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"Wiley Blackwell's
Companion to Atheism and Philosophy is a rich, deep, and nuanced exploration of atheism and its relationship to philosophy. The collection is essential reading for anyone interested in the philosophy of religion and for those looking to understand the rich variety of positions and arguments associated with an atheistic worldview. It is destined to become a classic!"
--
Stuart Brock, Victoria University "This book is a superb primer on atheist philosophical thought that ranges from the obvious dispute with theism to the much broader intellectual implications of atheism. Everyone who wishes to understand the atheist tradition--be they believers or unbelievers--will be well-served by turning to this book, which curates scholarly conversation around the issues rather than merely exhibiting views. I now know what to recommend to anyone who should see what atheist thought can achieve."
--Konrad Talmont-Kaminski, University of Bialystok Philosophers throughout history have debated the existence of gods, but it is only in recent years that the absence of such a belief has become a significant topic of philosophical analysis, in particular for philosophers of religion. Although it is difficult to trace the historical contours of atheism as the lack of belief in a higher power, the reasoned, reflective, and thoughtful rejection of theism has become commonplace in many modern intellectual circles, including academic philosophy where disciplinary data indicates that a large majority of philosophers self-identify as atheists. As the first book of its kind to bring together a collection of writing on the philosophical aspects of atheism both historical and contemporary, the
Companion to Atheism and Philosophy stages an explicit, constructive, and comprehensive conversation between philosophy and atheism to examine the ways in which atheist thought intersects with ideas and positions from a variety of philosophical and theological sub-disciplines.
The
Companion begins by addressing the foundational questions and lingering controversies which underpin philosophical thought about atheism, exploring the implications of major developments in the history of philosophy for the modern atheistic worldview. Divided into eight distinct sections, essays consider a range of thinkers who were widely believed to have been atheists--including David Hume, Mary Wollstonecraft, Karl Marx, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton--and survey different kinds of objections to theism and atheism, including logical, evidential, normative, and prudential. Later chapters trace the relationship between atheism and metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and political philosophy oriented around topics such as pragmatism, postmodernism, freedom, education, violence, and happiness.
Deftly curated and thoughtfully composed,
A Companion to Atheism and Philosophy is the most ambitious and authoritative account of philosophical thinking on atheism available, and is a first-rate resource for academics, professionals, and students of philosophy, religious studies, and theology.
List of contents
Notes on Contributors viii
Acknowledgments xii
Introduction 1
Graham Oppy Part I Individual Thinkers 13 1 Hume 15
Jennifer Smalligan Marušic¿ 2 Holbach 28
Michael LeBuffe and Emilie Gourdon 3 Marx 43
Vanessa Wills 4 Wollstonecraft 58
Sandrine Bergès 5 Cady Stanton 71
Claudette Fillard 6 Russell 83
Carolyn Swanson Part II Philosophical Movements 97 7 Empiricism 99
Gregory Dawes 8 Pragmatism 111
Robert Almeder 9 Existentialism 123
Mariam Thalos 10 Postmodernism 138
Christopher Watkin 11 Naturalism 152
Eric Steinhart Part III Critiques of Theism 167 12 Logical Objections to Theism 169
Stephen Law 13 Evidential Objections to Theism 191
Herman Philipse 14 Normative Objections to Theism 204
Stephen Maitzen 15 Prudential Objections to Theism 216
Guy Kahane Part IV Metaphysics 235 16 Freedom 237
Alfred Mele 17 Supernatural 250
Berit Brogaard 18 Death 262
Beth Seacord Part V Epistemology 275 19 Skepticism 277
Duncan Pritchard 20 Methods of Science 291
Elliott Sober 21 Evidence 303
Michael Tooley 22 Evolution 323
Michael Ruse Part VI Ethics 341 23 Meta-Ethics 343
Elizabeth Tropman 24 Meaning 355
Thaddeus Metz 25 Normative Skepticism 367
Susana Nuccetelli Part VII Politics 381 26 Education 383
Jennifer Bleazby 27 Happiness 396
Gregory S. Paul 28 Violence 421
Steve Clarke 29 Church and State 436
Cristina Lafont Part VIII Critiques of Atheism 449 30 Logical Objections to Atheism 451
Christopher Gregory Weaver 31 Evidential Objections to Atheism 476
Helen De Cruz 32 Normative Objections to Atheism 491
C. Stephen Evans 33 Prudential Objections to Atheism 506
Amanda Askell Bibliography 521
Index 565
About the author
Graham Oppy is Professor of Philosophy at Monash University, CEO of the Australasian Association of Philosophy, and a member of the Council of the Australian Academy of Humanities. He has published a wide range of books in philosophy of religion, including
Naturalism and Religion, Atheism and Agnosticism, and
Reading Philosophy of Religion, and has recently focused on the development of atheistic and naturalistic understandings of religion.
