This I Don’t Believe - Robert Jensen

This I Don’t Believe confronts the common fear that life has no intrinsic meaning, then describes one path to fulfillment without it. Mixing memoir and philosophy, Robert Jensen invites readers to ponder the possibility of life without transcendence. Rejecting common sources of meaning-belief in God, spirituality, Nature mysticism, and free will-need not leave us stuck with nihilism. Drawing on his work as a journalist and professor, Jensen suggests that a life of thinking and work-joyful inquiry into a wonderfully complex world, coupled with a practice of ordinary labor-is enough to create a fulfilling life.

Philosophy is often impersonal and abstruse, intellectually dense and abstract. This I Don’t Believe is deeply personal and practical. Starting with an account of a broken childhood, Jensen explains how he built a worldview that doesn’t look away from the harshness of the world, yet isn’t suffocated by it. The book offers a jargon-free tour through contemporary philosophy and politics, encouraging readers to reflect on their own choices and commitments.

"If Socrates had been born an American in the 20th century, this is a book he would have written. There is nothing Robert Jensen is afraid to question and no answer he is afraid to consider. Read it at your peril!"

- Patrick Curry, author of Ecological Ethics and editor-in-chief of The Ecological Citizen

"Robert Jensen’s prose is like water-simple, refreshing, nourishing. The author refuses to tell anyone what to think, but shows how life’s sharp twists brought one man to think. A profound and delightful book."

- Elizabeth Cobbs, historian and author of Liberated: A Memoir

"You can give up God, spirit, Nature, and free will; accept that most of reality is permanently beyond us; and still wake up early, do your work, walk the dogs, and find that enough."

- Samir Varma, author of The Science of Free Will