Robinson's new nonfiction work is drawn from her 2009 Terry lectures at Yale. More precisely, they are "lectures on religion in the light of science and philosophy." The charge is ambitious, and Robinson brings to the task a suitably wide-ranging perspective. She takes aim at the modern scholarly propensity to debunk, a practice she calls "flawed learnedness." It pitches out the babies of human insight with the bathwater of the past, preferring what she calls "parascience," a kind of pseudoscience that prizes certainty. This "parascience" is a latecomer in human thought, the product of only the last 150 years or so. Because it closes off questions, it's not even scientific. Nor does it allow space for the human mind and all the mind has produced in history and civilization. This is heady stuff that will particularly appeal to those familiar with the history of ideas and the many thinkers she cites, and to anyone willing to ponder broadly and humanistically about imponderable matters. Those who savor Robinson's clear prose will also be gratified; her mind, in thought, is elegant.
Marilynne Robinson, one of the greatest living American novelists, turns her word power towards those whose bogus science leaves us feeling that ‘our minds are not our own.’ In Absence of Mind , her affirmation of ‘human exceptionalism’ presents humanity as ‘much more than an optimised ape.’”—Christopher Jamison, Times (UK)“I enjoyed reading Absence of Mind . The reason: it is always a pleasure to keep company with a person who takes ideas seriously.”—Siri Hustvedt, Financial Times “Robinson’s argument is prophetic, profound, eloquent, succinct, powerful and timely.”—Karen Armstrong, The Guardian “There is much to admire, and even to agree with, in Robinson’s humanist passion. Her defense of the insights to be gained from religion and literature is as convincing as her attacks on the facile generalizations of parascience.”—Adam Kirsch, Boston Globe “[Robinson] makes the case with exceptional elegance and authority—the authority not only of one of the unmistakably great novelists of the age but of a clear and logical mind that is wholly intolerant of intellectual cliché. . . . This book has a greater density (and sophistication) of argument than many three times its length; but it is one of the most significant contributions yet to the current quarrels about faith, science and rationality.”—Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, Daily Telegraph “These impassioned pages require and reward very close attention.”—Michael Dirda, Washington Post “The width of Robinson’s erudition is almost daunting, but she shares it with characteristic generosity. . . . Persist and you’ll be rewarded.”—Sunday Telegraph “Those who savor Robinson’s clear prose will be gratified; her mind, in thought, is elegant.”—Publishers Weekly “Following the inward-looking path of her award-winning fiction, Marilynne Robinson’s Absence of Mind is a finely wrought treatise in favour of religious belief.”—Chris Lehmann, The Nation “This work of philosophy by a distinguished novelist is one of the most thought-stirring inquiries into fundamental questions in many years.”—John Gray, Globe & Mail “Robinson’s arguments [are] so much more interesting, capacious, and informed than most. . . . Robinson makes a strong, unapologetic case, not for mystery but for self-respect.”—Susan Salter Reynolds, Los Angeles Times “Robinson applies her astute intellect to . . . science, religion and consciousness. Crafted with the same care and insight as her award-winning novels, the book challenges postmodern atheists who crusade against religion under the banner of science.”—Washington Times “[Robinson] is one of the best thinkers in American letters. Her new (nonfiction) work is a slashing attack on scientific fundamentalism, not on behalf of religion but of human consciousness and our traditional concept of mind.”—Maclean’s “This deeply informed essay affirms mystery, imagination and wonder against the 19th-century remnants of positivism still delimiting the human in the name of a reduced and reductive science.”—San Francisco Chronicle “Marilynne Robinson asks hard questions. She challenges readers with a severe, sophisticated and spellbinding style and a determination to change the conversation about contemporary American culture. . . . Absence of Mind is important not so much as a brief for religion but as a tenacious and often trenchant critique of modern Western thought.”—Glenn Altschuler, Minneapolis Star-Tribune “What Robinson has over both the parascientific writers whose work she rejects and the religion writers with whom she finds common ground is a long career (though few books) as a fiction writer, where she has demonstrated—and in her way, provided evidence of—the very contemplative, subjective lives of the faithful she defends in her new book.”—Scott Korb, The Revealer “[Robinson reveals] how deep a debt both science and religion owe to art. . . . It is a rare treat to have a novelist express herself so forcefully, and so eloquently, in another medium.”—Ingrid Rowland, American Scholar “[Not] an anti-scientific jeremiad. Quite the contrary, for Robinson admires all that genuine science continues to offer us. . . . Her wonderful defense of an expansive self in a diminishing age deserves a wide readership.”—Thomas DePietro, Barnes & Noble Review “The scope of Robinson’s erudition is stunning, and she shares it with generosity and no dissembling.“—Linda McCullough Moore, Books & Culture “Marked by a luminous intelligence and a rather attractive intellectual severity. . . . One really must read it to appreciate how powerful a counterinsurgency it mounts against many of the peculiar superstitions of our age.”—David Bentley Hart, Big Questions Online “Readers interested in seriously thinking about science, culture, and religion, and their interrelationships, will find this book rewarding.”—S. C. Pearson, Choice “A book of dense philosophy from a brilliant novelist with a poet’s ear. It is stunning. It places Robinson among the very brightest of Christian history’s thinkers and writers. . . . I cannot praise it too highly.”—Kurt Armstrong, Christian Week “One of the best things about the literature of the New Atheists is that, for all the supercilious question-begging, it has provoked a number of highly literate and memorable responses. This is one of them.”—Barton Swaim, Weekly Standard “Marilynne Robinson is one of those rare novelists whose work, though galvanized by a theological impulse, is adored by believers and atheists in equal measure. . . . We experience [her characters’] interiority almost as naturally as our own, and respond to it emotionally, intellectually, even spiritually. Robinson’s latest collection, Absence of Mind , gets to the heart of that creative force, while reminding us what little heed she pays intellectual fashion.”—Stefan Beck, New Criterion “Absence of Mind is a succinct and carefully reasoned challenge to those who would say that all our thoughts, beliefs, aspirations, and intimations of immortality are only a combination of wishful thinking and outdated primitive beliefs.”—Dr. Jean McCurdy Meade, Living Church Named a Best Book of 2010—Globe & Mail , “2010 Globe 100”
Absence of Mind , gets to the hear of that creative force, while reminding us what little heed she pays intellectual fashion."—Stefan Beck, The New Criterion
The New Criterion - Stefan Beck
Absense of Mind is a succinct and carefully reasoned challenge to those who would say that all our thoughts, beliefs, aspirations, and intimations of immortality are only a combination of wishful thinking and outdated primitive beliefs."—Dr. Jean McCurdy Meade, The Living Church
The Living Church - Jean McCurdy Meade
The Weekly Standard
The Weekly Standard - Barton Swaim
CHOICE
Globe & Mail, "2010 Globe 100"
— San Francisco Chronicle
Christian Week
Christian Week - Kurt Armstrong
The Australian
The Australian - Geordie Williamson
Absence of Mind . The reason: it is always a pleasure to keep company with a person who takes ideas seriously." — Siri Hustvedt, Financial Times
Financial Times - Siri Hustvedt
Literary Review
Literary Review - Bryan Appleyard
The Guardian
The Guardian - Karen Armstrong
Absence of Mind ."— Zadie Smith, The Observer
The Observer - Zadie Smith
Irish Times
IrishTimes - Mark Patrick Hederman
Absence of Mind is a finely wrought treatise in favour of religious belief."—Chris Lehmann, The National
The National - Chris Lehmann
Washington Times
Big Questions Online - David B. Hart
Books & Culture
Books & Culture - Linda McCullough Moore
American Scholar
American Scholar - Ingrid Rowland
Washington Post
Washington Post - Michael Dirda
The Revealer
The Revealer - Scott Korb
Absence of Mind is important not so much as a brief for religion but as a tenacious and often trenchant critique of modern Western thought.”—Glenn Altschuler, Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Minneapolis Star-Tribune - Glenn Altschuler
Absence of Mind is a slim but compelling volume."—Luke Coppen, Catholic Herald
Catholic Herald - Luke Coppen
"[Robinson] makes the case with exceptional elegance and authority--the authority not only of one of the unmistakably great novelists of the age but of a clear and logical mind that is wholly intolerant of intellectual cliché. . . . This book has a greater density (and sophistication) of argument than many three times its length; but it is one of the most significant contributions yet to the current quarrels about faith, science and rationality."—Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, Daily Telegraph
Daily Telegraph - Rowan Williams
"There is much to admire, and even to agree with, in Robinson's humanist passion. Her defense of the insights to be gained from religion and literature is as convincing as her attacks on the facile generalizations of parascience."--Adam Kirsch, Boston Globe
Boston Globe - Adam Kirsch
Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times - Susan Salter Reynolds
Maclean’s
"Marilynne Robinson is one of those rare novelists whose work, though galvanized by a theological impulse, is adored by believers and atheists in equal measure. . . . We experience [her characters''] interiority almost as naturally as our own, and respond to it emotionally, intellectually, even spiritually. Robinson''s latest collection, Absence of Mind , gets to the hear of that creative force, while reminding us what little heed she pays intellectual fashion."—Stefan Beck, The New Criterion
— Stefan Beck
"Absense of Mind is a succinct and carefully reasoned challenge to those who would say that all our thoughts, beliefs, aspirations, and intimations of immortality are only a combination of wishful thinking and outdated primitive beliefs."—Dr. Jean McCurdy Meade, The Living Church
— Jean McCurdy Meade
"One of the best things about the literature of the New Atheists is that, for all the supercilious question-begging, it has provoked a number of highly literate and memorable responses. This is one of them."—Barton Swaim, The Weekly Standard
— Barton Swaim
"Readers interested in seriously thinking about science, culture, and religion, and their interrelationships, will find this book rewarding."—S. C. Pearson, CHOICE
— S. C. Pearson
"A book of dense philosophy from a brilliant novelist with a poet''s ear. It is stunning. It places Robinson among the very brightest of Christian history''s thinkers and writers. . . . I cannot praise it too highly."—Kurt Armstrong, Christian Week
"It is worth admiring Robinson''s bravery and intellectual independence, and noting the sheer force and capacity of language like hers to persuade." — Geordie Williamson, The Australian
"I enjoyed reading Absence of Mind . The reason: it is always a pleasure to keep company with a person who takes ideas seriously." — Siri Hustvedt, Financial Times
— Siri Hustvedt
"I have barely scratched the surface of this dense and yet endlessly entertaining little book. Marilynne Robinson is herself the best evidence of her own thesis--the exceptional mystery of the human mind." — Bryan Appleyard, Literary Review
"Robinson''s argument is prophetic, profound, eloquent, succinct, powerful and timely." — Karen Armstrong, The Guardian
"I''m enjoying arguing and agreeing with Marilynne Robinson''s Absence of Mind ."— Zadie Smith, The Observer
"This is a wonderful little book, full of wisdom, warmth and wit. . . . [Robinson] is able to apply her astute intellect, delicious sense of humour, incisive insight into human nature and down-to-earth philosophy of life."—Mark Patrick Hederman, Irish Times
— Mark Patrick Hederman
"Following the inward-looking path of her award-winning fiction, Marilynne Robinson''s Absence of Mind is a finely wrought treatise in favour of religious belief."—Chris Lehmann, The National
— Chris Lehmann
"Marked by a luminous intelligence and a rather attractive intellectual severity. . . . One really must read it to appreciate how powerful a counterinsurgency it mounts against many of the peculiar superstitions of our age."—David B. Hart, Big Questions Online
— David B. Hart
"The scope of Robinson''s erudition is stunning, and she shares it with generosity and no dissembling."—Linda McCullough Moore, Books & Culture
"[Robinson reveals] how deep a debt both science and religion owe to art. . . . It is a rare treat to have a novelist express herself so forcefully, and so eloquently, in another medium."—Ingrid Rowland, American Scholar
"These impassioned pages require and reward very close attention."—Michael Dirda, Washington Post
“What Robinson has over both the parascientific writers whose work she rejects and the religion writers with whom she finds common ground is a long career (though few books) as a fiction writer, where she has demonstrated—and in her way, provided evidence of—the very contemplative, subjective lives of the faithful she defends in her new book.”—Scott Korb, The Revealer
— Scott Korb
“Marilynne Robinson asks hard questions. She challenges readers with a severe, sophisticated and spellbinding style and a determination to change the conversation about contemporary American culture. . . . Absence of Mind is important not so much as a brief for religion but as a tenacious and often trenchant critique of modern Western thought.”—Glenn Altschuler, Minneapolis Star-Tribune
— Glenn Altschuler
"Robinson is one of the greatest Christian thinkers alive today. She is also one of the world''s best novelists. . . . Absence of Mind is a slim but compelling volume."—Luke Coppen, Catholic Herald
— Luke Coppen
"[Robinson] makes the case with exceptional elegance and authority--the authority not only of one of the unmistakably great novelists of the age but of a clear and logical mind that is wholly intolerant of intellectual cliché. . . . This book has a greater density (and sophistication) of argument than many three times its length; but it is one of the most significant contributions yet to the current quarrels about faith, science and rationality."—Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, Daily Telegraph
— Rowan Williams
"There is much to admire, and even to agree with, in Robinson''s humanist passion. Her defense of the insights to be gained from religion and literature is as convincing as her attacks on the facile generalizations of parascience."--Adam Kirsch, Boston Globe
“Robinson''s arguments [are] so much more interesting, capacious, and informed than most. . . . Robinson makes a strong, unapologetic case, not for mystery but for self-respect.”—Susan Salter Reynolds, Los Angeles Times
— Susan Salter Reynolds
