-Religion and Philosophy_

The Shinto religion is a key factor energizing the Japanese during World War II. In 1959 the fourteenth Dalai Lama flees Tibet because of the communist repression, yet by 2000 over 6% of the world is Buddhist, being the state religion of five Asian nations. By 2000 Hindus represent over 13% of the world's population, making inroads into the west through transcendental meditation, yoga and New Age thinking. Islam grows from 12% of the world's population in 1900 to over 21% in 2000.
Five philosophies dominate the twentieth century. Logical Positivism holds that a statement is meaningful only if it can be verified through sensory experience.
Existentialism states that people must create their own values since there is no objective standard. Phenomenology holds that the purpose of philosophy is to describe phenomena accurately yet independently of the assumption of science. Pragmatism maintains that the truth of any idea is determined by its effect. Philosophical analysis is a movement attempting to solve philosophical problems through the analysis of language.