To know how to live do we need God and religion, or, does religion only produce wars, hatred, intolerance and unhappiness? Does giving up God mean giving up morality, or, can we finally live a peaceful and fulfilling life as atheists by following science and reason instead? The anthropologist Christopher Hallpike has spent a lifetime’s research on the morality and religion of different cultures around the world, and shows that trying to base a moral life on atheism and science actually has some very nasty surprises in store for us.

The ‘God Debate’ is alive and kicking as never before, and Christopher Hallpike’s book is a significant contribution to our understanding of New Atheism, morality, religion and reason. Lively and highly stimulating, it offers an engaging and thought-provoking account that will generate much debate and discussion, and is an excellent book for anyone seeking to understand some of the key philosophical, moral and religious issues of our time. ~ Professor Martyn Percy, Dean of Christ Church, Oxford

‘A beautifully written, deceptively effortless survey of a vast literature on many of the ultimate questions that face humanity. It is a most impressive achievement, and all within such a mercifully manageable compass.’ ~ Dr Henry Hardy, Fellow of Wolfson College Oxford. Editor of the writings of Isaiah Berlin