![]() I realized that it was possible to be interested in religion, engaged with religion, to borrow many concepts and attitudes and structures and rituals, without necessarily subscribing to any supernatural tenants.Īnne Strainchamps: What does that mean to you exactly, to be involved with religion’s sociological and aesthetic dimensions with ascribing to its tenants?ĭe Botton: Sure, let me give you a very basic example. He calls his new book “Religion for Atheists.” de Botton tells Anne Strainchamps that he had to overcome his own hostility to religion.Īlain de Botton: I realize that it simply couldn’t be a simple essaying that everything to do with religion was nonsense, which was how I had been brought up, and I came to make a distinction, a basic distinction, but it took me awhile to get there, between non-belief, in other words thinking that the doctrines of religion, supernatural doctrines of religion might not be true, and an interest in religion as a sociological, organizational and aesthetic phenomenon. The twist is that de Botton is an atheist, but he thinks non-believers have plenty to learn from religious traditions. He has written a series of best-selling books that play with big ideas, which he makes both fun and thought-provoking, so it’s not surprising he finally got around to one of the biggest ideas of them all, religion. ![]() Jim Fleming: You might call Alain de Botton the people’s philosopher. ![]()
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