The New Atheism and the Dialogue between Science and Faith: Reflections to mark the Tenth Anniversary of The God Delusion
The publication of Richard Dawkins's landmark work The God Delusion in 2006 triggered off a new phase in the public discussion and evaluation of religion, and particularly the dialogue between science and religion. This lecture marks the tenth anniversary of the publication of this work by reflecting on its impact and some of the questions it raises, including: the significance of the growing number of religious ‘nones’; the cultural plausibility of the ‘warfare’ narrative; the rationality of faith; what religious belief discloses about human nature; and the impact of religious faith on human wellbeing.
Alister McGrath, the Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion at Oxford, has been a leading participant in the debates about the ‘New Atheism’, and is well placed to offer this evaluation of the present state of the debate and its long term impact on Western culture.
