Alain de Botton was born in Zurich, Switzerland in 1969 and now lives in London. He is a writer of essayistic books that have been described as a ‘philosophy of everyday life.’ He has written on love, travel, architecture and literature. His books have been bestsellers in 30 countries. He started and helps to run a school in London called The School of Life, dedicated to a new vision of education. Alain’s most recent book, ‘The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work’, was published last year.
The most boring question to ask about religion is whether or not the whole thing is ‘true’. It’s a measure of the banality of recent discussions on theological matters that it is precisely this issue which has hogged the limelight, pitting a hardcore group of fanatical believers against an equally small band of fanatical atheists.
(This story appears in the 04 June, 2010 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)