The Metropolis

Alain de Botton wants to build a temple for atheists in the City of London

Mike Pollitt | Wednesday 25 January, 2012 15:44

First up, some deduction from me – Alain de Botton has a book out, and this is good publicity for it. The temple will never be built.

But it’s interesting publicity stunt, so let’s go with it. Here’s some reporting from Dezeen:

“De Botton has begun working on the first Temple for Atheists. Designed by Tom Greenall Architects, this will be a huge black tower nestled among the office buildings in the City of London. Measuring 46 meters in all, the tower represents the age of the earth, with each centimetre equating to 1 million years and with, at the tower’s base, a tiny band of gold a mere millimetre thick standing for mankind’s time on earth.”

Nice concept.

Would it convince the atheists among you to “worship” there rather than the glistening spires of nearby Westfield East?

Is a temple to atheism, or humanism, or science, a useful idea given that reason, scepticism and the rejection of the monolithic certainties which temples represent form the basis of such systems of thought? Does the adoption of religious architectural language diminish or strenghten the power of atheistic ideas? Has de Botton even thought about planning permission?

Questions to ponder here, my friends. Which makes it a publicity stunt worth having.

Dezeen – Alain de Botton plans temples for atheists
Picture – Tom Greenhall Architects

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