What if religions are neither all true nor all nonsense? The long-running and often boring debate between fundamentalist believers and non-believers is finally moved forward by Alain de Botton’s inspiring new book, which boldly argues that the supernatural claims of religion are entirely false—but that it still has some very important things to teach the secular world.
Religion for Atheists suggests that rather than mocking religion, agnostics and atheists should instead steal from it—because the world’s religions are packed with good ideas on how we might live and arrange our societies. Blending deep respect with total impiety, de Botton (a non-believer himself) proposes that we look to religion for insights into how to, among other concerns, build a sense of community, make our relationships last, overcome feelings of envy and inadequacy, inspire travel and reconnect with the natural world.
For too long non-believers have faced a stark choice between either swallowing some peculiar doctrines or doing away with a range of consoling and beautiful rituals and ideas. At last, in Religion for Atheists, Alain de Botton has fashioned a far more interesting and truly helpful alternative.
What if religions are neither all true nor all nonsense? The long-running and often boring debate between fundamentalist believers and non-believers is finally moved forward by Alain de Botton’s inspiring new book, which boldly argues that the supernatural claims of religion are entirely false—but that it still has some very important things to teach the secular world.
Religion for Atheists suggests that rather than mocking religion, agnostics and atheists should instead steal from it—because the world’s religions are packed with good ideas on how we might live and arrange our societies. Blending deep respect with total impiety, de Botton (a non-believer himself) proposes that we look to religion for insights into how to, among other concerns, build a sense of community, make our relationships last, overcome feelings of envy and inadequacy, inspire travel and reconnect with the natural world.
For too long non-believers have faced a stark choice between either swallowing some peculiar doctrines or doing away with a range of consoling and beautiful rituals and ideas. At last, in Religion for Atheists, Alain de Botton has fashioned a far more interesting and truly helpful alternative.
Critiques-
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Starred review from February 13, 2012
In this highly original and thought-provoking book, philosopher and atheist de Botton (How Proust Can Change Your Life) turns his critical eye to what religion does well and how nonbelievers might borrow from it to improve their own lives, institutions, and practices—without believing in God. For example, de Botton praises religion for satisfying the universal needs for community, comfort, and kindness and for its recognition that all people are imperfect and in need of help and healing. Some of what he suggests seems unattainable: de Botton calls for colleges and universities to shift from preparing students for careers to training them in “the art of living,” something he says religion does well. But other suggestions are more exciting for their plausibility—would not a Day of Atonement, drawn from Judaism, benefit all relationships? De Botton will no doubt annoy militant atheists who believe religion not only has no use but is essentially evil, but his well-reasoned arguments should appeal to the more open-minded nonbeliever. And de Botton is a lively, engaging writer. Agent: Nicole Aragi. -
December 1, 2011
De Botton (A Week at the Airport, 2010, etc.) suggests ways a secular society can provide the benefits and comfort its citizens once derived from faith. The author's central argument is credible: Religions "serve two central needs…which secular society has not been able to solve with any particular skill"--the need for community and the need for consolation in the face of life's ills and evils. The devil is in the details, as de Botton cherry-picks isolated rituals from Catholicism, Judaism and Buddhism and proposes some not-very-persuasive modern equivalents (e.g., an Agape Restaurant designed to be "a secular descendant of the Eucharist" and a museum that offers spiritual guidance by organizing its artworks into subsets such as the Gallery of Self-knowledge and the Gallery of Compassion). Yes, the Jewish Day of Atonement provides an orderly format for acknowledging that we all injure others and all must learn to forgive. The idea that we can replace this timeworn practice with a billboard ad promoting Forgiveness in lieu of a sneaker brand is insulting to believers and atheists alike. When the author tosses off such comments as, "[o]ur artistic scene might benefit from greater collaborations between thinkers and makers of images, a marriage of best ideas with their highest expression," he seems to have forgotten about the horrors wrought in service to that principle by Stalin and Hitler, to name only two political leaders who fancied they knew best what artists should say. The author displays a similar historical insouciance when he implies there has been no transcendent, spiritually nourishing architecture since the cathedrals, ignoring several centuries of train stations, libraries and government buildings expressing a monumental faith in civic culture that may languish today but was once a real force in public life. Unlike The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work and The Architecture of Happiness, this installment in the author's oeuvre is shallow and glib.(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
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October 1, 2011
The author of The Consolations of Philosophy interrupts the argument between God-is-all believers and religion-is-dangerous nonbelievers to propose the following: so God doesn't exist, but religion was still dreamed up for reasons that remain germane (consider the comforting rituals and ethical focus). To make it work for us, we simply need to separate cant from helpful content. Perhaps easier said than done, but in a time of tragedy it worked for me. With a five-city tour.
Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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January 1, 2012
Atheism is a form of faith. The convinced atheist believes that there is no god and no supernatural, and that religion is nothing but superstitious bunk. The atheist is therefore unlikely to see that there is a lot that is useful and good in religion. De Botton (How Proust Can Change Your Life), a convinced atheist but a Jew by birth, shows how much of religion is indeed very good and worth keeping, even in a society tending (at least in Europe) toward atheism. There is strong community, for instance, and high art, especially in architecture, painting, sculpture, and music. De Botton discusses these and many other benefits, while rejecting religious doctrine and ritual. He demonstrates his usual urbane, intelligent, and witty prose, always entertaining and worth reading. VERDICT While the educated atheist may have noticed some of the benefits of religion, many of those that de Botton proposes are not obvious. Religious believers may take some of this for granted, but they will also find enlightenment in de Botton's discussions, even if some may think his atheist convictions somewhat smug. Both useful and entertaining, this book will advance amicable discussion among both believers and disbelievers. [See Prepub Alert, 9/11/11.]--James F. DeRoche, Alexandria, VA
Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
- Publishers Weekly starred review "Highly original and thought-provoking book..... de Botton is a lively, engaging writer."
- Washington Post "Quirky, often hilarious ...Focusing on just three major faiths -- Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism -- [de Botton] makes a convincing case for their ability to create both a sense of community and education that addresses morality and our emotional life."
- Miami Herald "One has to appreciate his pluck as much as his lucid, enjoyable arguments, and this book, like his previous titles, is a serious but intellectually wild ride. If anyone can 'rescue some of what is beautiful, touching and wise from all that no longer seems true,' it's de Botton."
- Library Journal "[De Botton] demonstrates his usual urbane, intelligent, and witty prose, always entertaining and worth reading...this book will advance amicable discussion among both believers and disbelievers."
- Shelf Awareness "His approach, entertaining and enlightening, provides the thoughtful reader with endless enjoyment and an insight into de Botton's beliefs as well as his generous appraisal of the beliefs of others...brings insight and understanding to how religion may enhance the lives of nonbelievers."
- Kansas City Star "In earnest and lyrical prose, de Botton illuminates the practical functions of religion in a secular context...compelling."
- San Francisco Chronicle "A wonderfully dangerous and subversive book."
- Huffington Post "De Botton writes at his best when he confronts our abiding human frailty...I can't help but wholeheartedly recommend de Botton's new book. It provokes thought...what continuously separates de Botton apart is his genuine attempt to alleviate loneliness and sadness in a harsh world. If only all writers wrote with such unabashedly kind intentions."
- Seattle Times "Much of the book is common-sensical and insightful, as de Botton rescues 'what is beautiful, touching and wise from all that seems no longer true'...the wealth of knowledge and felicity of phrasing that de Botton brings to his task make for a stimulating read...Written with de Botton's customary humor, grace and melancholy, Religion for Atheists may not always convince. But it always engages."
- Atlantic "Provocative and thoughtful ...Particularly noteworthy are de Botton's insights on what education and the arts can borrow from the formats and paradigms of religious delivery."
- Los Angeles Times "Compelling...beautifully and wittily illustrated."
- The Boston Globe "Exquisitely written . . . A perceptive philosophical meditation on work, with its extraordinary claim to provide, along with love, the principal source of meaning in our lives."
- The Sunday Times (London) "The workplace as subject matter brings out the best in de Botton's writing . . . His wit and his powers of ironic observation are on display throughout [this] stylish and original book."
- The New York Review of Books "A perceptive, thoughtful, original and richly illustrated exercise in the dramatic personification of buildings of all sorts."
- San Francisco Chronicle "With originality, verve and wit, de Botton explains how we find reflections of our own values in the edifices we make . . . Altogether satisfying."
