Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon

Daniel C. Dennett

Feb 2006 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

The New York Times bestseller – a “crystal-clear, constantly engaging” (Jared Diamond) exploration of the role that religious belief plays in our lives and our interactions

For all the thousands of books that have been written about religion, few until this one have attempted to examine it scientifically: to ask why—and how—it has shaped so many lives so strongly. Is religion a product of blind evolutionary instinct or rational choice? Is it truly the best way to live a moral life? Ranging through biology, history, and psychology, Daniel C. Dennett charts religion’s evolution from “wild” folk belief to “domesticated” dogma. Not an antireligious screed but an unblinking look beneath the veil of orthodoxy, Breaking the Spell will be read and debated by believers and skeptics alike.

Ratings and reviews

If we are to preserve democracy and freedom of and from religion, then we need to figure out what makes it "tick". By all means break the spell.

Questions some assumptions regarding faith and religion; not as an atheist but rather more like an impartial observer of human behaviors and beliefs.

This is probably the book that firmly shifted me from an agnostic to an atheist.

About the author

Daniel C. Dennett is University Professor, professor of philosophy, and co-director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University. His books include From Bacteria to Bach and Back, Freedom Evolves, Consciousness Explained and Darwin’s Dangerous Idea, a finalist for the National Book Award.