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Book Reviews on...

Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon by Daniel Dennett
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Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon

by Daniel Dennett

Recommendations from our site

“Of the so-called ‘four horsemen’ of the New Atheist apocalypse— Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens—Dennett is far and away the most sober, rational, and fair-minded of them. If people want to read a New Atheist book, they should read this one. That would be a good way of trying to counter some of those myths that contemporary atheists are all just very cross, angry, and belligerent.” Read more...

The best books on Atheism

Julian Baggini, Philosopher

“He calls it Breaking the Spell for a reason. He thinks there is this sanctity about religion which prevents people from asking, ‘Where did it come from in the first place?’ It’s a human construct, after all, it wasn’t given to humanity by God. It couldn’t have been, because we have thousands of different religions. So even religious people recognize the human contribution to religion. At the beginning of the book, he says it could be real. We could be worshipping a real divine being. But we still want to know where this system of beliefs and practices and ceremonies came from — and it’s not off limits. That’s the importance to me of that book.” Read more...

The best books on The Incompatibility of Religion and Science

Jerry Coyne, Biologist

Other books by Daniel Dennett

Intuition Pumps And Other Tools for Thinking by Daniel Dennett

Intuition Pumps And Other Tools for Thinking
by Daniel Dennett

The Mind's I: Fantasies And Reflections On Self & Soul by Daniel Dennett & Douglas Hofstadter

The Mind's I: Fantasies And Reflections On Self & Soul
by Daniel Dennett & Douglas Hofstadter

Consciousness Explained by Daniel Dennett

Consciousness Explained
by Daniel Dennett

Elbow Room by Daniel Dennett

Elbow Room
by Daniel Dennett

The Intentional Stance by Daniel Dennett

The Intentional Stance
by Daniel Dennett

Our most recommended books

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    by John Stuart Mill

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    by George Eliot

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    by George Orwell

  • The Confessions
    by Augustine (translated by Maria Boulding)

  • Scoop
    by Evelyn Waugh

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