Breaking the Spell
Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
A philosopher asks why religion exists and how science might explain it, without contempt for believers.
The philosopher Daniel C. Dennett argues that religion should be studied scientifically, like any other natural phenomenon. He asks how religious beliefs and practices might have evolved, why they spread and persist, and what needs they serve, and he calls on believers and non-believers alike to look at religion openly. The tone is inquiring rather than hostile.
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Julian Baggini
Of the so-called ‘four horsemen’ of the New Atheist apocalypse— Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens—Dennett is far and away the most sober, rational, and fair-minded of them. If people want to read a New Atheist book, they should read this one. That would be a good way of trying to counter some of those myths that contemporary atheists are all just very cross, angry, and belligerent.
Interview · February 2016
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