50 Great Myths About Atheism by Russell Blackford (English) Paperback Book

Description: 50 Great Myths About Atheism by Russell Blackford, Udo SchÜklenk Tackling a host of myths and prejudices commonly leveled at atheism, this captivating volume bursts with sparkling, eloquent arguments on every page. The authors rebut claims that range from atheism being just another religion to the alleged atrocities committed in its name. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Tackling a host of myths and prejudices commonly leveled at atheism, this captivating volume bursts with sparkling, eloquent arguments on every page. The authors rebut claims that range from atheism being just another religion to the alleged atrocities committed in its name. An accessible yet scholarly commentary on hot-button issues in the debate over religious beliefTeaches critical thinking skills through detailed, rational argumentObjectively considers each myth on its meritsIncludes a history of atheism and its advocates, an appendix detailing atheist organizations, and an extensive bibliographyExplains the differences between atheism and related concepts such as agnosticism and naturalism Back Cover Engaging, good-humored, and brilliantly argued, this volume confronts head-on many of the myths, slanders, misconceptions, and half-truths about atheism and its adherents. The crisply articulate authors, both respected philosophers, tackle allegations that range from the claim that atheism is just another religion, to the familiar slur about atrocities having been committed in its name. They counter religionists hubristic prediction that atheism has no future, and engage with important themes including the relationship between atheism and ethics, where they demonstrate that belief in a deity is not the only foundation for moral probity. As well as getting to the heart of one of todays most hotly contested debates, the authors present a brief history of modern atheism, and explain why the empiricism of modern science makes the intellectual appeal of atheism irresistible. In doing so, they provide a dazzling tutorial on critical thinking, and conclude that atheism is now the only truly reasonable response to the God question. Flap Engaging, good-humored, and brilliantly argued, this volume confronts head-on many of the myths, slanders, misconceptions, and half-truths about atheism and its adherents. The crisply articulate authors, both respected philosophers, tackle allegations that range from the claim that atheism is just another religion, to the familiar slur about atrocities having been committed in its name. They counter religionists hubristic prediction that atheism has no future, and engage with important themes including the relationship between atheism and ethics, where they demonstrate that belief in a deity is not the only foundation for moral probity. As well as getting to the heart of one of todays most hotly contested debates, the authors present a brief history of modern atheism, and explain why the empiricism of modern science makes the intellectual appeal of atheism irresistible. In doing so, they provide a dazzling tutorial on critical thinking, and conclude that atheism is now the only truly reasonable response to the God question. Author Biography Russell Blackford is Conjoint Lecturer in the School of Humanities and Social Science at the University of Newcastle, Australia. A renowned philosopher, literary critic, author and commentator on a range of topics including legal and political philosophy, philosophy of religion, meta-ethics, and philosophical bioethics, he is a prolific essayist and author whose works include Freedom of Religion and the Secular State (Wiley-Blackwell, 2012). Dr Blackford is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Evolution and Technology. Udo SchÜklenk is Professor of Philosophy at Queens University, Canada, where he holds the Ontario Research Chair in Bioethics. A renowned bioethicist, he is joint editor-in-chief of the international journals Bioethics and Developing World Bioethics. A prolific author and editor, he has produced 7 books and published more than 130 articles in international journals and anthologies, mostly on public health ethics, research ethics and end-of-life issues. He recently chaired an international expert panel drafting a landmark report on end-of-life care on behalf of the Royal Society of Canada. Table of Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 What is Atheism? 2 Why Bother About Myths? 4 Drawing the Lines 5 Do These Myths Actually Exist? 6 How Did We Decide What Myths are Worth Investigating? 6 Are We Picking Easy Targets? 7 Have We Defeated Theism? 7 1 What is Atheism? 9 Myth 1 Atheism is Just Another Type of Religion 9 Myth 2 But the Courts Recognize Atheism as a Religion 12 Myth 3 Atheists Believe in God but are in Denial 14 Myth 4 Atheists are Certain There is No God 18 Myth 5 Atheists Hate or are Angry with God 21 Myth 6 Atheism is a Rebellion Against Gods Authority 24 Myth 7 Atheists See No Good in Religion 27 Myth 8 No Atheist Believes in Anything Supernatural 28 Myth 9 It Makes No Sense for an Atheist to Practice Any Kind of Religion 29 Myth 10 Atheists Worship False Gods (Satan, Money, Materialism, etc.) 31 2 Atheist Living 34 Myth 11 Atheism Robs Life of Meaning and Purpose 34 Myth 12 Atheism is Depressing 40 Myth 13 Atheists Have No Sense of Humor 42 Myth 14 Atheists Dont Appreciate Some of the Greatest Works of Art 45 Myth 15 There is no Christmas in Atheist Families 47 Myth 16 Atheists Dont Appreciate the Beauty and Perfection of Gods Creation 49 Myth 17 Atheists Fear Death (More than Others) 51 Myth 18 Atheists Turn to God When Death is Near 54 Myth 19 There are no Atheists in Foxholes 56 3 Atheism, Ethics, and the Soul 59 Myth 20 Without God There is No Morality 59 Myth 21 Atheists are Moral Relativists 66 Myth 22 Atheists Dont Give to Charity 70 Myth 23 Atheists Deny the Sanctity of Human Life 74 Myth 24 If There is No God We are Soulless Creatures 76 4 Name Calling 79 Myth 25 Atheists are all Communists, Left-Wing, Liberal. . . 79 Myth 26 Atheists Cant be Trusted 83 Myth 27 Many Atrocities Have Been Committed in the Name of Atheism 85 Myth 28 Adolf Hitler was an Atheist 90 Myth 29 Atheists Give a Free Pass to Non-Christian Religions 95 5 Horrible, Strident Atheists 99 Myth 30 Atheists are Arrogant 99 Myth 31 Atheists are Intolerant 103 Myth 32 Atheists Want to Ban Teaching Religion to Children 107 Myth 33 Atheists Want to Strip People of their Beliefs 110 Myth 34 Atheists Want to Ban Religion from the Public Square 111 Myth 35 Atheists Dont Understand Moderate Religion 114 Myth 36 We Should Fear a Fundamentalist or Militant Atheism 119 Myth 37 Atheists are to Blame for Religious Fundamentalism 125 6 Faith and Reason 131 Myth 38 Atheists Dont Understand the Nature of Faith 131 Myth 39 Atheism Depends on Faith, Just the Same as Religion 138 Myth 40 Atheism is Self-refuting, as Rational Argument Presumes the Existence of God 142 7 Religion and Science 146 Myth 41 There is No Conflict Between Religion and Science 146 Myth 42 Atheists Confuse Two Forms of Naturalism 149 Myth 43 Atheism Implies Scientism 153 Myth 44 Evolutionary Theory is a Form of Atheistic Religion 157 Myth 45 Albert Einstein Professed a Belief in God 160 Myth 46 Atheists Cant Explain Miracles 164 Myth 47 Atheists Cant Explain the Resurrection 171 8 No Future for Atheism? 176 Myth 48 Atheism is a Bad Bet (Pascals Wager) 176 Myth 49 Atheism is Only for an Educated Elite 180 Myth 50 Atheism is Doomed in a Postsecular Age 182 9 The Rise of Modern Atheism 187 A Very Short History of Atheism 187 Beginning Atheism 189 How Did We Become Secular? 192 Classic Theistic Arguments 197 Religion and Science – Conflicting or Compatible? 209 Conclusion – the Reasonableness of Atheism 234 International Atheist and Related Organizations 236 References 242 Index 261 Review "Overall, Blackford and Schu¨ klenks work is a valuable contribution to the debate between believers and non-believers." (Journal of Contemporary Religion, 1 August 2014) Review appeared in Times Higher Education - 2 January 2014 "I recommend it as useful reading both to those who are freethinkers (whatever they call themselves, be it atheists, agnostics or secularists) and to "believers", particularly the hard-core religious ones, though it might prove "heavy-going" for them at times, and they are unlikely to be able to suspend belief and permit scepticism to intrude into their "blind faith"." (New Nurturing Potential, 1 September 2013) "I am happy to report that Blackford and SchÜklenks collaboration has given us an intellectually rigorous yet compositionally relaxed book. It is clearly written, clear-headed, and amusing on occasion (especially with the inclusion of comics from the Jesus & Mo website). It is simply organized, as the title indicates, with the authors taking on the 50 Myths one by one." (Neworld Review, Vol 6. No. 46) Long Description Engaging, good-humored, and brilliantly argued, this volume confronts head-on many of the myths, slanders, misconceptions, and half-truths about atheism and its adherents. The crisply articulate authors, both respected philosophers, tackle allegations that range from the claim that atheism is just another religion, to the familiar slur about atrocities having been committed in its name. They counter religionists hubristic prediction that atheism has no future, and engage with important themes including the relationship between atheism and ethics, where they demonstrate that belief in a deity is not the only foundation for moral probity. As well as getting to the heart of one of today s most hotly contested debates, the authors present a brief history of modern atheism, and explain why the empiricism of modern science makes the intellectual appeal of atheism irresistible. In doing so, they provide a dazzling tutorial on critical thinking, and conclude that atheism is now the only truly reasonable response to the God question . Review Text ?Overall, Blackford and SchuÂ¨ klenk?s work is a valuable contribution to the debate between believers and non-believers.?Â (Journal of Contemporary Religion, 1 August 2014) Review appeared in Times Higher Education - 2 January 2014 ?I recommend it as useful reading both to those who are freethinkers (whatever they call themselves, be it atheists, agnostics or secularists) and to "believers", particularly the hard-core religious ones, though it might prove "heavy-going" for them at times, and they are unlikely to be able to suspend belief and permit scepticism to intrude into their "blind faith".?Â (New Nurturing Potential, 1 September 2013) "I am happy to report that Blackford and SchÃ¼klenk?s collaboration has given us an intellectually rigorous yet compositionally relaxed book. It is clearly written, clear-headed, and amusing on occasion (especially with the inclusion of comics from the Jesus & Mo website). It is simply organized, as the title indicates, with the authors taking on the 50 Myths one by one." (Neworld Review, Vol 6. No. 46) ?It has been my lot to have encountered all but three ofÂ the 50 Great Myths about Atheism listed by Blackford and SchÃ¼klenk, most of them many times. It is useful to have them all listed in one book ? and so readably and authoritatively refuted. The long final chapter treats theological arguments with more respect than I would have bothered with, but the refutation is all the more convincing for that. The whole book builds inexorably to its conclusion: the Reasonableness of Atheism.? ?Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion ?With humor, wisdom and sound philosophy, Blackford and SchÃ¼klenk dismantle 50 important myths about atheism. Â In doing so, they have done atheists and religious believers a great service, for putting aside the myths enables us to see where real differences remain.? ?Peter Singer, Princeton University "Atheists are routinely called ?aggressive,? but their strong values include a tolerance rarely shown them by the religious. This books calm ripostes defend atheists everywhere against unreasoned assaults from the dwindling faithful. "Â ?Polly Toynbee, The Guardian ?Busted! Fifty times over! So say Blackford andÂ SchÃ¼klenk ? the New Mythbusters?with reason, conviction and style. I enjoyed this book immensely.? ?Graham Oppy, Monash University ?A brilliantly wide-ranging exploration of misconceptions about atheism and their relationship to our ideas about minds, human nature, morality ? for pretty much everything we care about.? ?Ophelia Benson, co-author of Does God Hate Women? ?This is a book that?s as enjoyable to read as it is informative. Sharp, clever, and witty, it systematically dismantles misconceptions about atheism. Even God could learn something from it!? ?Ronald A. Lindsay, President, Center for Inquiry Review Quote "Overall, Blackford and Schu Details ISBN0470674059 Year 2013 ISBN-10 0470674059 ISBN-13 9780470674055 Format Paperback DEWEY 211.8 Short Title 50 GRT MYTHS ABT ATHEISM Language English Media Book Pages 288 Publication Date 2013-10-18 Illustrations black & white illustrations Edition 1st UK Release Date 2013-10-18 AU Release Date 2013-10-18 NZ Release Date 2013-10-18 US Release Date 2013-10-18 Author Udo SchÜklenk Publisher John Wiley and Sons Ltd Imprint Wiley-Blackwell Place of Publication Hoboken Alternative 9780470674048 Audience Professional & Vocational Country of Publication United Kingdom We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. 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