Religion Versus Secular Humanism: What the Psychological and Social Sciences Tell Us

In today’s contentious climate-in which a seemingly unbridgeable gap between religious and secular worldviews persists-this book discusses the relative merits and viability of religion versus secular humanism from the perspective of the psychological and social sciences. Among the questions asked: Are there plausible naturalistic (vs. religious) explanations of the origins, evolution, and functions of religion? What are the beneficial and harmful effects of religion and can the benefits be adequately achieved via secular means? Can secular humanists live moral, meaningful, and fulfilling lives, or is the fully secular life deficient in some way? Can psychological science show us how to live meaningful and fulfilling lives, with or without religion? As much of the world secularizes, is religion likely to persist? Should it? Evidence-based proposals to reduce the religious-secular gap are also offered. The discussion is non-polemic and accessible to inquisitive lay people.