Sign-In
Cart
Captive Gods: Religion and the Rise of Social Science
Paperback
Series: Terry Lectures
PhilosophyReligion General General Sociology
Publisher Price: $22.00
ISBN13: 9780300303728
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: Oct 13 2026
Pages: 344
Language: English
Philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah explores how early social scientists developed our modern understandings of society through their theories of religion
The foundations of modern social science were built on the study of religion, the acclaimed thinker Kwame Anthony Appiah argues. Delving into the intellectual currents of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, he investigates how formative thinkers--notably Edward Burnett Tylor, Émile Durkheim, Georg Simmel, and Max Weber--grappled with the concepts of society and religion as interdependent categories. Appiah shows how their efforts to define religion, or evade the task, mark the power and limitations of social thought in ways that persist among theorists today. Religion was not merely an object of study but a framework through which early social scientists established sociology as a discipline.
Appiah also examines more recent work in both interpretive sociology and evolutionary and cognitive psychology about the mechanisms through which communities form beliefs and values--while underscoring the enduring significance of these earlier debates for contemporary social thought. Throughout, he intertwines storytelling, historical analysis, and philosophical reflection to show how our ideas about society and culture have been, and continue to be, forged in dialogue with religious questions.
Also in
Religion General
The Circle of the Way: A Concise History of Zen from the Buddha to the Modern World
O'Brien, Barbara
Paperback
The Destiny of Modern Societies: The Calvinist Predestination of a New Society
Zafirovski, Milan
Paperback
Queer Faith: Reading Promiscuity and Race in the Secular Love Tradition
Sanchez, Melissa E.
Paperback
The Sullivanians: Sex, Psychotherapy, and the Wild Life of an American Commune
Stille, Alexander
Hardcover
You Have Stept Out of Your Place: A History of Women and Religion in America
Lindley, Susan Hill
Paperback
Life Together and Prayerbook of the Bible: Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 5
Kelly, Geffrey B.
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich
Bloesch, Daniel W.
Hardcover
The Church of Saint Thomas Paine: A Religious History of American Secularism
Schmidt, Leigh Eric
Paperback
Render Unto Caesar: The Struggle Over Christ and Culture in the New Testament
Crossan, John Dominic
Hardcover
The Kabbalistic Mirror of Genesis: Commentary on the First Three Chapters
Smith, David Chaim
Paperback
Friendship and Society: An Introduction to Augustine's Practical Philosophy
Burt, Donald X.
Paperback
Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion: 300 Terms Thinkers Clearly Concisely Defined
Evans, C. Stephen
Paperback
Medieval Handbooks of Penance: A Translation of the Principal Libri Poenitentiales
Gamer, Helena
McNeill, John
Paperback
Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person's Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds
Fugelsang, John
Hardcover
The Jesus Discoveries: 10 Historic Finds That Bring Us Face-To-Face with Jesus
Johnston, Jeremiah J.
Paperback
As a Man Thinketh - the Original 1902 Classic (includes the Mastery of Destiny) (Reader's Library Classics)
Allen, James
Paperback
Don't Believe Everything You Think (Expanded Edition): Why Your Thinking Is the Beginning & End of Suffering
Nguyen, Joseph
Hardcover
Live Laugh Love: The Secret History of White Christian Women and the World They Made
Kobes Du Mez, Kristin
Hardcover
Braving the Truth: Essential Essays for Reckoning with and Reimagining Faith
Bessey, Sarah
Evans, Rachel Held
Hardcover
Nothing Is Impossible with God: Eleven Heroes. One God. Endless Lessons in Overcoming.
Bream, Shannon
Hardcover
Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi's Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging
Buchdahl, Angela
Hardcover
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World
Comer, John Mark
Hardcover
The Nag Hammadi Scriptures: The Revised and Updated Translation of Sacred Gnostic Texts Complete in One Volume
Meyer, Marvin W.
Robinson, James M.
Paperback
The Culting of America: What Makes a Cult and Why We Love Them
Mestyanek Young, Daniella
Reed, Amy
Hardcover
Determined to Believe?: The Sovereignty of God, Freedom, Faith, and Human Responsibility
Lennox, John C.
Paperback
I Belong to Me: A Survivor's Guide to Recovery and Hope After Religious Trauma
Levings, Tia
Hardcover
Mary Magdalene Revealed: The First Apostle, Her Feminist Gospel & the Christianity We Haven't Tried Yet
Watterson, Meggan
Paperback
The Books of Enoch: The Complete and Original Edition, Also Includes the Book of Jasher and the Book of Jubilees
Charles, R. H.
Paperback
A Calendar of Wisdom: Daily Thoughts to Nourish the Soul, Written and Selected from the World's Sacred Texts
Tolstoy, Leo
Hardcover
Los Destinado al ��xito: C��mo alcanzar tus mejores sue��os
Gebel, Dante
Paperback
Consagracion a San Jose: Las Maravillas de Nuestro Padre Espiritual
Calloway, Donald H., MIC
Paperback
Pray Like a Champion Today: Sacred Stories from the Sidelines of Notre Dame Football
Wills, Nate, CSC
Paperback
Mythology (75th Anniversary Illustrated Edition): Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes
Hamilton, Edith
Hardcover
The Official Study Guide to I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist
Jimenez, Jason
Geisler, Norman L.
Paperback
40 días de viaje en silencio hoy: Una guía para escuchar a Dios en el silencio
Zambrano, S.
Paperback
Spiritual Hygiene: A Practical Path for Clean Living, Inner Authority, and Divine Freedom
Vanzant, Iyanla
Hardcover
Every Moment Holy: New Liturgies for Daily Life: (Pocket Edition) (Over 100 Prayers and Illustrations for Practicing Mindfulness of the Presence of Go
McKelvey, Douglas Kaine
Hardcover
Tactics, 10th Anniversary Edition: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions
Koukl, Gregory
Paperback
The Gospel According to Hobby Lobby: Inside a Billionaire Family's Quest to Craft a Christian Nation
Blanding, Michael
Hardcover
Pagan Threat: Confronting America's Godless Uprising with a Foreword by Charlie Kirk
Miles, Lucas
Hardcover
From Genesis to Junia: An Honest Search for What the Bible Really Says about Women in Leadership
Sprinkle, Preston
Paperback
Did America Have a Christian Founding?: Separating Modern Myth from Historical Truth
Hall, Mark David
Paperback
Return of the God Hypothesis: Three Scientific Discoveries That Reveal the Mind Behind the Universe
Meyer, Stephen C.
Paperback
Exceptional Hatred: Antisemitism and the Fight Over Free Speech in Modern America
Loeffler, James
Hardcover
A Celebration of Sex: A Guide to Enjoying God's Gift of Sexual Intimacy
Rosenau, Douglas E.
Paperback
Bless & Release: The physics of letting go-and wanting what's meant for you.
Laporte, Danielle
Paperback
Unoffendable Bible Study Guide Plus Streaming Video: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better
Hansen, Brant
Paperback
Through a Season of Grief: 365 Devotions for Your Journey from Mourning to Joy
Dunn, Bill
Leonard, Kathy
Paperback
The Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods and Goddesses
Illes, Judika
Hardcover
It Works: The Famous Little Red Book That Makes Your Dreams Come True!
Jarrett, Roy Herbert
Jarrett, Rh
Paperback
The Hardest Sermons You'll Ever Have to Preach: Help from Trusted Preachers for Tragic Times
Zondervan Publishing
Paperback
Beyond Wellness: How Restoring the Religious Roots of Spiritual Practices Can Heal Us
Bucar, Liz
Hardcover
David Bowie and the Search for Life, Death and God: A Spiritual Meditation on His Music and Creativity
Ormerod, Peter
Hardcover
The 10: 10 Challenge: 10 Weeks, 10 Ways to a Jesus-Led Life
Jackson, Andrea
Lesperance, André
Paperback
Cuando No Sabes Qué Orar: 100 Oraciones Esenciales Para Sobrellevar Las Tormentas de la Vida
Stanley, Charles F.
Paperback
The Genesis 6 Conspiracy Part II: How Understanding Prehistory and Giants Helps Define End-Time Prophecy
Wayne, Gary
Paperback
A Catechism of the Strange: Stigmata, Relics, and the Miracles That Shape the Soul
Allen, W. Tyler
Paperback
The Christian Past That Wasn't: Debunking the Christian Nationalist Myths That Hijack History
Throckmorton, Warren
Hardcover
The Way of Orisa: Empowering Your Life Through the Ancient African Religion of Ifa
Neimark, Philip J.
Paperback
The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth
Barr, Beth Allison
Paperback
Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence
Leo XIV, Pope
Paperback