Introduction

As a worldview, naturalism depends on a set of cognitive commitments from which flow certain propositions about reality and human nature.  These propositions in turn might have implications for how we live, for social policy, and for human flourishing.   But the presuppositions, basis, and implications of naturalism are not uncontested, and indeed there’s considerable debate about them among naturalists themselves.

To stay current with the New Age movement and its underlying philosophy, it’s useful to conduct an occasional analysis of its popular literature. What’s the current state of play among those who are decidedly unskeptical in their modes of understanding themselves and the world? What sorts of assumptions now drive the New Age agenda as it competes with naturalistic worldviews for adherents?