Alain de Botton: do we need God back? - a podcast by BBC Radio 4

At the end of another overwhelming week of news, it’s time for bit of perspective.Ten years ago philosopher Alain de Botton founded The School of Life, a collective of psychologists, writers and philosophers mulling over life’s big questions to its 5 million YouTube subscribers.Alain argues that the news doesn’t give us the information we need to live happy lives and explores why we feel lonely and why our relationships fail. He argues that secular societies have discarded the useful bits of religion and tells us why, when it comes to ritual, sacrifice, service and communion, we could do with bringing it back.Plus, the king of romantic philosophy tries a dating app for the very first time and explains why there’s no point even trying to find the ‘right’ person.

Further episodes of Beyond Today

Further podcasts by BBC Radio 4

Website of BBC Radio 4