Stine Jensen, a philosopher and self-proclaimed “spiritual atheist,” reflects on her personal journey of atheism in her book Goddeloos. She began as a fan of tough, rational debates, such as those of well-known atheists like Christopher Hitchens. As a student, she enjoyed the intellectual challenge and confrontation, but she now sees the limitations of that purely rationalistic approach, especially when it comes to meaning. Jensen advocates a softer, more open approach to atheism that allows for spirituality and life questions.
In Goddeloos, Jensen wants to reopen the debate on religion, but without falling into the extreme camps of “identitarian left” or “identitarian right.” The endowed professor of public philosophy argues for a secular space where different philosophies of life are treated equally, and where people can speak freely about sensitive topics such as headscarves, refusal officials and ritual slaughter.
Jensen also reflects critically on her own past, for example her support for Islamic thinker Tariq Ramadan, and acknowledges that she was trapped in a leftist bubble at the time. She warns of the dangers of a politically correct approach in which religious criticism is often confused with racism. According to her, the discussion should not be about someone's background, but about their values.
With her “soft atheism,” Jensen seeks a balance between intellect and feeling, rationality and spirituality. She emphasizes that atheism need not only be a rejection of religion, but can also offer a tradition of meaning. She advocates a curious, open attitude in which there is room for conversation with believers focused on common themes such as beauty, comfort and meaning.
- CV
Stine Jensen is endowed professor of public philosophy at Erasmus University Rotterdam, a columnist for NRC and the author of many nonfiction books.
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This is an impression from the article with Stine Jensen in Trouw. You can read the whole article with Jensen here.
