Religion for Atheists

Religion for Atheists A Non-believer's Guide to the Uses of Religion

WHAT IF RELIGIONS ARE NEITHER ALL TRUE NOR ALL NONSENSE? The boring debate between fundamentalist believers and non-believers is finally moved on by Alain de Botton's inspiring new book, which boldly argues that the supernatural claims of religion are of course entirely false - and yet that religions still have some very important things to teach the secular world. Religion for Atheists suggests that rather than mocking religions, agnostics and atheists should instead steal from them - because they're 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 should look to religions for insights into, among other concerns, how to: Build a sense of community Make our relationships last Overcome feelings of envy and inadequacy Escape the twenty-four hour media Go travelling Get more out of art, architecture and music And create new businesses designed to address our emotional needs. For too long non-believers have faced a stark choice between either swallowing lots of peculiar doctrines or doing away with a range of consoling and beautiful rituals and ideas. At last, in Religion for Atheists, Alain de Botton, the author of the bestselling The Consolations of Philosophy and How Proust Can Change Your Life, has fashioned a far more interesting and truly helpful alternative.
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Reviews

Photo of Jeremy Cote
Jeremy Cote@cote
4 stars
Aug 7, 2021

I thought this was a pretty good book. There is one idea I want to highlight: the recategorizing of knowledge. Instead of the usual themes we place in museums and universities, his suggestion is that we should structure these institutions around meaning. This would enable more interest in visiting an art museum or attending a university class because they would be centered around topics that people find interesting and practical.

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Rob F@raretrack
4 stars
Aug 21, 2023
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MK@easyfriday
5 stars
Apr 15, 2023
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Adam Valentino@lug
2 stars
Dec 3, 2022
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Mounir Bashour@bashour
3 stars
Aug 15, 2022
Photo of Phil Sheard
Phil Sheard@philsheard
4 stars
Aug 13, 2022
Photo of Alexander Lobov
Alexander Lobov@alexlobov
4 stars
Jun 10, 2022
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Vivian@vivian_munich
3 stars
Apr 22, 2022
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Arno@arnokrsn
3 stars
Mar 28, 2022
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Katie Day@librarianedge
3 stars
Feb 17, 2022
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Moray Lyle McIntosh@bookish_arcadia
2 stars
Dec 5, 2021
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David@texas_strut
2 stars
Nov 1, 2021
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Robbie J Frye@robbiejfrye
4 stars
Oct 3, 2021
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Christian Beck@cmbeck
1 star
Sep 26, 2021
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Hugo Ahlberg@hugo
4 stars
Aug 17, 2021
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David Sulitzer@gaston
4 stars
Aug 1, 2021

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