Analysis Of My Failed Atheism By Mark Bauerlein

Emory University’s English professor, Mark Bauerlein, became beautifully transparent in his published article, “My Failed Atheism”. He shared his testimony of how he has constantly struggled with summoning up a belief in God all throughout his life. However, unlike most proclaimed atheists, Bauerlein admits that he wants to believe with all his heart. He quotes in the eleventh paragraph, “The discovery [of atheism] didn’t free me, it crushed me. The universe was open, but my life was closed. Whatever plan I might commence, whatever identity I might pursue, it shrank to pointlessness beside the yardstick of boundless nothingness.” Many modern psychologists would say that Bauerlein’s mindset of this “failed atheism” could be explained from many different psychological perspectives, specifically the psychodynamic, biological, behavioral, and cognitive perspectives. Possibly the clearest way to explain Bauerlein’s beliefs would be by using concepts from the psychodynamic perspective. 19th-century psychologist Sigmund Freud defined the way our world views this study. He proclaimed his theory that our decisions come from an inner conflict between our biological nature and the demands of our culture. Much of what Bauerlein was admitting came from that idea. He …show more content…
The cognitive perspective is all about our “mindset” or “worldview”. It touches on different thinking processes, including memory, consciousness, and perception. Cognitive psychologists could claim that Bauerlein’s actions are due to a set mindset that he grew up with. Although he grew up believing in God, perhaps subconsciously he always had doubts that are finally coming to the surface. He could perceive faith from an agnostic point of view claiming that there are no true answers. All four of these perspectives can really help us break down what Bauerlein was trying to get across in “My Failed