham Jones argues for a secular socialist spiritual system for leftists. He sees this as partly a Machiavellian spirituality in that not only would becoming spiritually literate help people on the left engage in dialogue with those who hold opposing viewpoints, but also would help them understand certain problems better. Indeed, he points out that there are problems/issues that people without a grounding in spiritual thought cannot truly understand. In this book, he lays out what this system would look like, how it fits into existing leftist thought, and why it's important, drawing on the work of thinkers in philosophy, Marxism, science, and more. He goes into great detail and offers much supporting information while at the same time sharing examples from his own life. The book is clearly deeply thought out and extensively researched. It contains a great deal and for that reason, I think it's the kind of book that is best read a little bit at a time so that each chapter and its arguments can be thoroughly digested. For those readers that may be interested in exploring one or more topics in more detail or to learn more about thinkers quoted in the text, he provides a section of suggested works for further study with tips for non-academics and a bibliography. For people who are new to these ideas, there is also a glossary of terms.
It's quite a thought-provoking book.
I received a digital copy of the book in exchange for a review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author.
It's quite a thought-provoking book.
I received a digital copy of the book in exchange for a review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author.
May 31, 2023
I cannot exaggerate how much this book and the podcast have affected my thinking and the way I relate to spirituality. All I can say is that I would recommend this book to everyone. Truly a sublime reading experience.
June 19, 2023
Red Enlightenment by Graham Jones is an interesting and useful look at how a form of spirituality could serve the left.
I was probably less taken by his approach, which seemed to give the impression that the vast majority of us on the left not only lack spirituality but are opposed to it. There certainly are plenty of such people, but, at least among the theorists and activists with which I have been involved, it probably hasn't been a majority. That said, most don't subscribe to any organized religion and even fewer are associated, even loosely, with a specific denomination.
Skipping ahead to the useful part of the book, Jones offers some excellent ideas for actually using, if not forming, a spiritual belief system that would serve to both unite those on the left as well as lower some of the kneejerk antipathy we are often confronted with. These ideas, while certainly needing more input and revision, offer an excellent starting point.
I certainly agree that we need to have an understanding of religious beliefs, speaking here of organized religion, but while not universal I have rarely been the only one in a group who has done more than just proclaim no belief. Many have an intimate understanding of at least one religious group, since they often left one as they came to their own conclusions. But yes, knowing more about those we are often debating is essential, but I'm not as convinced as Jones is that there are so few of us in the movement(s).
Definitely worth reading both for the ideas we can incorporate into our activism and for those who might not have any sense of spirituality, at least not anything they think of as such.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
I was probably less taken by his approach, which seemed to give the impression that the vast majority of us on the left not only lack spirituality but are opposed to it. There certainly are plenty of such people, but, at least among the theorists and activists with which I have been involved, it probably hasn't been a majority. That said, most don't subscribe to any organized religion and even fewer are associated, even loosely, with a specific denomination.
Skipping ahead to the useful part of the book, Jones offers some excellent ideas for actually using, if not forming, a spiritual belief system that would serve to both unite those on the left as well as lower some of the kneejerk antipathy we are often confronted with. These ideas, while certainly needing more input and revision, offer an excellent starting point.
I certainly agree that we need to have an understanding of religious beliefs, speaking here of organized religion, but while not universal I have rarely been the only one in a group who has done more than just proclaim no belief. Many have an intimate understanding of at least one religious group, since they often left one as they came to their own conclusions. But yes, knowing more about those we are often debating is essential, but I'm not as convinced as Jones is that there are so few of us in the movement(s).
Definitely worth reading both for the ideas we can incorporate into our activism and for those who might not have any sense of spirituality, at least not anything they think of as such.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
July 22, 2023
Kände mig rätt klar halvvägs igenom, läses som att tala med en vän. Alla hans tankar och idéer är sånt som jag har vänninor och vänner tala om ad nauseum.
Bra läsning för den som är ny till filosofi måste jag säga dock. enkel stt förstå
Bra läsning för den som är ny till filosofi måste jag säga dock. enkel stt förstå
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews