MARC Record from Library of Congress

LEADER: 02419cam a2200289 a 4500
001 2011019961
003 DLC
005 20120120085256.0
008 110511s2011 nyua 001 0 eng
010 $a 2011019961
016 7 $a015864454$2Uk
020 $a9780393080230 (hardcover)
020 $a0393080234 (hardcover)
035 $a(OCoLC)ocn711051793
040 $aDLC$cDLC$dYDX$dBTCTA$dYDXCP$dUKMGB$dBUR$dBWX$dVP@$dCDX$dDLC
050 00 $aBL2747.3$b.R67 2011
082 00 $a211/.8$223
100 1 $aRosenberg, Alexander,$d1946-
245 14 $aThe atheist's guide to reality :$benjoying life without illusions /$cAlex Rosenberg.
250 $a1st ed.
260 $aNew York :$bW.W. Norton,$cc2011.
300 $axiv, 352 p. :$bill. ;$c22 cm.
520 $aWe can't avoid the persistent questions about the meaning of life and the nature of reality. Philosopher Alex Rosenberg maintains that science is the only thing that can really answer them--all of them. His upbeat book takes physics seriously as the complete description of reality and accepts all its consequences. He shows how physics makes Darwinian natural selection the only way life can emerge, and how that deprives nature of purpose, and human action of meaning, while it exposes conscious illusions such as free will and the self. The science that makes us nonbelievers provides the insight into the real difference between right and wrong, the nature of the mind, even the direction of human history. The Atheist's Guide to Reality draws powerful implications for the ethical and political issues that roil contemporary life. The result is "nice nihilism," a surprisingly sanguine perspective atheists can happily embrace.--From publisher description.
505 0 $aAnswering life's persistent questions : do you want stories or reality? -- The nature of reality : the physical facts fix all the facts -- How physics fakes design -- IKEA didn't make natural history : good design is rare, expensive, and accidental -- Morality : the bad news -- The good news : nice nihilism -- Never let your conscious be your guide -- The brain does everything without thinking about anything at all -- Farewell to the purpose-driven life -- You've got to stop taking yourself so seriously -- History debunked -- Living with scientism : ethics, politics, the humanities, and Prozac as needed.
504 $aIncludes index.
650 0 $aAtheism.
650 0 $aScientism.