The Joy of Reason

In the discussion of religion there is an argument against faith called the God of the Gaps. This hypothesis asserts that when ancient humans encountered a mystery they assumed a supernatural explanation. Why, for instance, does lightning shoot across the sky? Perhaps there is a Greek god named Zeus waging heavenly war with his arsenal of thunderbolts. Why does lava erupt from the ground? Perhaps is it due to the Roman god Vulcan hammering away at his forge. Why does the sun come up? Perhaps it is the Egyptian god Ra moving light across the sky. As science has progressed we’ve been able to replace these explanations with naturalistic ones. Chemistry, geology, and cosmology have done more to answer such questions than scripture ever has. The room for God in modern life is ever shrinking, and yet there remains one holdout: our value system. When it comes to questions of meaning, morality, and belonging, too many seemingly rational people find themselves quiet. This book is an argument against both religious superstition and atheistic nihilism. It lays out the case that everything we value about life can be attained through a secular, rational, and materialist framework. That life itself is beautiful, and it’s certainly worth living.