Irreligion : A Mathematician Explains Why the Arguments for God Just Don't Add Up

Are there any logical reasons to believe in God? The mathematician and bestselling author John Allen Paulos thinks not. In Irreligion he presents the case for his own worldview, organizing his book into twelve chapters that refute the twelve arguments most often put forward for believing in God's existence. Interspersed among these counterarguments are remarks on a variety of irreligious themes, ranging from the nature of miracles and creationist probability to cognitive illusions and prudential wagers. Despite the strong influence of his day job, Paulos says, there isn't a single mathematical formula in the book.

“Reasoned, cool and concise--a good-natured primer for infidels.” —Kirkus Reviews

“[Paulos] is as sure-footed as a tiger as he prowls through the theocratic landscape, pouncing on sloppy thinking. To a large extent he succeeds in demolishing the arguments of believers.” —Phillip Manning, The News & Observer (Raleigh)

“[Paulos] knocks the props from under the classic arguments for the existence of God . . . The book is written with a charming skepticism that is not off-putting or arrogant.” —Chuck Warnock, Amicus Dei blog

“Few of the recent books on atheism have been worth reading just for wit and style, but this is one of them: Paulos is truly funny.” —Publishers Weekly

“Irreligion will, I'm confident, take a distinguished place in what one might call the canonical literature of the New Atheism.” —Norman Levitt, eSkeptic