Why Atheism?Is it possible for the nonbeliever to lead a happy and meaningful life? This is one question George H. Smith, defender of reason and personal liberty and author of an influential contemporary classic on nonbelief, seeks to answer in Why Atheism? Smith reviews the historical roots of nonbelief going back to the ancient Greeks, argues that philosophy can serve as an important alternative to religion, and defends reason as the most reliable method humans have for establishing truth and conducting one's life. Why Atheism? tackles a wide range of subjects, some of which have never been thoroughly analyzed from an atheistic point of view. Beginning with the problem of atheism's credibility, Smith points out the various ways in which religious opponents have sought to exclude atheism from serious consideration. He also analyzes a number of classical philosophical issues, such as the nature of knowledge and belief, concluding that modern atheism is largely an unintended consequence of the religious diversity brought about by the Protestant Reformation. Two chapters are devoted to ethics, one focusing on the ethics of belief with particular attention given to the views of Thomas Aquinas and John Locke. Other chapters discuss the persecution of religious dissenters and the features of an ethical system without belief in God. Smith's characteristic lucidity, analytical rigor, and wit make Why Atheism? an accessible and enjoyable guide to living a positive life without belief in a supreme being. |
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User Review - quantum_flapdoodle - LibraryThingOne of the earlier books I read on atheism, which helped me to come to grips with my own thoughts and ideas. For a reader who is willing and able to wade through rather dense philsophy, this is a good ... Read full review
Contents
Theology and Metaphysics | 133 |
The Ontological Argument | 149 |
The Roots of Modern Atheism I | 173 |
Copyright | |
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abstract accept according affirm Anselm appears assent assess atheist attributes Ayn Rand Bacon belief Catholic century certainty Christian cognitive conceive concept context contradiction credibility critical deconversion depend Descartes divine doctrine Epicurus epistemological ethics evaluate evidence evil example experience external fact faith fallible Fideism Francis Bacon freethinkers Gassendi Gibbon God's essence Greek history of philosophy Hobbes Ibid Immanuel Kant infallible intellect Jack John Locke judgment justified Kant kind kinda know knowledge claims Locke's logical matter means ment merely metaphysical methodic doubt mind miracles modern moral natural theology nature never nonexistence object Occam's Razor Ontological Argument opinion perfect joke personal atheist philoso philosopher position possible predicate problem proposition Protestants psychological Pyrrhonic question rational rationalist reason refutation reject religion religious revelation Santa Schopenhauer sense Sextus Empiricus Spinoza suppose theologians theory things Thomas Aquinas Thomas Hobbes three angles tion trans triangle true truth universal word
Bibliographic information
| Title | Why Atheism? |
| Author | George H. Smith |
| Publisher | Prometheus Books, 2000 |
| Original from | the University of Michigan |
| Digitized | Jun 23, 2009 |
| ISBN | 1573922684, 9781573922685 |
| Length | 250 pages |
| Subjects | › Religion / Atheism |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |