Dennis Prager stands as one of the most influential voices in modern conservative thought. As the founder of the widely recognized digital educational platform PragerU and a veteran radio host with decades on air, he has shaped public discourse on religion, ethics, and the foundations of Western civilization. His intellectual reach extends across more than a dozen books and countless lectures, making him a pivotal figure in contemporary cultural debates whose influence spans generations.
In a moment of profound personal adversity, Prager is releasing what may be his most consequential work yet. His upcoming book, titled "If There Is No God: The Battle Over Who Defines Good and Evil," emerges from circumstances that would have silenced many. In 2024, the author experienced a devastating fall that left him paralyzed from the waist down, transforming his physical reality but not his intellectual conviction or productivity. This life-altering event has added unexpected weight to a project already decades in the making.
The completion of this manuscript under such harrowing conditions speaks volumes about its importance to Prager. From his hospital bed, he dictated and edited passages, determined to share a message he considers urgent for our time. The book's origins trace back three decades to a weekend-long seminar Prager conducted for 74 teenagers in 1992. Joel Alperson, who organized that pivotal gathering and recorded every moment, became instrumental in bringing this work to fruition. Their collaboration ensured that Prager's insights would reach readers despite his medical crisis, creating a bridge between past wisdom and present need.
At its heart, the book confronts a question that has consumed Prager since childhood: Why do human beings inflict suffering on one another? What drives people to commit acts of profound evil? This inquiry is not merely academic for the author. Born in 1948, just three years after the Holocaust's end, Prager grew up in the shadow of history's darkest chapter. As a third-generation American, he might have been distant from those events geographically, but psychologically they dominated his early consciousness and shaped his worldview.
At age ten, while watching television, young Dennis encountered an image of Adolf Hitler. When he asked his father about the figure, the response was stark and unforgettable: "He was Hitler, and he killed six million Jews." That moment crystallized a lifelong obsession with understanding the nature of evil and the moral frameworks that either permit or prevent such horrors. The question was not just historical but urgently personal: what moral failures enabled such atrocity?
The central thesis of Prager's new work is a direct challenge to contemporary cultural trends. He argues that right and wrong cannot be reduced to personal preference or subjective opinion. In an era where moral relativism dominates academic and social discourse, Prager mounts a vigorous defense of objective, biblical morality. He contends that without a transcendent source of ethics, society loses its ability to condemn genuine evil or promote authentic good. The consequences of this loss extend far beyond philosophy into the practical realm of raising children and maintaining civil society.
This perspective places Prager at odds with prevailing intellectual currents that treat morality as culturally constructed or individually determined. The book's title itself poses a stark proposition: if there is no divine foundation for morality, then the battle over defining good and evil becomes a power struggle rather than a search for truth. Prager warns that this shift has catastrophic implications for how we raise future generations and maintain social cohesion. When each person becomes their own moral authority, shared standards dissolve.
The timing of this publication feels particularly significant. As Western societies grapple with rising antisemitism, political polarization, and ethical confusion, Prager's voice offers a clarifying—if controversial—perspective. His personal tragedy adds a layer of gravitas to the message; this is not abstract philosophy from an ivory tower, but wisdom forged through both historical awareness and present suffering. The contrast between his physical limitation and his unbounded intellectual concern creates a powerful narrative of perseverance.
Readers can anticipate a deeper exploration of these themes in an upcoming interview conducted by Abigail Shrier, who will speak with Prager directly from his hospital room. This conversation promises to illuminate how personal adversity has shaped the author's perspective on the very nature of good and evil. The setting itself underscores the urgency of his message.
The book's structure reflects its origins as a living dialogue with young people. Rather than dense academic prose, it maintains the accessible, urgent tone of a mentor speaking directly to the next generation. This approach makes complex philosophical questions tangible and immediate. How do we cultivate moral courage in children when surrounding culture denies objective standards? What tools can we offer young people to recognize and resist evil when it appears?
Prager's answer centers on restoring confidence in universal moral truths grounded in religious tradition. He argues that the biblical framework provides the necessary resources to identify evil clearly and motivate goodness effectively. Without such a foundation, he suggests, we risk raising generations unable to articulate why certain actions are fundamentally wrong, not merely distasteful or unfashionable. The inability to make firm moral distinctions leaves societies vulnerable to manipulation and cruelty.
The author's own life story demonstrates this commitment to moral clarity. Despite facing a physically limiting condition that would understandably shift focus inward, Prager has chosen to amplify his message about collective responsibility and ethical standards. This decision itself becomes a case study in practicing what he preaches—persisting in doing good despite personal cost. His paralysis has not paralyzed his voice or his mission.
Critics will likely challenge Prager's insistence on religious foundations for morality, pointing to secular ethical systems that claim objective grounding. However, the book's strength lies not in winning philosophical debates but in addressing practical concerns about character formation and social health. Prager writes not for academia but for parents, teachers, and citizens worried about cultural decay. He offers concrete guidance for those seeking to instill moral backbone in young people.
The work also serves as a historical document, preserving insights from a 1992 seminar that predates many of today's cultural flashpoints. Yet its relevance has only intensified. Questions about free speech, religious liberty, and moral education dominate current headlines, making Prager's decades-old wisdom feel prescient. The teenagers who first heard these ideas are now adults navigating an even more confused moral landscape.
As PragerU continues reaching millions with short educational videos, this book represents a more sustained argument for the worldview underlying that content. It connects the dots between cultural symptoms and philosophical roots, offering readers a coherent framework for understanding why debates about morality have become so contentious. The platform's success demonstrates the hunger for clear moral guidance.
Ultimately, "If There Is No God" asks readers to consider whether a society can long survive without shared moral commitments. Prager's paralysis adds an unexpected poignancy to this question—his physical limitation contrasts with his unbounded concern for civilization's future. The book becomes a testament to the power of ideas to transcend personal circumstances and speak to universal human needs.
For those following Prager's career, this release marks a new chapter defined by resilience and urgency. For newcomers, it offers an accessible entry point into a worldview that has influenced millions. In either case, the message is clear: the definition of good and evil is too important to leave to individual whim. The stakes, as Prager's life and work demonstrate, could not be higher. The future of how we understand morality itself hangs in the balance.