Atheism: What Everyone Needs to KnowOver the last decade, "New Atheists" such as Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens have pushed the issue of atheism to the forefront of public discussion. Yet very few of the ensuing debates and discussions have managed to provide a full and objective treatment of the subject. Atheism: What Everyone Needs to Know provides a balanced look at the topic, considering atheism historically, philosophically, theologically, sociologically and psychologically. Written in an easily accessible style, the book uses a question and answer format to examine the history of atheism, arguments for and against atheism, the relationship between religion and science, and the issue of the meaning of life-and whether or not one can be a happy and satisfied atheist. Above all, the author stresses that the atheism controversy is not just a matter of the facts, but a matter of burning moral concern, both about the stand one should take on the issues and the consequences of one's commitment. |
Contents
Prologue | 1 |
1 From the Greeks to the Enlightenment | 7 |
2 From the Enlightenment to the Present | 25 |
3 Statistics | 53 |
4 God and Humans | 67 |
5 Belief | 83 |
6 The Matter of Science | 100 |
7 Questions for the Christian | 122 |
8 Are There Good Reasons to Believe? | 148 |
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agnostic Alvin Plantinga American Anselm answer Anthropic Principle Aquinas argued argument Argument from Morality atheists believe Bible Buddhism C. S. Lewis Catholic causal cause certainly Charles Darwin Christ Christian church claims countries creation creator culture Darwin David Hume death deism deity Descartes dukkha earth eternal everything evil evolution evolutionary existence Expectedly faith father God’s gods going Gould Greek Hitler humans Hume Huxley idea Islam Jesus Jewish Jews kind laws least lives Lord major matter mean metaphor Michael Ruse miracles moral move Muslim naturalistic nibbana nineteenth century nonbelievers obviously ontological argument Oxford perhaps person philosopher physical Plantinga Plato position problem Protestants question reason religion religious Richard Dawkins role Ruse Sam Harris Scientific scientists seems sense simply social society started story suffering surely talk Testament theistic theology things thought tion tradition true truth University Press wrong