AtheismIs a life without religion one without values or purpose? Julian Baggini emphatically says no. He sets out to dispel the myths surrounding atheism and to show how it can be both a meaningful and moral choice. He directly confronts the failure of officially atheist states in the twentieth century, and presents an intellectual case for atheism that rests as much on reasoned and positive arguments for its truth as on negative arguments against religion. |
Contents
TWO The Case for Atheism | 19 |
THREE Atheist Ethics | 53 |
FOUR Meaning and Purpose | 83 |
FIVE Atheism in History | 109 |
SIX Against Religion? | 135 |
SEVEN Conclusion | 159 |
Picture Credits | 177 |
Common terms and phrases
A. J. Ayer Abraham accept agnostic agnosticism Alvin Plantinga Ancient Greece answer argue argument Aristotle's atheist belief atheists avoid bad thing belief system best explanation brain called Christian Church claim concept consciousness consequentialist consider conviction creatures crop circles David Hume death defeasible dogmatic eliminative materialism Enlightenment ethics Euthyphro dilemma example fact faith position fascism gion goal God's existence Gulag history of atheism hostile human humanist idea inductive instance justify kind life's meaning lives Loch Ness logical London look meaningful militant mind moral reasoning myth nature Nazi Nessies non-atheist pain person philosopher photograph physical pleasure possible principle problem proof question rational Ray Bradbury recognize reject reli religion religious belief Russell Stannard secular seems sense simply source of morality Soviet communism story strong evidence stuff supernatural suppose sure thought Thucydides tion true truth universe world view wrong