My favorite independent bookstore in the whole world is owned by a brother/sister pair of atheists. On separate occasions, each of them reached for Good Without God when they saw me walk in, held it up, and said "Hey, you might be interested in this book." It made me fear that I have something ungodly about my appearance. But you know, they were right. I DID find this book interesting. Rather than get caught in a withering cross-fire from atheists on one side, and devout believers in God on the other, let me take cover behind the always popular FAQ format.
FAQ's about Good Without God:
Q. A bit about the author?
A. Greg Epstein is the Humanist chaplain/rabbi at Harvard University. He has a B.A. in Religion and in Chinese, and also a Master of Arts in Judaic Studies, both degrees from the University of Michigan. He's a musician and has played in a rock and roll band.
Q. Greg Epstein does not believe in a God, does he have a theory as to why so many people do?
A. Yes, he does. Perhaps his most interesting theory is the "God is a Mental Spandrel" hypothesis. A spandrel is the somewhat triangular space that exists between two adjacent archs. Envision the row of arches often seen in the interior of large cathedrals or mosques, often lining the sides of the church: there is a pillar, then an arch that connects to the next pillar, then an arch to the next pillar, etc. Often, the space between each arch is filled in with masonry, and subsequently richly illustrated with designs or drawings. These filled in spaces are called spandrels. The God spandrel, Epstein conjectures, is based on two evolutionary traits of the human brain, both deeply ingrained. The first is Causality. If we humans weren't good at causality, we wouldn't be good at surviving. Put your hand in the fire, you'll get burned. Pet a sabretooth tiger, you'll get bit. Cause, effect. The second trait is that because WE experience consciousness, we attribute that quality of experience to other things: other people, our pets, trees, even our cars when we curse at them for not starting. Between our drive to attribute cause and effect to everything we see, and our drive to somewhat indiscriminately recognize consciousness all around us, is the mental spandrel that we fill in: God. God is a wonderful CAUSE in life, and we like attributing CONSCIOUSNESS to that CAUSE.
Q. Without God giving us the rules (e.g. the Ten Commandments for Judeo-Christians, other sets of rules for other folks), why would anyone be ethical, or good? Why not party hardy until we drop? Why not rape and pillage whenever we think we can safely get away with it, if God isn't up there with a ledger keeping score?
A. Because, Epstein says, we desire dignity. I'll quote Epstein on dignity: "There's a state in which you're aware of your own vulnerability and mortality, and that awareness allows you to connect with others from a place of strength and empowerment." "Being in this state feels good in both the short term and long term--good enough to motivate us strongly. And so our goal is to get there and try to stay there." Not exactly Kant's Categorical Imperative, but fertile thought for a rousing red wine and beer fueled book club discussion.
Q. Is Humanism a religion?
A. Well, of course, define religion. But here's one listed definition: "A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion." And by that definition, yes, humanism is a religion, with movements within movements, vigorous attempts to define the tenets of humanism, even churches of humanism (one of which is in Central Park). Epstein himself, with the title of both chaplain and rabbi, unmistakably evokes a sense of religion. He becomes even more evocative of religion when he includes detailed information regarding humanist holidays, humanistic rituals for births, deaths, and marriages (none of which involve the blood of infants of other faiths!).
Q. Is Epstein an evangelist?
A. This is what Rabbi Epstein has to say to you, if you don't believe in God but do want to make the world a better place: "That's why I am asking you now, whether in conjunction with a local Humanist, atheist, or secular group, or on your own initiative if no such group exists near you, to organize a meeting about Humanism in your home, or elsewhere in your neighborhood." And he says, "This is the beginning -only a beginning--of a movement that will change our world....As we can learn from a nearly two-thousand-year-old saying, it is not your responsibility to finish the work, but neither are you free to desist from it. Let us go out and make a difference now." In, short, I'd say the answer to the question is affirmative.
You'll have your own questions, without a doubt. A few parting thoughts. For those of you that feel that godless people are Satan incarnate, Good Without God is an important opportunity to read the list of charitable social programs that have been started by humanists, and an illuminating look into the minds of people that don't believe in God, but dedicate their lives to doing good. You'll like Rabbi Epstein. If he believed in souls, I'd say he had a compassionate and caring one. Me? Though I was once enrolled in a Franciscan seminary to become a Catholic priest, I'm now a non-believer (and a do-gooder). Epstein does not speak for me. I don't like the "oughtness" of his call to do good. I am not a humanist. Maybe a planet-ist, or a universe-ist, but Epstein's focus on humans as the apparent rotational axis of the world is slightly, oddly, offensive to me. There is way more going on out there than the little tide pool we humans are splashing around in, and the infinities of wonder that existence holds seems diminished by the term "humanist. If my dog could understand it (he's a very bright dog) he would call "Humanism" an exclusive, rather than an inclusive, term.
