I was in the philosophy section at Barnes and Noble today and was surprised to find what I did. First of all, it was the smallest section in the entire bookstore. I was happy to see that there was a large amount of Nietzsche -- more than any other philosopher -- but as I skimmed the titles I saw many things like: "Godless and Happy," "Living without God," and "Life without God." There were nearly 15 books with this type of title or some variation of it. Why are these books lumped in with philosophy? Am I missing something? Almost an entire shelf of the philosophy section (which is one bookshelf, 4-5 shelves) is devoted to these books. Why does philosophy have to associate itself with this? I was almost angry. That's space that could be devoted to more Plato or Aristotle or whoever. I'll grant that the question of whether God exists is philosophical in nature and comes up in nearly every philosopher. But I don't think these books should be lumped in with philosophical works. What do you all think? Am I wrong here? I don't equate philosophy with...well, I guess "atheism" is the only word out there. Maybe "being a non-believer" would be a bit better, steering clear of the usual "group" designation.
[Lightly edited to enhance readability -TT]
Interesting Experience in the Philosophy Section
Posted - Nov 13 2010 : 7:42:28 PM
