Religion is almost universally regarded as crucial to achieving
happiness. Even critics of religion often concede that it helps
people live more fulfilling lives. In this talk, Locke argues
that, far from being a means to a successful life, religion is
incompatible with a basic need of human life: self-esteem. Dr.
Locke shows that religion undermines every essential
precondition of self-esteem: metaphysically, it declares that
man is evil by nature; epistemologically, it regards faith as
superior to reason; ethically, it advocates the “virtues” of
obedience, altruistic duty and humility; and politically and
economically, it declares money-making to be sinful and demands
some form of statism. Indeed, religion attacks the quest for
self-esteem by denouncing its primary cause: pride. This talk
argues that pride is not a sin but a virtue, the virtue of moral
ambitiousness, and it is attained by constant adherence to
reason in the pursuit of moral perfection—a state which religion
makes impossible.