Bryan Wilson – författare

Ranging through sectarianism, monotheism, religious exclusivity, and the moral dimensions of religious commitment, the author traces new and exciting lines of sociological inquiry in the field of religion.

Fifty years ago Soka Gakkai was an organization of a few hundred people, all of them in Japan. Today it is one of the world's most rapidly expanding religious movements with members in virtually every country in Europe, the Americas, and Australasia, in most of Asia, and in several parts of Africa. It is also increasingly well publicized, sponsoring and promoting a variety of cultural and educational causes and establishing a high profile for itself in world affairs.All of this has created a movement which is a significant social phenomenon; yet to date Soka Gakkai has received little attention from Western academics. Bryan Wilson and Karel Dobbelaere have undertaken a thorough survey of the UK membership to try to trace the source of the movement's attraction and analyse its potential. In addition to a questionnaire survey they carried out some thirty interviews with members, who were encouraged to tell their story in their own way. These interviews and the questionnaire responses are liberally quoted throughout the book and add illuminating detail to its analysis.The decline in belief in an anthropomorphic deity; the sense that traditional religious institutions have become hollow; the emphasis on the private nature of belief and on personal autonomy are all characteristic features of contemporary western values. The authors suggest that Soka Gakkai has found a ready resonance with these changing currents of thought in contemporary society and conclude that Soka Gakkai's appeal to young people in particular makes it a faith whose time may have come.

Global Citizens is a study of the Soka Gakkai Buddhist movement, which was founded in 1930 in Japan, spread rapidly after the Second World War, and has since developed a world-wide following. The book provides an historical overview of the development of the movement as an educational reform society, its development into a sect of Nichiren Buddhism. It provides important details of Soka Gakkai's entry into Japanese politics, including up-to-date information on the relationship between the Komeito - the political party founded by the Soka Gakkai - and the Liberal Democratic Party–its historical opponent in Japanese politics and present partner in the ruling coalition. The book then documents the spread of Soka Gakkai Buddhism to North and South America, Europe, and other Asian countries.

New Religious Movements: Challenge & Response is the most comprehensive, wide-ranging study on the global impact of new religions.* New religions discussed include Hare Krishna, Sikh Dharma, The Unification Church, The Church of Scientology, The Jesus People and Wicca.* Focuses on the rise of new religious movements in Italy, Brazil, United States, Germany and Britain. * The contributors are among the most respected and reputable experts in the field.

This 1987 study seeks to identify key issues and basic questions within mathematics education, to propose and comment upon alternative strategies, and to provide a stimulus for more detailed, less general discussions, within more limited geographical and social contexts. The text is based upon an international symposium held in Kuwait in February, 1986 and attended by selected mathematics educators drawn from all parts of the world.

Rationality contains a selection of the best contemporary writing on one of the central issues in the philosophy of social science. The contributors address themselves to questions which have increasingly become the subject of a many-sided debate between philosophers, sociologists and anthropologists: How are we to understand the beliefs and actions of other men in other cultures? Can we translate the meanings and the reason of one culture into the language of another.This volume is essential reading for courses on the methodology and philosophy of social science and is so arranged that the student is introduced step by step to the cut and thrust of scholarly debate.

Originally published in 1975, the essays in this book explore a particular level at which the concept of equality must be applied if educational equality is to be realised. Whilst each stands independently of the others, there are points of convergence and overlap in the perspectives of the writers, each of whom represents a different discipline: education, sociology, psychology, philosophy and politics. The relationship between equality and unity, uniformity and justice are discussed, and at every level false assumptions are revealed.

Originally published in 1975, the essays in this book explore a particular level at which the concept of equality must be applied if educational equality is to be realised. Whilst each stands independently of the others, there are points of convergence and overlap in the perspectives of the writers, each of whom represents a different discipline: education, sociology, psychology, philosophy and politics. The relationship between equality and unity, uniformity and justice are discussed, and at every level false assumptions are revealed.

In a spontaneously wide-ranging conversation one winter evening in Japan, sociologist of religion Bryan Wilson and Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda recognized the importance of explaining and learning about their respective worldviews. "Human Values in a Changing World" is the record of their further exchanges on how they see the religious response to the human condition. Their contrasting approaches - one, as an academic, and the other, as a lay Buddhist - allow for a constructive critique of preconceptions otherwise unexamined in their own cultural contexts."There is an intimate connection between faith and the fruits of commitment," Wilson says at one point. To which Ikeda responds that while the benefits of faith to momentary happiness are perhaps not the core value of a religion, they can inspire and lead people to become aware of that core value or fundamental truth. The two men's observations on the origins of religious sensibilities move from the spiritual and the moral to the politics of private and public life.Although published some years ago, "Human Values in a Changing World" addresses topics and issues which are of perennial importance to human flourishing, including: sexual morality, the limits of tolerance and religious freedom, the future of the family, the belief in an afterlife, and the idea of sin.