Book Review of The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and Its Scientific Pretensions

David Berlinski is an agnostic mathematician and appears to be well versed in philosophy. It seems to me that Berlinski’s criticism of the New Atheism and atheistic scientism is well placed, or at least he challenges the presumptions that atheists affirm in their supposed “reasoned” worldview. First, I liked how Berlinski challenged the atheists from a teleological point of view. If we really are a mistake and come from some sort of valueless origin it is an illusion to assume some sort of meaning. Second, in the book the author talks about how physicists suppose that the physics of the universe break down at a singular state prior to the Big Bang, but they also like to assume some sort of hypothesis based on mathematical schemes that are suspect as Berlinski points out. Why? Well if the physics prior to the Big Bang are unknown to us (as physicists seem to think), or if there were no "physics" (at least as we understand it) at all, how can we affirm that a multiverse is more parsimonious? Sure, the mathematician can provide some sort of theory based on mathematics, but it will certainly not be about physics that are unavailable to us. The author takes the time of engaging other aspects of atheistic scientism throughout the book which is well received by me. I recommend the book, because it’s informative, funny, witty, and a critical assessment from a person who has no personal stake in theism.