This is made in philosophy bites with me David Edmonds and me Nigel Warburton.

Philosophy bites is available at www

philosophy bites.com.

Philosophy bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy.

In the past decade there have been several polemical and best-selling books by atheists

about as they see it the intellectual bankruptcy and malign influence of religion.

In the West society is slowly becoming more secular, a trend these authors welcome.

But Alan de Botan, philosopher, an author of several international bestsellers, fears that we're in danger

of losing what's valuable in religious culture and practice.

So he's written a book, Religion for Ethists. Alan de Botan, welcome to Philosophy Bites.

Thank you.

The topic we're going to focus on this time is Atheism 2.0.

Most people won't know what that is, So could you just give a brief sketch of what you think this

atheism 2.0 is? Well, in recent years, say for about the last 15 years, to be an atheist has meant

primarily thinking not just that religion is

wrong but that it's ridiculous. There's been a mocking tone on the part of many

thinkers. They've pointed out the absurdities of religion and there's a long tradition in philosophy of that.

Clever Sparks, just taking you through every single absurdity, miracles, transubstantiation, etc.

This is all well and good, but it doesn't interest me at all.

I am an atheist, but the idea of spending any time

trying to disprove anybody else's belief holds no charm.

What interests me is a very basic question. What is there

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