Overview
'What to Believe When You Don't' invites you to explore the vibrant tapestry of human existence without the prop of supernatural belief. You'll explore a wide range of topics and see how all are governed by beautifully logical natural explanations, no divine interventions needed! You are guided throughout by an engaging, reader-friendly author who wears his learning lightly, and draws on crisp expert insights, hard data, and captivating anecdotes to make complex issues simple. Above all, 'What to Believe When You Don't' gives the reader practical ideas to help you make your own decisions about how to live and be happy.
Full Product Details
Author: Paul Rogers
Publisher: The Conrad Press
Imprint: The Conrad Press
Dimensions:
Width: 12.90cm
, Height: 5.30cm
, Length: 19.80cm
ISBN: 9781917673563
ISBN 10: 1917673566
Pages: 736
Publication Date: 07 November 2025
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
Availability: Not yet available 
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.
Table of Contents
Introduction · What is belief? · Chapter structure · Core “beliefs” · Stance · Parable Chapter 1: Nature · External reality and what we can “know” PART A: Physics · The atomic structure of matter and the sub-atomic realm · The four fundamental forces and quantum fields · Quantum effects · Quantum effects in our everyday world · Relativity · Unifying Quantum Mechanics with Relativity · Antimatter, dark matter, and dark energy · The Universe in our hand PART B: Biology · Evolution · Genetics · How genes work · Genetic similarities and differences · Genetics and race · Biological sex and gender identity · Inbreeding · What makes us who we are · Predictability, mutability, and “flux” PART C: Our story so far Chapter summary Chapter 2: Consciousness · Consciousness main themes · Chapter structure PART A: What consciousness is · The evolution of human cognition · The brain as the centre of consciousness PART B: The opportunity, and obligation, to exercise personal existential choice · Personal agency and “freewill” · The essential self · Personality and character PART C: How consciousness works · Executive function and the rational brain · Learning and development · Joining up the dots – how our brain processes data · Instinct, emotion, and reason as triggers for behaviour · Cognitive bias · “Noise” · Categorisation PART D: Critical faculties which form part of consciousness · Reason · Emotion · Language · Empathy and Theory of Mind · Memory · Imagination · Motivation and drive PART E: Enablers and inhibitors of consciousness · Sleep · Stress PART F: Implications of consciousness for existence · The fact that we have the freedom to exercise personal existential choice in our life means that we should actively embrace it, and then take responsibility for the choices we make · The fact that our consciousness is fallible means that when making choices we should consider the possibility of bias and error · “Luck” is a fact of life, whereas “destiny” isn’t · Mindset matters: how we think about our life obviously affects how we feel about it, and can also influence outcomes · Expectations matter: how we think about ourself and others can materially change what we and they feel and do Chapter summary Chapter 3: Sociability PART A: Pro-social behaviours · Why sociability matters · Culture as the defining human attribute · Sociability as the defining human behaviour · The evolution of human sociability, and society PART B: Anti-social behaviours · Hierarchy and status · Violence, bullying and intimidation · The capacity to influence, manipulate and deceive PART C: “Me” versus “Us” · Cooperate or compete - the critical existential choice · Applying Axelrod to our social reality PART D: “Only connect” – love and affection · Sociability feels good and is good · Romantic love · Sex and the capacity to entertain · Extramarital sex · Altruism · Loneliness and solitude · Relationships and subjective interpretation · Experiencing love Chapter summary Chapter 4: Morality PART A: What is moral instinct? · Definition of morality · Morality as sociability · Universal moral triggers · Empathy and “do no harm” · Fairness PART B: Complications 1. Morality is ultimately relative, not an absolute law of nature. 2. Moral instinct is instinctive – we feel first, and reason later. 3. Our instincts do not always prompt us to behave “morally”. 4. Morality is often nuanced and contextual. 5. Morality inherently prompts us to privilege other members of our own social group at the expense of members of other groups. 6. Moral norms are not stable, but rather change over time PART C: Practical implications · Embrace a moral principle · Live and let live · Let reason, not emotion, determine the answer to complex moral issues · “Mind the gap” between moral instinct and behavioural response Chapter summary Chapter 5: Happiness PART A: Happiness as the goal of human existence PART B: Defining Happiness · Pain and pleasure · Fundamental needs - Maslow’s hierarchy of needs - Self-actualisation - Critical assessment of Maslow’s ideas - Self-actualisation for all · Happiness as wellbeing PART C: Happiness in the world · Measuring happiness · Are people happy? PART D: What makes people happy? · What helps individuals to be happy? 1. Genes 2. Sense of personal agency (“locus of control”) 3. Life stage 4. Relationships 5. Health 6. Money 7. Work 8. Religion · What helps societies to be happy? PART E: Personal meaning 1. The Meaning of Life 2. Meaning in life 3. Will to meaning 4. Experiencing meaning · Sources of meaning Sources of meaning - Frankl 1. Creating a work or doing a deed 2. Experiencing something or encountering someone 3. The attitude we take to unavoidable suffering 4. “Actualising” personal potential Sources of meaning – post Frankl 5. Positive affect 6. Belonging 7. Religious and other worldviews 8. The Self 9. Mental time travel 10. Mortality awareness · Meaning as everyday experience Chapter summary Summary of beliefs discussed Acknowledgements Index of Topics Index of authors quoted Selected bibliography
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Author Information
Paul Rogers read English at Queens' College, Cambridge, and has always enjoyed writing. 'What to Believe When You Don't' is his first major solo work. Inspired by E.M. Forster's advice to 'only connect', Paul values meaningful relationships with family and friends above all.
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