Atheism and Agnosticism

Atheism and Agnosticism PDF Author: Peter A. Huff
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1440870837
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 282

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Book Description
An overview essay and approximately 50 alphabetically arranged reference entries explore the background and significance of atheism and agnosticism in modern society. This is the age of atheism and agnosticism. The number of people living without religious belief and practice is quickly and dramatically rising. Some experts call nonreligion, after Christianity and Islam, the third largest "religion" in the world today. Understanding the origins, history, variations, and impact of atheism and agnosticism is crucial to getting a grasp of the meaning of the present and gaining a glimpse of the future. Exploring some of the most extraordinary people, events, and ideas of all time, this book provides a fair, comprehensive, and engaging survey of all aspects of contemporary atheism and agnosticism. An overview essay discusses the background and social and political contexts of unbelief, while a timeline highlights key events. Some 50 alphabetically arranged reference entries follow, with each providing fundamental, objective information about particular topics along with cross-references and suggestions for further reading. The volume closes with an annotated bibliography of the most important resources on atheism and agnosticism.

Atheism and Agnosticism

Atheism and Agnosticism PDF Author: Peter A. Huff
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1440870837
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 282

Get Book Here

Book Description
An overview essay and approximately 50 alphabetically arranged reference entries explore the background and significance of atheism and agnosticism in modern society. This is the age of atheism and agnosticism. The number of people living without religious belief and practice is quickly and dramatically rising. Some experts call nonreligion, after Christianity and Islam, the third largest "religion" in the world today. Understanding the origins, history, variations, and impact of atheism and agnosticism is crucial to getting a grasp of the meaning of the present and gaining a glimpse of the future. Exploring some of the most extraordinary people, events, and ideas of all time, this book provides a fair, comprehensive, and engaging survey of all aspects of contemporary atheism and agnosticism. An overview essay discusses the background and social and political contexts of unbelief, while a timeline highlights key events. Some 50 alphabetically arranged reference entries follow, with each providing fundamental, objective information about particular topics along with cross-references and suggestions for further reading. The volume closes with an annotated bibliography of the most important resources on atheism and agnosticism.

Atheism and Agnosticism

Atheism and Agnosticism PDF Author: Graham Oppy
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108638430
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 97

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Book Description
This Element is an elementary introduction to atheism and agnosticism. It begins with a careful characterisation of atheism and agnosticism, distinguishing them from many other things with which they are often conflated. After a brief discussion of the theoretical framework within which atheism and agnosticism are properly evaluated, it then turns to the sketching of cases for atheism and agnosticism. In both cases, the aim is not conviction, but rather advancement of understanding: the point of the cases is to make it intelligible why some take themselves to have compelling reason to adopt atheism or agnosticism.

The Errors of Atheism

The Errors of Atheism PDF Author: J. Angelo Corlett
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1441179895
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 271

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Book Description
The Errors of Atheism is a response to the glaring gap that exists in analytical philosophy on the concept of God. While there is the large body of work that either defends or challenges orthodox Christian theistic arguments, there is a lack of analytical philosophical work articulating agnosticism as a critique of both theism and atheism. J. Angelo Corlett shows that the conceptual depths of theism must be explored beyond orthodoxy in order to re-open the debate on the problem of God. His book is an agnostic's statement on the current state of the debate about God's existence and where the discussion must go to make genuine philosophical progress instead of remaining in a dialectical stalemate.

Atheism

Atheism PDF Author: George H. Smith
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 1615929959
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description
"Does a god exist? This question has undoubtedly been asked, in one form or another, since man has had the ability to communicate. . . Thousands of volumes have been written on the subject of a god, and the vast majority have answered the questions with a resounding 'Yes!' " "You are about to read a minority viewpoint." With this intriguing introduction, George H. Smith sets out to demolish what he considers the most widespread and destructive of all the myths devised by man - the concept of a supreme being. With painstaking scholarship and rigorous arguments, Mr. Smith examines, dissects, and refutes the myriad "proofs" offered by theists - the defenses of sophisticated, professional theologians, as well as the average religious layman. He explores the historical and psychological havoc wrought by religion in general - and concludes that religious belief cannot have any place in the life of modern, rational man. "It is not my purpose to convert people to atheism . . . (but to) demonstrate that the belief in God is irrational to the point of absurdity. If a person wishes to continue believing in a god, that is his prerogative, but he can no longer excuse his belief in the name of reason and moral necessity."

The Nones

The Nones PDF Author: Ryan P. Burge
Publisher: Fortress Press
ISBN: 1506488250
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 217

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Book Description
In The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going, Second Edition, Ryan P. Burge details a comprehensive picture of an increasingly significant group--Americans who say they have no religious affiliation. The growth of the nones in American society has been dramatic. In 1972, just 5 percent of Americans claimed "no religion" on the General Social Survey. In 2018, that number rose to 23.7 percent, making the nones as numerous as both evangelical Protestants and Roman Catholics. Every indication is that the nones will be the largest religious group in the United States in the next decade. Burge illustrates his precise but accessible descriptions with charts and graphs drawn from more than a dozen carefully curated datasets, some tracking changes in American religion over a long period of time, others large enough to allow a statistical deep dive on subgroups such as atheists or agnostics. Burge also draws on data that tracks how individuals move in and out of religion over time, helping readers to understand what type of people become nones and what factors lead an individual to return to religion. This second edition includes substantial updates with new chapters and current statistical and demographic information. The Nones gives readers a nuanced, accurate, and meaningful picture of the growing number of Americans who say that they have no religious affiliation. Burge explains how this rise happened, who the nones are, and what they mean for the future of American religion.

Against the Gods?

Against the Gods? PDF Author: Stefan Molyneux
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781975654382
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 80

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Book Description
Between the poles of strong atheism and strict theism lies agnosticism, the argument that gods are very unlikely, but cannot logically be ruled out as utterly impossible. Agnosticism is considered a cautious, tentative and scientific approach to the question of the existence of gods - Stefan Molyneux's seminal book "Against the Gods?" makes a powerful case against agnosticism and for the positive acceptance of the nonexistence of supernatural beings. It is not rational to even entertain the possibility of the existence of irrational entities. We do not accept agnosticism about unicorns, fairies, square circles, pixies or the proposition that two and two make five - why do we create a special exception in the realm of deities? Surely it is because the social cost of rejecting Gods is far higher than the social cost of rejecting goblins. "Against the Gods?" provides essential ammunition to those fighting the virus of faith, and clears the mental fog of the irrational middle ground between atheism and theism.

Agnosticism: A Very Short Introduction

Agnosticism: A Very Short Introduction PDF Author: Robin Le Poidevin
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191614548
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 152

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Book Description
What is agnosticism? Is it just the 'don't know' position on God, or is there more to it than this? Is it a belief, or merely the absence of belief? Who were the first to call themselves 'agnostics'? These are just some of the questions that Robin Le Poidevin considers in this Very Short Introduction. He sets the philosophical case for agnosticism and explores it as a historical and cultural phenomenon. What emerges is a much more sophisticated, and much more interesting, attitude than a simple failure to either commit to, or reject, religious belief. Le Poidevin challenges some preconceptions and assumptions among both believers and non-atheists, and invites the reader to rethink their own position on the issues. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry

Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry PDF Author: Neil deGrasse Tyson
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393356515
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 176

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Book Description
Neil deGrasse Tyson’s #1 New York Times best-selling guide to the cosmos, adapted for young readers. From the basics of physics to big questions about the nature of space and time, celebrated astrophysicist and science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson breaks down the mysteries of the cosmos into bite-sized pieces. Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry describes the fundamental rules and unknowns of our universe clearly—and with Tyson’s characteristic wit, there’s a lot of fun thrown in, too. This adaptation by Gregory Mone includes full-color photos, infographics, and extra explanations to make even the trickiest concepts accessible. Building on the wonder inspired by outer space, Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry introduces an exciting field and the principles of scientific inquiry to young readers.

Philosophy & Atheism

Philosophy & Atheism PDF Author: Kai Nielsen
Publisher: Buffalo, N.Y. : Prometheus Books
ISBN:
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 248

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Book Description


Agnostic

Agnostic PDF Author: Lesley Hazleton
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1594634130
Category : Agnosticism
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
"A widely admired writer on religion celebrates agnosticism as the most vibrant, engaging--and ultimately the most honest--stance toward the mysteries of existence." -- Amazon.com.