In his new book, THE BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE, WHY VIOLENCE HAS DECLINED, Steven Pincus basically makes the same case, saying that "secularism" and "scienceism" are what have advanced the species, but I think the same thing could happen to them as beliefs if they were organized and thus subjected to the same essentially political problems that beset religion.

My argument is that "faith" still has a place when looked at in terms of the hope it can provide believers who otherwise would have none.

Ben Sen - as long as the believers don't try to extinguish each other's 'hope'...