ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the concepts discussed in part 2 of this book. The part begins with the historically abiding dichotomy of individualism versus collectivism in human social life and then considers various contemporary theoretical, though not necessarily or exclusively, sociological perspectives of human social life, before formulating a theistic theory that explains the progress of human social life. It observes that most analyses of individualism and collectivism have fallen into generalization or even reductionism and that integration of different definitions and types of individualism and collectivism are needed to provide more specific descriptions of each type and subtype. The part explores how ideas of space contribute new perspectives on the relationship between Christianity and modernism, secularity, and other religions. It begins with a non-exhaustive introduction to critical realism, including its most central and distinctive philosophical proposals, before reflecting on its relationship to both sociology and Christianity.
