Buch, Englisch, 192 Seiten, Format (B × H): 145 mm x 222 mm, Gewicht: 518 g
Reihe: Guides for the Perplexed
A Guide for the Perplexed
Buch, Englisch, 192 Seiten, Format (B × H): 145 mm x 222 mm, Gewicht: 518 g
Reihe: Guides for the Perplexed
ISBN: 978-0-8264-4326-7
Verlag: Bloomsbury 3PL
Interest in atheism has surged since the “New Atheism” trinity of Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens launched their attack on religious belief. Their militant, in-your-face style has delighted readers who are already nonbelievers and infuriated theists, and in the process made them best-selling authors. But the cost of their approach is that the current cultural and intellectual dialogue about atheism frequently generates more heat than light: acrimony replaces reasoned investigation, polemic overpowers philosophical analysis, and too often the outcome is confusion rather than truth.
Atheism: A Guide for the Perplexed moves beyond the polemics to present an overview of atheism that is rigorous but still accessible to the educated layperson as well as the undergraduate student in philosophy and theology courses. After a preliminary investigation of what atheists mean when they use the words “atheism” and “God”—a much more complex investigation than one might suspect—the book explores the differences and similarities between “old” and “new” atheism (the primary distinction is that the latter relies heavily on science whereas the former relied on philosophy and is uncompromisingly hostile to religion); places atheism of either variety in context by examining the naturalistic worldview that grounds it; provides a short historical sketch of atheism; examines a number of arguments against God-belief; investigates whether an atheist worldview is consistent with ethics and a sense of purposefulness; asks is an atheist “spirituality” is possible; inquires into whether the current militancy against religious belief is pertinent or a red herring; and concludes with a few suggestions for continued dialogue between believers and nonbelievers.
The goal throughout is to present a balanced, non-partisan introduction to the worldview, principles, and arguments of atheism that highlights the positions strengths as well as ist weaknesses.
Autoren/Hrsg.
Fachgebiete
- Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Religionsphilosophie, Philosophische Theologie
- Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Alternative Glaubensformen Agnostizismus, Atheismus, Säkularer Humanismus
- Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Religionsphilosophie, Philosophische Theologie
