Alain De Botton - Religion For Atheists (Ideas at the House)

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SOH Talks & Ideas Archive

SOH Talks & Ideas Archive

Күн бұрын

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@gefiltefish2000
@gefiltefish2000 4 жыл бұрын
Have been binge watching Alain and can go on for hours... Alain you are brilliant, your humility and dose of humor make you an incredible teacher
@JB-mw7zt
@JB-mw7zt 3 жыл бұрын
Am about to binge watch. I’ve been wanting something like this.
@soumendranayak5963
@soumendranayak5963 3 жыл бұрын
Absolutely 😘😘😃😀
@asmaakhairy15
@asmaakhairy15 2 жыл бұрын
Same here and it's not subject-related I'm watching every talk, lecture, interview And I'm enjoying it
@henrimilo1
@henrimilo1 2 жыл бұрын
Yes a teacher, not a priest!
@nicholasdwarica4675
@nicholasdwarica4675 2 жыл бұрын
8 95 I have 3
@michel-carolelavallee7062
@michel-carolelavallee7062 3 жыл бұрын
I enjoy Alain de Botton because he is level -headed, agnostic when it comes to his approach on any subject, and analytical but never dry, never humourless. He is an informed, deep and entertaining educator.
@philosophizing_existence
@philosophizing_existence 10 ай бұрын
Love the way you have articulated his personality.. Analytical and clear.
@ThePipemiker
@ThePipemiker 2 жыл бұрын
I could religiously watch this every day and still not get enough.
@marisafari1806
@marisafari1806 11 жыл бұрын
there's a hole that many secularists feel. religious people think that hole is the absence of god, but it is the absence of community which religious people automatically have.
@MyReluctantTheology
@MyReluctantTheology 11 жыл бұрын
I don't think it's just community. I think ritual is something that is also very important. I had a discussion with a close friend of whom I would label as a spiritual Atheist, and he and I agreed that religion won't die, not because it gives people comfort. There's something profound about the experience of ritual, and the fact people are taking part in something that has been done for over a thousand years (depending on the religion).
@moyga
@moyga 10 жыл бұрын
My Reluctant Theology You could have ritual without religion, it really depends how you define religion though.
@MyReluctantTheology
@MyReluctantTheology 10 жыл бұрын
moyga Agreed. Many times, when I argue about religion, I find myself thinking "there are many religions that don't have that." Usually the argument is about belief structure and authority, and not about "religion."
@ThePayola123
@ThePayola123 7 жыл бұрын
marisafari The downside of 'community' is a meddlesome, intrusive, and judgmental community. That sort of 'community' that holds you back and down, most of us could all do without.
@iuliuspro
@iuliuspro 7 жыл бұрын
we have a spiritual part and a physical part. The spiritual part is not a soul that is magical, it's a function of the brain. When atheists understood that God does not exist in reality... they've dispensed with the idea that we have a spiritual part. With their scientific minds, they didn't get that we evolved with this spiritual part of us and religions are just crude beginnings to explore and understand this part of us. Instead of throwing it all out, they should have evolved it, understand it and improve it. Something that today is starting to happen.
@gregorykollarus8190
@gregorykollarus8190 3 жыл бұрын
Thank God this man exist!!! For such a long time I have felt so alone in this world. he makes me realize how connected we all are to one another. I am very agnostic, yet I am terribly fascinated by religion.
@blackmanops3749
@blackmanops3749 3 жыл бұрын
Thank God there's God to thank then, ya?
@DFMoray
@DFMoray 2 жыл бұрын
My friend, I used to be agnostic, until I started having mystical experiences. Started in 2019 when I was 39. We are most definitely the people living in Plato’s cave. If you want to know the truth ask for it and meditate!
@nathanmalik1697
@nathanmalik1697 2 жыл бұрын
@@DFMoray Tell us more please.
@technomage6736
@technomage6736 Жыл бұрын
​@@nathanmalik1697 Anyone who's experienced a good mushroom trip can tell you all about exiting Plato's cave.
@AtheistReligionIsCancer
@AtheistReligionIsCancer 10 ай бұрын
@@technomage6736 The reason why pdf file atheists are constantly high on drugs, is because their life have no meaning when they have no free will
@emilykaulitz1989
@emilykaulitz1989 8 жыл бұрын
I think his messages are very strong and need to be brought all over the world. Thank you for all you have done. your ideas changed a lot of things in my mind and this is rare. thank you thank you. italian subtitles are needed and advertising for the school of life
@themojicul
@themojicul 8 жыл бұрын
I stood up and said thank you Alain De Botton
@KlaasRuysschaert
@KlaasRuysschaert 4 жыл бұрын
Excellent.
@credence7777777
@credence7777777 3 жыл бұрын
respect for that
@AtheistReligionIsCancer
@AtheistReligionIsCancer 10 ай бұрын
According to atheist religion which rejects free will and any form of personal responsibility and accountability, Why was it not evil when mao did away with 70 million people?
@dr.calebrobbins.3177
@dr.calebrobbins.3177 2 жыл бұрын
I could listen to the fundamental messages delivered by this gentleman on a daily basis , just so I can keep the lid on. Even on a windy day !!
@ConnieBach
@ConnieBach 9 жыл бұрын
Finally, someone puts religion in a neutral gear! Alain de Botton is genius in all aspect!
@Mduenisch
@Mduenisch 9 жыл бұрын
+Connie Bach Does that make me a genius in this aspect? I've been doing that as well of recent. I mean, yeah I know this was two years ago, but I've been doing this for at least three months now entirely of my own volition, and had the idea in mind since maybe...eh can't think about when it started.
@Road38910
@Road38910 9 жыл бұрын
+Connie Bach : yes.....agreed......!
@omrin3826
@omrin3826 8 жыл бұрын
Mduenisch, not quite. There's a difference between thinking these things in your own mind and lecturing them in front of a wide audience like Alain does. Like the difference between thinking of an invention and actually realising an invention into reality. It's realising your brilliant idea that makes you a genius, not just having the brilliant idea.
@Bradley_UA
@Bradley_UA 7 жыл бұрын
God damit! He doesn't. Did you even watch it?
@AtheistReligionIsCancer
@AtheistReligionIsCancer 10 ай бұрын
@@omrin3826 According to atheist religion, Why is incest, necrophilia and cannibalism not wrong?
@JuniperJack17
@JuniperJack17 9 жыл бұрын
Absolutely excellent discussion from a very inspirational man.
@KatsKettlebellDojo
@KatsKettlebellDojo 5 жыл бұрын
Tremendously illuminating, enjoyable and thought provoking talk, thank you Alain!
@Porteña1
@Porteña1 6 жыл бұрын
I always enjoy his talks
@bubbercakes528
@bubbercakes528 3 жыл бұрын
Now I know why I love to watch certain movies or read certain books over and over. They are books or movies which inspire me or give me something I’m searching for. I lost my religion at around the age of 12 unofficially and with certainty at the age of 52; yet I envied those with a supposed true calling. Thanks for these suggestions Mr. De Botton. As an aside, isn’t it amazing that the catholic church has so much money yet they are begging for money to fix Notre Dame’s cathedral?
@euclideschauque578
@euclideschauque578 3 жыл бұрын
Really enjoyed the exposure of his ideas, really living up to the “ideas in the house”
@georgerowley5364
@georgerowley5364 8 жыл бұрын
Alain De Botton: The Pic n' Mix Pope
@RobSinclaire
@RobSinclaire 11 жыл бұрын
Thank you very much for your work Alain!
@Matrinique
@Matrinique 7 жыл бұрын
Last comment, just cuz I feel so inspired. I think he figured a lot of basic things out and I'm glad that they're being expressed through someone like him in his way.
@bjorc2794
@bjorc2794 4 жыл бұрын
Thank you! I listened to Alains talks, this talk, several times, and I had several insights. I've listen School of Life for a couple of years and I still have it hard to understand what it it is said there. The "voice" used to elevated words and phrases constructions for my english knowledge. Yes, I'm not so educated. Anyway, what I want to say it's that I I'm happy that I "stumbled" on Alain De Botton and his talks. I understand him better in his talks. He speaks closer to my level. Thank you!
@differous01
@differous01 10 жыл бұрын
If Richard Dawkins is a surgeon, then Alain is the occupational therapist.
@dmfc593
@dmfc593 9 жыл бұрын
differous01 Dawkins is a damn fool
@differous01
@differous01 9 жыл бұрын
because...?
@dmfc593
@dmfc593 9 жыл бұрын
differous01 His constant argument with caricatures of Christians as if there is only one type of Christian in the world and if they don't believe what he says they believe then they are not a Christian to Dawkins. It is the lowest brow intellectualism possible. I am not a Christian nor religious whatsoever. However, his arrogance and tendency to transplant his own personality on to others and to then argue against it is droll at best. As Mr. Botton said, there is a richness in culture within Christianity that need not lend itself to literalism. He is the archetype of the Post-Mordern idiocy that has infected a rich culture that whether atheists like it or not is steeped in Christian beliefs.
@dmfc593
@dmfc593 9 жыл бұрын
differous01 Hitchens was the same away with caricatures but he at least was witty and far more intelligent in his understanding of western culture. Dawkins shows himself to be of the build a "new man" tradition that infected the world through Nazism and Stalinism.
@differous01
@differous01 9 жыл бұрын
David Longfellow What "new man" tradition are you thinking of? The Ubermensche?
@amerikangerillasnnkoseyazl1496
@amerikangerillasnnkoseyazl1496 4 жыл бұрын
I LOVED YOUR EXAMPLES SIR. YOUR LECTURING SOUNDS BOTH...LIKE A SERMON and A ACADEMIC LECTURE.
@LukeRileyA
@LukeRileyA 9 жыл бұрын
Correct, religions are cultural products. But unlike the Beatles, religions necessarily require a congregation for fellowship to actually experience their fruits. This has been my largest struggle with losing my religion.
@colindant3410
@colindant3410 5 жыл бұрын
@@alegriart Devotion and judgement are not particularly compatible.
@bondjames7007
@bondjames7007 3 жыл бұрын
Alain is a brilliant Speaker, well read & very very interesting, we need more Alain’s in our life. But....Alain takes us on a journey as to how he views the world, through his eyes & brain. We all have different functioning brains. Some are always seeking information, others have an insatiable Quest for Learning (this is Alain) & telling people. Yet others have no interest in anything other than boozy nights with males & females or doing Drugs. A Rabbi, Monk, Minister, Priest, School Teacher, University Lecturer & a Public Speaker all have one thing in common. They are telling/sharing with you of their life experiences & what they have been taught, told & learnt. Some Speakers (etc) have you captivated from the beginning, whilst others take some time to get your interest.. Other Speakers are the most boring people on Earth (possibly in the Universe). We have all encountered wonderful Teachers, whom we have had admired. A Religious Speaker is no different - they can get their message across or they can’t. Hell, Fire & Brimstone is passé in Western Civilisations today. There are so many misinterpretations of the Bible - plus the Bible was written in times when the majority of people were uneducated & illiterate. Therefore some of the Teachings had to be taught in a simple way for simple people to understand. Many of the most interesting people I have met, have been Rabbis & Christian Ministers. These men are the same as Alain, highly educated & interested in people & the world around them.I have met Nuclear Physicists, Cosmologists, Astronomers at Universities, they told me they were Christians. Imagine my shock, surprise when they told me. They explained the more you delve into Science , there is a pattern. The pattern hasn’t just happened over Millenia by accident - it is so well designed, it has to be from a much higher power that us humans cannot understand. Christianity has had & still has some terrible Members of the Clergy, they are just doing a job they are not really suited for. A CEO, General Manager etc of an Organisation should lead with honesty, truthfulness & passion & only want the best for their employees & the Company’s growth. Thank you once again Alain, you make people question & think....who knows one day you may become another enlightened, educated Rabbi. 🙏🏼🙏🏼
@isaacmccracken5870
@isaacmccracken5870 11 жыл бұрын
Pastor De Botton, I'd be honored to be the first in your flock
@yousif.joe8
@yousif.joe8 11 ай бұрын
This is organization, just as cells work in the human body. Each one of them carries DNA that tells them how to do everything without compromising the safety of any other cell or any conflict between them. This is organization.
@CiceroAntonius
@CiceroAntonius 10 жыл бұрын
Just wonderful and completely how I think of it. I also use philosophy and selectively take parts of other religions to better myself which what it is all about anyway. Thank you.
@khacemlouisditsully9114
@khacemlouisditsully9114 3 жыл бұрын
Studying the history of religion will help us understand what religion does best as well as what is not so great.
@krisbest6405
@krisbest6405 4 жыл бұрын
When l stood in front of Blue Poles, l felt a power of sorts, it moved me, before then l underestimated how it could be regarded as a treasure.
@jeremyheartriter2.063
@jeremyheartriter2.063 4 жыл бұрын
His voice is relaxing and assuring.
@BrentsTreehouse
@BrentsTreehouse 4 жыл бұрын
great talk! lots of insights
@moyga
@moyga 10 жыл бұрын
Botton talks about how we need to push more for particular kinds of secular education and so on, but I wonder if he realises that a large part of why some of the things he's suggested don't exist, is because religious people have fought their very best to stop them coming into existence. For example, in Australia, Secular Ethics classes were proposed as an alternative to scripture classes for non-religious students. Previously, non-religious children were generally forced to sit and do nothing while the other kids had scripture, so some academics proposed a curriculum where kids would be encouraged to have thoughtful discussions about moral questions appropriate to their age group and taught basic critical thinking skills and formal logic. The religious opposition to introducing these new classes was very strong and it was a real struggle to eventually get them introduced. Politicians like Fred Nile openly came out and said that they did not want an alternative to scripture classes. Religion generally doesn't like competition.
@Chiamarx
@Chiamarx 6 жыл бұрын
are you for real? In Germany we always get Ethics or practical Philosophy as an alternative to religious lessons at school. I even think it has to be provided by law. There different religions will be studied, but also different moral questions and philosophical texts and questions referenced.
@wesmahan4757
@wesmahan4757 5 жыл бұрын
@@Chiamarx : I think a better idiom in English would be "Can this be true?". Because "Are you for real" implies that you are calling someone a liar, or something negative. Anyway, I envy what Germany has in public education. In Australia and in American in particular, religion has way too much power over non-religious culture and education.
@jameseverett9037
@jameseverett9037 5 жыл бұрын
@@wesmahan4757 - I know, right? That's why Christmas stuff has been forced out of public places, prayer out of schools, the 10 commandments, and any mention of God or the bible out of public and political buildings, as well as ongoing removals of any religious symbols in public. You know, cuz religion is so dominating and oppressive, and always get it's way.
@boseman8227
@boseman8227 4 жыл бұрын
@@jameseverett9037 this is interesting if I get you right the religious studies being replaced are mainly Christian scripture and being replaced by ethical programs. What this means is that a particular religion that has sustained German all this years is being eroded and that void I believe would need to be filled due to human quest for something bigger to believe in that's why Islam would fill that void because muslims would not allow ethical lessons to replace their faith.
@jameseverett9037
@jameseverett9037 4 жыл бұрын
@@boseman8227 - my apologies, I didn't understand your comment. Are you saying Germans should convert to Islam?
@Saluchik
@Saluchik 3 жыл бұрын
My question would be, Atheist seem to be searching or rather wishing they had all the comforts that religion offers. Why not just join the religion? Keep your beliefs but join that for which you are lacking. No need to copy.
@ayelenayelen2596
@ayelenayelen2596 5 жыл бұрын
This man is unique :-):-) excellent as usual ! such a pleasure to listen to such a clever man
@Randall_Kildare
@Randall_Kildare 9 жыл бұрын
His Facebook quip at 1:06:49 is a curt bullseye. I quit more than a year ago & couldn't care less for it's popularity segregating & algorithmic meme recycling.
@ComeCloserDarling
@ComeCloserDarling 2 жыл бұрын
I feel that must be true what this Alian de Botton is saying, I really crave for spirituality but can't find in traditional religion because I really can't forge faith. Does someone knows if these speech inspired any kind of movement or online community where one could join?
@gaychology9517
@gaychology9517 2 жыл бұрын
Yes. It still doesn't explain how atheists find some sort of spirituality for our soul, without believeing in some god.
@geoffbabirecki
@geoffbabirecki 9 жыл бұрын
I'm sorry that this takes so long, but you'll get the idea after about half-an-hour, and you'll be a lot happier for it. Good Luck, and enjoy!
@emmyCurl
@emmyCurl 6 жыл бұрын
i would love to see Alain and Jordan Peterson talk with each other
@jem30six
@jem30six 5 жыл бұрын
eww. a couple of guys who treat women like shit
@Panos__P
@Panos__P 5 жыл бұрын
@@jem30six Are you going to be that way...?
@jem30six
@jem30six 5 жыл бұрын
@@Panos__P Yes i am going to be that way! I'm saying it how it see it. I don't dislike men at all, but I don't like men who treat women badly and they both have in very different ways.
@justanotherview3243
@justanotherview3243 5 жыл бұрын
@@jem30six I understand Jordan Peterson is a sexist and homophobe. But why do you accuse Alain de Botton of the same?
@jem30six
@jem30six 5 жыл бұрын
@@justanotherview3243 because a couple years ago Alain started up The School of Life app on iphone for thinking people to connect and discuss ideas. They had a plan to expand the app to android phones and it extended out to a web you could connect to on PC. The problem was that they tried to insist that people use a photo of themselves, you could not appear offline if you were online. Anyone could contact you via private message without you approving it first. and basically the women on the app became bait for men to join the app and hit on women. No matter what feedback they got from the group they allowed it to be so, although they did let up on having to use an image of yourself. Then the app diverged into a dating app... for thinking people! They said people interested in could use the discussions in the app for approaching one and other, but the thing is, as soon as a woman logged on, the PM started rolling in, I noticed particularly for me, when the Indian time zone came online. They did have a feature to block people after the fact, but not an option to accept before they could PM you. Then we became aware that they had been advertising the new app, with lonely women sitting on a bed, waiting to connect with some like minded person our there... and another ad of a man and a women connecting via the app, and going off on a date after. The other thing with the app, was they did not do a very good job screening children out of the app. I was aware that there was an under-aged child on there talking about sex in an open forum, after i reported it, but nothing happened. oh plus the content of the discussions could be linked to people who were not members of the app! The protections for women were very poor on the app, and when i complained they said, I could leave, and read a book or something. So I did. Which is a shame because it had started off so well, but in the end it was about numbers and making money, and taking advantage of women to get it... imo
@horus4862
@horus4862 6 ай бұрын
OMG that was so Amazing!
@manthasagittarius1
@manthasagittarius1 11 жыл бұрын
There are good points and usable concepts here threaded through with frivolities. I suppose there is a performance aspect to these talks, according to personal style -- but the potential for what he's talking about needs to be assessed more drily for practical strategy. The other thing that troubles me, and I do like his ideas in the main, is that he himself didn't experience growing up with the whole theo packet mixed into the cultural pudding. It's not as readily teased out as he makes it
@tinalocklear9496
@tinalocklear9496 3 жыл бұрын
I just love his interpretation of absolutely everything. Wakes me up inside; I'm alive again! ❤️❤️❤️
@Wild8Cat
@Wild8Cat Жыл бұрын
I love this creature more than I love my family and friends combined (sometimes). A very rare clairvoyant truth-teller. Such a treasure of a human-being serving all of humanity.
@aeringossett6430
@aeringossett6430 6 жыл бұрын
volume too low
@lynnea286
@lynnea286 3 жыл бұрын
A refreshing bridge between religious and secular worlds. Much needed. Thankyou Alain. 💞🙏 Also remember the religious belief in Love and the value of being part of something bigger than yourself....💕💕💖
@lynnea286
@lynnea286 3 жыл бұрын
Maybe secular society needs more stories of oneness and belonging to each other, the earth etc ...more rituals etc. 💞🙏
@GodsNode
@GodsNode 6 жыл бұрын
What on earth occured at 36:19 that produced that sound ????
@thinkmackay8954
@thinkmackay8954 4 жыл бұрын
I am an atheist and never thought of harming anyone. The creepiest person I encountered in my long life is a Bible quoting believer! Go figure!
@tinalocklear9496
@tinalocklear9496 3 жыл бұрын
No. They are the scariest people ever. I'm a priest and believe that %100.
@Mandeepsays
@Mandeepsays 3 жыл бұрын
Having worked with schizophrenics in a correctional setting, I can tell you that those who are cheating with God all the time can be the most dangerous: you never know what "He" might tell them to do.
@LightWarrior_Artist
@LightWarrior_Artist 5 жыл бұрын
Thank you . . . thought provoking and very relevant perspective on so may levels that one should not ignore but take cognizance of.
@kseniya1982
@kseniya1982 11 жыл бұрын
I like this philosopher and his outlook on life.... he makes me very peaceful
@Supoflife
@Supoflife 8 жыл бұрын
Buddhism is not a religion. Alain has made it clear he doesnt believe in God and equates buddhists to those religious practicioners who claim a belief in God. Indeed Buddhists do not claim believe in God (or a ruling deity controling their life) and instead believe that we are completely responsible for our journey of wisdom, compassion and realisation. If though we are to address the concept of God then hopefully the apparent intellectual will recognise God has many definitions. The greater definition is all encompassing, and the deeper interperetation is that God is All That Is, and each being is one with another, all is one. When then he says he doesnt believe in God he shows very little understanding of the immense potential of that which can be given then name God. Perhaps a proportionate few mostly living in western civilization have a limited definition of God. Indigenous peoples and people recognising extremly ancient wisdom define God as infinite, and that we are all God. SO when Alain says he doesnt believe in GOd, he is saying he doesnt believe in the wonder of his being or the wonder of the being of others. Of course listening to him it is clear he would not wish to be infering this, but until he looks a little deeper, this is what he is actually infering. The concept of God is quite wide ... its always difficult to understand how someone who apparently is a well thought out intellectual doesnt address the fact that the definition of God is infinite. Indeed for those deep thinkers who claim a belief in God, God is that which is infinite love. I think anyone who truly claims to be on a journey of wisdom as Alain claims to be, would need to address the concept of infinity before proclaiming limitation the path of realisation.
@trooper744
@trooper744 6 жыл бұрын
Absolutely agree with this but, I think the reason he did not delve into what you have explained is because he is trying to stick with the “mainstream” God.. as the capacity to understand anything beyond that is limited.
@sailorforlifebestti3366
@sailorforlifebestti3366 5 жыл бұрын
I have to put my volume up to the max to hear.. is it just me?
@marinasais5721
@marinasais5721 3 жыл бұрын
Ugh same, really bad audio!
@instantnoodles42
@instantnoodles42 3 жыл бұрын
these audience questions are so good!
@chrisc990
@chrisc990 10 жыл бұрын
I appreciate Alain De Botton's approach to atheism. It is much more balanced and intellectually honest than the snide intolerance of Krauss, Harris, Dawkins and Hitchens. I think reform of religion and/or the way in which we approach religion could also be an answer for atheists regaining their spiritualism that I think most have admitted (even the 4 horsemen and the "brights" - geese those names are so arrogant) that humans need some form of spiritualism, collective moral guide and sense of community. I think Christopher Hedges makes a good case for this as one could see religion and a route to Good/God as a process a way of living rather than ascribing to the various passages within scripture although atheists need to realise the difference between metaphor and scientific report.
@sfwill3
@sfwill3 10 жыл бұрын
((balanced and intellectually honest)) So, we could say the Earth goes around the Sun from Mon-Sat and the other way around on Sundays? That's balanced. Or biological evolution only operates in non-believers, where as believers have never evolved but were created, complete and final, 10,000 yrs ago? That's balanced. So as we don't offend believers. Reality doesn't give two figs about the stuck up arrogance of homo sapiens insisting they are something special in the universe. If you can't stomach reality Chris, move out of the reality kitchen. Plenty of happy-clappy new age churches around ready to welcome you.
@matthewdavids5778
@matthewdavids5778 10 жыл бұрын
***** There is plenty of empathy involved in a multitude of scientific fields and pursuits. And as far as I am concerned, empathy is a an umbrella for many morals. Medicine, for example, the quest to be involved in medicine is often driven by empathy and wanting to care for others, of course this is not exclusive as there are some, as in all professional fields, that are driven by money. Marine biology is a science, and one my daughter wants to pursue, her reasons are to help animals, the planet and therefore, in turn, the human race as whole. Along with the fascination of the ocean, of dolphins etc... she is driven by her empathy and morals in that she sees this as a path worth travelling and caring about. She's 8 years old. That empathic 'spirit' is alive in many scientists, so to say science has no morality is short sighted, as the benefits of scientific progess have helped, and harmed, the human race since it's inception. you could question this and suggest that it's the person that uses the science that has the morals and the science itself is 'moral-less' as it is some what inanimate, but science, by definition is the practice, it cannot exist without the interactions of humans, therefore cannot be devoid of a moral influence. Science: the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment." Some fields hold morals as a fundamental to their existence, some are driven by what some call the spiritual self seeking answers, and some is just practical or capitalist. But even civil engineering can have a moral purpose if you need to build a bridge so people can cross a river to reach a field and avoid starvation.
@bunney3272
@bunney3272 9 жыл бұрын
This is atheism. They unlike religious people do not share a set of ideas because they are who they are. They know how to think and are of very different backgrounds and different ideas, which is what makes the world beautiful. If you want everyone to think in a particular way, or live in some utopia, life would be plain boring. I personally prefer a more aggressive (non violent, unlike religions) approach towards religion, and that all those great things he talks about don't belong to religion. Religion has only adapted.
@ThePayola123
@ThePayola123 7 жыл бұрын
You can cover up a lot bad historic deeds with $97 billion dollars per year.
@corb5654
@corb5654 6 жыл бұрын
No. What you are proposing is that atheists simply forget that religions are essentially lies that have become entrenched in society and "play along" to obtain "some form of spiritualism, collective moral guide and sense of community" (your words). We find "spiritualism" in the wider sense in a number of other endeavours, we definitely do not think that the bible (I'm assuming that's where you're heading with that one) is a "collective moral guide"; on the contrary, it is a horrible book that can be ripped to shreds for all the bloodthirsty and horrible ideas that are captured therein. To jump to your final point that "religion is a route to Good/God" and a way of living, that is plainly nonsense. Look around you and at the way people of the same religion treat and regard other people of the same religion, but of different cults/denominations. Look at all the harm religion has done and is doing and again tell me how this is a route to a good life. The happiest, wealthiest countries at the moment are the least religious. There is no positive correlation between religion and what a secularist views as a good life. The religious are such narrow minded people that I will happily forego community with them and live a solitary and happy life.
@blackmanops3749
@blackmanops3749 3 жыл бұрын
For a dude with a very French name, he sure speaks English extraordinarily well.
@LSUB300
@LSUB300 6 жыл бұрын
What about that school thinge from number 2 (1:00:20)?
@samlee2562
@samlee2562 9 жыл бұрын
he's so consistently coherent and articulate that 49:42 freaked me out! like watching a concert pianist suddenly fumble the notes
@merkin789
@merkin789 9 жыл бұрын
+Sam Lee dude that's harsh. it was a small glitch at best.
@samlee2562
@samlee2562 9 жыл бұрын
I like my analogy :o( what would you compare it to then? a speed eating hot dog man accidentally missing his face and throwing a sausage into the crowd? :o(
@hanimay6843
@hanimay6843 7 жыл бұрын
That freaked you out?! Well aren't you a special little princess.
@faraizawaira
@faraizawaira 3 жыл бұрын
Was that Lex Fridman at 1:04:00 asking a question?
@catherineiselin
@catherineiselin 3 жыл бұрын
If you say you believe in nothing, well, you believe in something!!
@Matrinique
@Matrinique 7 жыл бұрын
I always thought we need two things in schools right now to keep them relevant: religion studies and media analysis classes.
@aldith3753
@aldith3753 7 жыл бұрын
Excellent, Alain de Bottom!
@allisonseamans2537
@allisonseamans2537 5 жыл бұрын
"something physical is supporting something psychological or intellectual"
@chottopakhi
@chottopakhi 10 жыл бұрын
as always thoroughly enjoyed; compact with the logic and your own style of presentation made the time shorter...
@irisyagueinglada
@irisyagueinglada 6 жыл бұрын
You are amazing. Thank you for this.
@Wild8Cat
@Wild8Cat Жыл бұрын
Everyone should be taught the type of KIND humor he is so skilled at and does so effortlessly
@lwstruyk
@lwstruyk 5 жыл бұрын
The Ten Commandments seem like a pretty good set of rules.
@bunney3272
@bunney3272 9 жыл бұрын
Morality comes from human nature and experience. Not from faith. In fact if you need faith to uphold morality I am very disappointed as you have developed it through nature and nurture.
@s.j.4061
@s.j.4061 4 жыл бұрын
Human nature 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂!
@Ok-bk5xx
@Ok-bk5xx 4 жыл бұрын
Friedrich Nietzsche hated moral
@floridaman_85_58
@floridaman_85_58 3 жыл бұрын
I always thought that a discussion. Between Alain and Jordan Peterson would’ve been interesting as I think they both see the same problem in the modern world.
@jenniferh.7219
@jenniferh.7219 7 жыл бұрын
I'm going to have to view this whole video. Just under 3 years ago maybe only 2, Huffington Post or Cnn published an article about a church for people who don't necessarily prescribe to one religion, it also mentioned how their various meetings in different states in the US and perhaps also elsewhere (they meet weekly or a few times every month). I don't recall the name of this group, but if anyone does, please share. It is not a traditional religion such as Episcopalian church etc
@jenniferh.7219
@jenniferh.7219 7 жыл бұрын
What I'm referring to maybe called Sunday Assembly however I thought it was a group of people who may believe in God but may not prescribe to traditional religion
@arnonsha1
@arnonsha1 7 ай бұрын
Amazing! ❤
@pattmayne
@pattmayne 8 жыл бұрын
I just finished reading "The Mission of Art" by Alex Grey. This lecture reflects a lot of the ideas from that book. The idea that art has a spiritual place in society which transcends the specific ideas of specific religions. If you're looking for somebody who is like the art-equivalent of a preacher, Mr. Grey is a great choice! He's a visionary visual artist. You probably already know who he is, but if you don't, look him up!!
@Beatles68
@Beatles68 2 жыл бұрын
I read several of the comments and it is clear that some people missed the premise of the lecture, which is “There is no god or anything else supernatural.”
@tim.koprivnik
@tim.koprivnik 10 жыл бұрын
wow, what a great speech, De Botton! WOW!
@cloedimit.pap.1554
@cloedimit.pap.1554 6 жыл бұрын
Yes yes yesss! Thank you 🙏.
@slothsluethe177
@slothsluethe177 3 жыл бұрын
I cant see God visually, I can't hear God audibly, but I know apart from my finite senses that He exists infinitely!
@rusticloaf4113
@rusticloaf4113 3 жыл бұрын
ditto’s
@msfh1991
@msfh1991 2 жыл бұрын
it is not possible to stop listening to Alain, it simply isn't!!
@conhand.3578
@conhand.3578 7 жыл бұрын
*1:40** Agnostics are in the believers camp, not in the atheists one. (Let's not get this one wrong to start with!)*
@theduchess9019
@theduchess9019 7 жыл бұрын
True!
@MyReluctantTheology
@MyReluctantTheology 11 жыл бұрын
I read Religion for Atheists, and I thought it was a very good book. I've heard Atheists criticize him, not on his view that the non-religious can learn from religions, but on what it is they can learn on religions. I remember an Atheist commented that they felt that it's the teachings of Jesus and Buddha that can be learned from religion, not calendars and rituals.
@4CardsMan
@4CardsMan 4 жыл бұрын
Sounds like Timothy Leary's story. He got his bachelor's at Harvard, because he was seeking "it". He didn't find it, so he went to graduate school. He got his master's and still hadn't found "it". So, he went for the doctorate. No luck. Which is how he got to LSD and tune in, turn on, drop out.
@marypatton1122
@marypatton1122 4 жыл бұрын
I am an atheist too but I love singing spiritual/religious songs of praise and gratitude. Adults sing songs about Santa Claus and flying reindeer and it brings them great joy even though they don't believe in that. It is ok to enjoy songs about things you don't believe in.
@jean-claudechevalme3448
@jean-claudechevalme3448 6 жыл бұрын
Just a simple acknowledgement that “there is no God” lacks meaning in explaining “why life.” As a former atheist/existentialist I can certainly understand how he feels. The fact that Alain is looking in religions to find meaningful values, further validates the depth of the poverty of atheistic philosophy. All counterfeit currencies contain truth but they are not the real thing. Clue: when I was a kid, I did not like love because I thought love was selfish; I thought “how could someone love one person more than another.” I love a lot of things you say, but you still have a lot to learn Alain - THE most important things. Keep on keeping your resolve to stay away from God; eventually He will put you face to face with who you really are and you will recognize your need for Him.
@IFYOUWANTITGOGETIT
@IFYOUWANTITGOGETIT 3 жыл бұрын
Why life? Why death? Why innocent children getting abused and stricken with agonizing pain and disease? Why did god leave us with such an incomplete, contradictory, and unethical book? Why would god send people to eternal hell simply for not believing in him because of his absence, indifference, and lack of empathy and compassion towards his own creation? I can keep going but I have a hunch you wouldn’t understand and will respond with some ridiculous circular reasoning. You don’t really want to know the truth because it terrifies you to see the reality of what you are…an animal with no ultimate purpose living on a rock spinning around a sun within one of billions of galaxies in a inverse that is unfathomably old. Schopenhauer will set you on the straight path to inner peace and acceptance. Maybe knock your ego down as well.
@jeanjasmine
@jeanjasmine 3 жыл бұрын
The last sentence was exactly depicting me and father in law, lol
@cantastorie1848
@cantastorie1848 7 жыл бұрын
Could use higher sound!
@alexandercoates8317
@alexandercoates8317 6 жыл бұрын
Pick and Mix analysis of religion started happening at that very time you mention at the beginning of your lecture: middle of the 19th century with Ralph Waldo Emerson, William James and leads to Ernest Holmes who gives us what the study of all religion boils down to, and today that is embodied in Louise Hay who was a student of Holmes's student Dr. Raymond Charles Barker. There is a real intellectual lineage there one can study, and today we have this New Thought movement which at the moment, well, these last few years, has managed to arrive back at Spiritualism! But I realise this is the very essence that your audience cannot grasp. There are a couple of universities here in the UK which are performing proper scientific experiments to study what happens physiologically with spiritualist healing. It looks like at some stage in the not too distant future we will merge the atheist materialists who need science to prove religion with those who did not need that proof. Amusingly, I would like to refer you to Harvard University, where there is/was? a huge endowment dating back to William James, which is dedicated to the scientific study of Intuition and the metaphysical. While a student, I enjoyed participating in curious experiments on intuition along with the functions of the hemispheres.
@lesliecunliffe4450
@lesliecunliffe4450 8 жыл бұрын
" Nobody gives their life for culture." Terry Eagleton This lecture is so... 19th c. It's an attempt to revise Nietszche's project of positive nihilism, a project that results, against all the best efforts, in what Kierkegaard prophetically understood as levelling, an erosion of the ethical and religious spheres because of an increasing, serial obsession with the aesthetic sphere (now fulfilled with the invention of the Internet). Kierkegaard thought nihilism would only undermine as opposed to create ethical and religious commitment. De Botton doesn't understand why his lecture is futile. He has a boy scout view of culture. De Botton should read Kierkegaard and Hubert Dreyfus' application of Kierkegaard's thinking to the Internet.
@dorothysay8327
@dorothysay8327 6 жыл бұрын
Leslie Cunliffe BRAVO! Thank you. This lecture is that of a complete neophyte who hasn’t grappled with religious tenets *at all*. Cripplingly simplistic.
@eugenerossouw1274
@eugenerossouw1274 2 жыл бұрын
My experience has been thay religion convinces you, that you have problems that you dont actually have. My life has been so much simpler without religion, the world is also less scary. There's no spookyness behind events.
@55vermeer
@55vermeer 8 жыл бұрын
WILLIAM BLAKE: "The ancient Poets animated all sensible objects with Gods or Geniuses, calling them by the names and adorning them with the properties of woods, rivers, mountains, lakes, cities, nations, and whatever their enlarged & numerous senses could perceive. And particularly they studied the genius of each city & country, placing it under its mental deity; Till a system was formed, which some took advantage of & enslav’d the vulgar by attempting to realize or abstract the mental deities from their objects: thus began Priesthood;Choosing forms of worship from poetic tales. And at length they pronounc’d that the Gods had order’d such things Thus men forgot that All deities reside in the human breast. Prophets in the modern sense of the word have never existed. Every honest man is a Prophet; he utters his opinion both of private & public matters."
@michaelboylan5308
@michaelboylan5308 6 жыл бұрын
The intro says,,,the worlds most popular philosopher,Well,,the worlds most popular archaeological writer was Von Daniken,,,who claimed the pyramids were built by Martians, De Botton and Von Daniken have equal stature
@SERGE_Tech
@SERGE_Tech 4 жыл бұрын
dang it videos too quiet
@Wild8Cat
@Wild8Cat Жыл бұрын
IMO, should be required watch and discussion in schools
@indonesiamenggugat8795
@indonesiamenggugat8795 4 жыл бұрын
Great show..best wishes from indonesia
@amyyu7298
@amyyu7298 3 жыл бұрын
I've always thought books, actually reading books are my religion thing, now I realize why!
@arunagreen8119
@arunagreen8119 10 ай бұрын
Yes J.S Bach choral music definitely sways me!
@macelwilson3965
@macelwilson3965 4 жыл бұрын
I adore your beautiful mind but you have one thing wrong - God is real, not a human invention but a human discovery. The only choice is to live with God or without. God loves you and so do I. Thank you for your noble aspirations for making life Good for yourself and others thru Wisdom.
@SteliosKGuitar
@SteliosKGuitar 18 күн бұрын
😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
@craigrichardson1050
@craigrichardson1050 4 жыл бұрын
Alain believes in religion. One way of building organisation would be to devolve government. Industries having a governance and regulation role and also a pastoral care to their people- analogous to the guilds. By having real power, these organisations will work. The difficult part is taking the power off government who have taken more and more. For example why does government deal with trade? Industry should deal with trade, but look where we are today: oligarchs managing everything from the top.
@bunney3272
@bunney3272 9 жыл бұрын
Not as beautiful as you think. First, I want to asset this: We are all born atheists, until someone starts telling us lies. What I am trying to say us: Children, especially younger ones, should not be labelled under a religion. If that is so, I could also say I am a ultra conservative reactionary (I am not), and I have two children (I do not) and you could them too as ultra conservative reactionaries. Is that fair or logical? No. Newborns are all implicitly atheist, but once you lie to them (probably he also was lied to, so does not even know how tell between truth and false), things start changing. For older children, they could be more explicit in their religion or atheism. Religion does not flow through blood like your DNA. Also, there is little religious freedom in most parts of the world, especially for atheists (freedom from religion) and also people whose beliefs are different from the majority (freedom of religion). From the Bible Belt to the Middle East, religious freedom is unknown. So religion is not a buffet that you can just pick and choose. It is only a luxury enjoyed by some.
@chrisy.7501
@chrisy.7501 6 жыл бұрын
Than how could you explain the birth of Dionysos (the god of pleasure) at the same time of Apollo (the god of reason)? I don't think people are meant to be stupid, but very few can naturally (with proper food and safety) be hungry socrates instead of fat pig.
@davidrai2421
@davidrai2421 4 жыл бұрын
Appreciate it!👏
@raffaojeda
@raffaojeda 9 жыл бұрын
Trying to look for a balance amongst various tasks as integral human being is interesting, an ideal that we must strive for. We should also ask ourselves if we want changes in the long term or in the short term as humanity. The big gravitational atractions are mainly, bad people in the power and in those poeple that are being brought to seek power in order to screw up the natural resources quickly,no matter if the claim to be religious , secular, anarquist, god , godess etc. I would tend to think that checking up our emotions are big key to heal the world. The rest would come naturally; community, brotherhood, fairness, time to share, become less fearfull, to be paecemakers, to care for each of us etc.
@markledyard
@markledyard 3 жыл бұрын
Atheism is a religion. It has dogmas, and those dogmas inform life choices. The problem with it is that, like any other religion other than Christianity, the focus is always on humanity. As such, there can be no objective appeal to truth or justice. Christianity on the other hand demands confession that Christ, and not myself, is Lord of the universe, and that the moral law, as given, is the only objective truth. As much as I like some of the things Mr. De Botton is saying, he will be judged by the Almighty for his rejection of Christ. We are judged, not by the sins we have committed, but by the Light we have rejected.
@richardhill3405
@richardhill3405 4 жыл бұрын
Before a person says whether they think the aspect of the universe they call god exists or not they should explain how they are defining and understanding it. Is there an aspect to the universe that means the good are rewarded relatively speaking to the not so good? I would say yes. Is it some kind of super being that controls the universe? I would say no. There is far more to it than that. And the mathematical analogy I use for demonstrating what I mean by god is too long for a format like this. It,s not all numbers yet a numerical/mathematical analogy can be created to understand reality. So refreshing to listen to someone that seems to understand the problems of reality in a similar way to me.
@timmyshea3206
@timmyshea3206 7 жыл бұрын
cool dude. thank you sir
@BaldingEagle51
@BaldingEagle51 11 жыл бұрын
I've had some of my best ideas at the house...
@tycebruursema1274
@tycebruursema1274 6 жыл бұрын
22:32 he sounds like c3po there
@thetransferaccount4586
@thetransferaccount4586 6 ай бұрын
his assessment about facebook and social media at the end is right though.. pretty mid talk without exploring all the ideas of all religions
@Allyballybean
@Allyballybean 8 күн бұрын
I am and have always been an atheist; to the extent that I know there is no God. But at the same time I feel I am culturally Christian. As I get older, especially, I feel drawn to Anglican spaces and ideas. I suspect a lot of Christians have such strong doubts about the literalness of God that if they were really honest they would be in the same camp as I am. Many Jewish people are atheists but still defend their cultural traditions and values as an essential part of their identity. The same must be true of Muslims and Hindus as well (I imagine). I think religion can make our lives richer and give us a sense that there are depths and multiple ways to understand the world apart from the starkness of rationality.
@Tsar_Augustus_666
@Tsar_Augustus_666 6 ай бұрын
I love this guy
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