Deism

===Recent philosophical discussions of Deism===
In the 1960s, theologian [[Charles Hartshorne]] scrupulously examined and rejected both deism and [[pandeism]] (as well as [[pantheism]]) in favor of a conception of God whose characteristics included "absolute perfection in some respects, relative perfection in all others" or "AR," writing that this theory "is able consistently to embrace all that is positive in either deism or pandeism," concluding that "[[Panentheism|panentheistic]] doctrine contains all of deism and pandeism except their arbitrary negations."<ref>{{cite book|first=Charles|last=Hartshorne|title=Man's Vision of God and the Logic of Theism|year=1964|page=348|publisher=Archon Books |isbn=0-208-00498-X}}</ref>

[[Charles Taylor (philosopher)|Charles Taylor]], in his 2007 book ''[[A Secular Age]]'', showed the historical role of Deism, leading to what he calls an "exclusive humanism". This humanism invokes a moral order whose [[ontic]] commitment is wholly intra-human with no reference to transcendence.<ref>{{cite book
    | last=        Taylor
    | first=        C
    | year=        2007
    | title=         A Secular Age
    | location=  Cambridge, Massachusetts
    | publisher=Harvard University Press
  }}                  p.256.
</ref> One of the special achievements of such deism-based humanism is that it discloses new, [[anthropocentrism|anthropocentric]] moral sources by which human beings are motivated and empowered to accomplish acts of mutual benefit.<ref>{{cite book
    | last=Taylor
    | title=(see above)
}}           p.257.
</ref> This is the province of a buffered, disengaged self, which is the locus of dignity, freedom, and discipline, and is endowed with a sense of human capability.<ref>{{cite book
    | last=Taylor
    | title=(see above)
}}           p.262.
</ref> According to Taylor, by the early 19th century this Deism-mediated exclusive humanism developed as an alternative to Christian faith in a [[personal God]] and an order of miracles and mystery. Some critics of Deism have accused adherents of facilitating the rise of [[nihilism]].<ref>Essien, Anthonia M. "The sociological implications of the worldview of the Annang people: an advocacy for paradigm shift." Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies 1.1 (2010): 29-35.</ref>