Comment 25 by plasma-engineer :

What a pathetic rag the Telegraph has become! That story is completely lacking in substance.

Its a shame that the dreaded Alain de Botton has (in my opinion wrongly) become associated with the sensible side of rationalism though. I can't imagine that we will easily get rid of him. It is too easy to ridicule the things that he has been reported saying, and by association ridicule the sensible things that are said.

I can't claim I've read all, not even many, of de Bottons books. But why would you describe him as 'dreaded', easy to ridicule and not on 'the sensible side of rationalism'? Of course the following is opinion, but I think he's been quite constructive. Offering secular alternatives to religion, making atheism more 'likeable'etc.