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COPYRIGHT 2006 All rights reserved. Reproduced by permission of The Condé Nast Publications Inc.
Scientists have championed an astonishing variety of views on religion, ranging from the outright hostile to the deeply devout. Even among evolutionary biologists, whose views might seem the most predictable, matters have been surprisingly complex. Richard Dawkins, the author of "The Selfish Gene" and many other popular books on evolution, has in recent years become something of a professional atheist, arguing that "faith is one of the world's great evils." The late paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould, on the other hand, argued in his book "Rocks of Ages" that science and religion can and should coexist. Science has its proper domain of activity, religion has its domain, and each must refrain from interfering with the other.
The religious opinions of scientists are, of course, a separate matter from a science of religion. And yet, whatever else religion may be, it's something that happens in the real world in real time. So why not approach it as a natural process? Why not study it scientifically? This is the task that Daniel Dennett sets for himself in his ambitious new book, "Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon" (Viking; $25.95). Dennett, a philosopher, is steeped in science, especially evolutionary biology, and he has written several books and articles with a Darwinian focus. In the most popular of them, "Darwin's Dangerous Idea," Dennett proclaimed that natural selection is "the single best idea anyone has ever had" and argued that Darwinism is a universal theory that helps to explain not only the deep history of life but the twists and turns of human cultural change. Given his enthusiasm for all things evolutionary, and given that he calls himself a "godless philosopher," you might expect "Breaking the Spell" to be an extended exercise in debunking belief. It is not--at least, not ostensibly. Dennett's approach to religion is reasonably respectful, though a certain bombast breaks through now and then. Writing for a general audience, Dennett insists that he wants to engage religious readers in a rational discussion, not turn them away.
"Breaking the Spell" ranges widely, perhaps too widely. It surveys the state of religion in contemporary America, considers whether believers are happier or more moral than nonbelievers, discusses the rise of modern nondenominational spirituality, and briefly reviews the purported philosophical proofs for the existence of God. But all these topics have been widely discussed, and Dennett has little new to say about them; his real contribution is an accessible account of what might be called the natural history of religion. (Religion, as he provisionally defines it, involves believing in, and seeking the approval of, a supernatural being.) "There was a time," he writes, "when there was no religion on this planet, and now there is lots of it. Why?" Why did religion appear in the first place? And why did certain religions spread while others sank into obscurity?
To answer these questions, Dennett says, we must confront two spells. The first is the taboo against asking uncomfortable questions about religion. In his view, religion is simply too important to be...
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