Atheist with a soul

[linwood]

"Philosopher and novelist Rebecca Goldstein speaks with Martin Levin about God and godlessness, and her new novel"

I don`t know her, haven`t read her books.
Found her position interesting, thought some here might be interested or know more about her.

Atheist with a soul - The Globe and Mail

I got involved in the religion debate as a result of my last book, about Spinoza. And because Spinoza was a hero to many atheist thinkers, I got invited to a lot of pro-science, pro-reason events and got caught up somewhat in the New Atheism. But even when I was completely agreeing with people, I was dissatisfied with the way they described people with whom I don’t agree. I grew up in Orthodox Judaism. I know that world intimately and know that it’s much more complicated than the way it’s being described. I thought I could get to this much more deeply in a novel.

What do you see as the future for atheism, since religion seems to be declining only in Western Europe and growing throughout the rest of the world.

Europe went through its Enlightenment only following protracted, horrible religious wars, when people were convinced that their earlier certitudes were untrustworthy, and modern science and modern philosophy grew out of this. A large part of the world hasn’t gone through this yet. Europe had to have half of its population wiped out before the voices of reason got listened to. But that took a long time. Can we afford that when we have the kind of weaponry that advances in science have given us? We’re in quite a predicament. These very primitive religious emotions – to see the strength of their gathering is terrifying.