About the book: 2021 / A theorist of enlightened catastrophism, whose scientific interests are located at the intersection of philosophy and the world of modern technology, Jean-Pierre Dupuy in "The Sign of the Sacred" tries answer the question why modern society is on the path to self-destruction. Drawing on the ideas of Max Weber, Emile Durkheim and Marcel Mauss, and in dialogue with René Girard and Ivan Illich, Dupuy argues that people must remember the sacredness of the world in order to curb human violence. Dupuy's book is a kind of metaphysical and theological detective story, the author of which discovers the “sacred” in the very areas where the human mind considers itself most free from irrationality - in science, technology, economics and politics. Jean-Pierre Dupuis is professor emeritus of social and political philosophy at the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris. This edition is published by arrangement with Carnets Nord in conjunction with its duly appointed agents L'Autre agence, Paris, France and Tempi Irregolari, Gorizia, Italy. All rights reserved.