The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
The God Delusion caused a sensation when it was published in
2006. Within weeks it became the most hotly debated topic, with Dawkins
himself branded as either saint or sinner for presenting his
hard-hitting, impassioned rebuttal of religion of all types.
Reviews
"A very important book, especially in these times... a magnificent book, lucid and wise, truly magisterial " (Ian McEwan )
"Written
with all the clarity and elegance of which Dawkins is a master. It
should have a place in every school library - especially in the library
of every "faith" school" (Philip Pullman )
God is Not Great:
How Religion Poisons
Everything.
by
Christopher Hitchens
"God Is Not Great" is the ultimate case against religion. In a series of
acute readings of the major religious texts, Christopher Hitchens
demonstrates the ways in which religion is man-made, dangerously
sexually repressive and distorts the very origins of the cosmos. Above
all, Hitchens argues that the concept of an omniscient God has
profoundly damaged humanity, and proposes that the world might be a
great deal better off without 'him'.
The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason
by Sam Harris
This important and timely book delivers a startling analysis of the
clash of faith and reason in today's world. Sam Harris offers a vivid
historical tour of mankind's willingness to suspend reason in favour of
religious beliefs, even when those beliefs are used to justify harmful
behaviour and sometimes heinous crimes. He asserts that in the shadow of
weapons of mass destruction, we can no longer tolerate views that pit
one true god against another. Most controversially, he argues that we
cannot afford moderate lip service to religion -- an accommodation that
only blinds us to the real perils of fundamentalism. While warning
against the encroachment of organised religion into world politics,
Harris also draws on new evidence from neuroscience and insights from
philosophy to explore spirituality as a biological, brain-based need. He
calls on us to invoke that need in taking a secular humanistic approach
to solving the problems of this world.
Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time
by Michael Shermer
Why do smart people believe weird things? Why do so many people believe
in mind reading, past-life regression therapy, extra-terrestrial
abduction and ghosts? What is behind the rise of 'scientific
creationism' and Holocaust denial? In an age of supposed scientific
enlightenment why do we appear more impressionable than ever? Scientific
historian, and director of the Skeptics Society, Michael Shermer
debunks these extraordinary claims in a no-holds-barred assault on the
popular superstitions and confused prejudices of our time. Exploring the
very human reasons behind otherworldly phenomena, conspiracy theories
and cults Shermer explains why are they are so appealing to so many.
Shermer reveals the darker side of wishful thinking, through the
recovered memory movement, satanic rituals and other modern witch hunts,
and ideologies of racial superiority. Confronting those who take
advantage of the gullibility of other people to advance their own,
self-serving agendas. Why People Believe Weird Things is compelling and
often disturbing. It is a perceptive portrait of the human capacity for
self-delusion and a celebration of the scientific spirit.
The Demon-haunted World: Science As a Candle in the Dark
by Carl Sagan
Carl Sagan muses on the current state of scientific thought, which
offers him marvelous opportunities to entertain us with his own
childhood experiences, the newspaper morgues, UFO stories and the
assorted flotsam and jetsam of pseudoscience. Along the way he debunks
alien abduction, faith-healing and channelling, refutes the arguments
that science destroys spirituality, and provides a "baloney detection
kit" for thinking through political, social, religious and other
issues.
