Lecture: Religion for Atheists - A Non-Believer’s Guide to the Uses of Religion

The on-going debate between fundamentalist believers and non-believers is finally moved on by Alain de Botton's fascinating new book, which boldly argues that the supernatural claims of religion are of course entirely false - and yet that religions still have important things to teach the secular world.

De Botton argues that rather than mocking religions, agnostics and atheists should instead steal from them - because they're packed with good ideas on how we live and arrange our societies. Blending deep respect with total impiety, de Botton (a non-believer) proposes that we should look to religions for insights into how to build a sense of community, make our relationships last, get more out of art, overcome feelings of envy and inadequacy and much more.

Alain de Botton was born in 1969 and is the author of non-fiction essays on themes ranging from love and travel to architecture and philosophy. His bestselling books include How Proust Can Change Your Life, The Art of Travel, and The Architecture of Happiness. He is the founder of The School of Life and Living Architecture.

Alain de Botton will be signing books after the lecture

See all Late Shift Events