Surrey resident leaves high-pressure business career to publish a bold new book on living well without religion
After stepping back from a demanding career in the business world, Surrey author Paul Rogers has channelled his lifelong fascination with ideas into a remarkable debut.
‘What to Believe When You Don’t’ a book that invites readers to understand the world and their own happiness, entirely through natural, material explanations. No religious framework required.
Living quietly with his wife Gilly and their dog Bruno in Surrey, Paul Rogers has used the space that retirement afforded him to undertake a deep, sustained exploration of the questions that shaped his life. What to Believe When You Don’t unravels the mysteries of our Universe and of life on Earth and shows how they are all governed by beautifully logical natural laws, no divine explanations needed.
The result is a work that is already attracting attention for its clarity, ambition and accessibility, with early reviewers on Amazon stating –
“a treasure trove of ideas”
“a thought-provoking tour de force encompassing philosophy, literature, mathematics, behavioural science, evolutionary biology and a whole lot more”
“leaves one with a greater understanding of who and what we are”
Above all, What to Believe When You Don’t gives the reader practical ideas about life which will help them to make their own decisions about how to live and be happy.
“Years ago, I read a book on atheism,” Paul says, “and one line struck me deeply: that many atheists are clearer about what they don’t believe in, than what they do. That thought stayed with me, and eventually became the seed for this book.”
The book builds on over a decade of research into the various topics covered. The manuscript took a further five years to complete, during which Paul conducted extensive supplementary research. The result is a book that is both rigorous and approachable, grounded in evidence yet rich in insight and accessible to a wide audience.
Paul explains, “I have wrestled with all the issues in the book at different points in my life, and this is my attempt to synthesise what I have learned into a single joined-up narrative. I consciously try not to be prescriptive in terms of solutions. One of the book’s main messages is that we must each decide how to live for ourselves, as individuals. I try to make it easier for the reader to exercise this choice in an informed way, but not to tell them what choices they should make specifically.”
About the author
Paul Rogers lives in Surrey with his wife, Gilly and their dog Bruno.
Paul read English at Queens’ College, Cambridge and then pursued a career in business. He has always been an avid reader, of both fiction and non-fiction. He is also passionate about writing, but it is only in retirement that he has found the time and headspace to engage properly with this. 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. Beyond this, when he isn’t watching football with Gilly, enjoying plays by Shakespeare or Beckett, or hacking round a golf course, he can often be found enjoying nature, walking in the woods with Bruno.
What to Believe When You Don’t is published by The Conrad Press and is available from Amazon and all good booksellers.