What’s better? To be fully reasonable or to have faith in God?
Many atheists think it is better to be fully reasonable and scientific than cling to the false comfort of religious stories. A leading example of this perspective is Dr. Alex Rosenberg, a professor of philosophy at Duke University.
In his book The Atheist’s Guide to Reality, he explains the purpose of his book, namely, that “this book aims to provide the correct answers to most of the persistent questions” (2). His methodology is equally clear: “we will take the best reason for atheism—science—and show what else it commits us atheists to believing” (3).
Why would he do it this way? Because in his view, “science provides all the significant truths about reality, and knowing such truths is what real understanding is all about” (7). What’s the payoff? “If we can work through the details, we’ll get something much better—a real understanding of life, the universe, everything, warts and all” (17).