question about atheist book

[Angrboda]

It may be a reference to Alex Rosenberg's , specifically chapter 12, "Living with scientism: ethics, politics, the humanities, and Prozac as needed."

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Your book is aimed squarely at atheists, but it’s not a book about atheism as such, rather it’s a book about what atheists should believe. What are the most important things that the atheist needs to know about reality? And can he really enjoy life without illusions?

Rosenberg: The most important thing to know about reality is that science understands it well enough to rule out god, and almost everything else that provides wiggle room for theism and mystery mongering. That includes all kinds of purposes, including even ones that conscious introspection suggests we ourselves have. Conscious introspection was shaped by natural selection into tricking us about the nature of reality. We need always to be on our scientific guard against its meretricious temptations. Treating the illusions that rise to consciousness as symptoms, instead of guides to meaning and value, is crucial to enjoying life. It’s not easy, but taking science seriously is the first step, despite the difficulty consciousness puts in the way of understanding it.

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