A Replacement for Religion

The School of Life, an international educational organization, outlines the philosophical underpinnings of a God-free religion suited to the modern world in this insightful yet diffuse work. Proposed are eight virtues intended to combat contemporary problems: a sense of brokenness to combat perfectibility; a generic melancholy instead of relentless optimism; dependence rather than individualism; a focus on everyday life instead of exceptionalism; an ancient Greek–inspired notion of universal tragic flaws to counter meritocracy; a nontheistic transcendence in all live things grounded in humility instead of human-centric interests; striving for “good enough” relationships and not romantic ideals; and a realization that recurrence and not novelty grounds life. The authors, unnamed as in all School of Life books, then propose, in nonspecific terms, architecture and art to instill these values before suggesting that therapists who listen to confessions can replace priests if they organize and “construct a brand” that elevates their status. Conspicuously absent is the importance of comprehensive narrative to captivate believers and explain the virtues, resulting in a static outline of suggestions lacking a central thesis. The book closes with scripts for rituals, including an annual supper, monthly gatherings, and a wedding. The probability of these ambitious plans becoming reality seems rather unlikely, even if the virtues provide many smart observations on contemporary life. This raises some worthy questions, but is far too underdeveloped to be considered anything even approaching a plan. (July)