Atheism

Key people

• Douglas MurrayBritish author and political commentator (born 1979)
• Mauro PiacenzaCatholic cardinal
• Victor J. StengerAmerican philosopher (1935–2014)
• Emanuel Haldeman-JuliusAmerican publisher and activist (1889–1951)

Timeline

• 423 BCEAristophanes' comic play The Clouds (performed 423 BCE) portrays Socrates as teaching his students that the traditional Greek deities do not exist.
• 399 BCE470–399 BCE) with the trends in pre-Socratic philosophy towards naturalistic inquiry and the rejection of divine explanations for phenomena.
• 300 BCE300 BCE) published his view that the gods were only the deified rulers and founders of the past.
• 1674The first known explicit atheist was the German critic of religion Matthias Knutzen in his three writings of 1674.
• 1772As far back as 1772, Baron d'Holbach said that "All children are born Atheists; they have no idea of God." Similarly, George H.

Read

• The Necessity of AtheismDavid Marshall Brooks · 2007Book
• Atheism in pagan antiquityAnders Bjorn Drachmann · 1922Book
• Atheism for DummiesDale McGowan · 2013Book
• Atheism and alienationPatrick Masterson · 1971Book

Listen

• TheThinkingAtheistThe Thinking AtheistPodcast
• Thank God I'm AtheisttgiatheistPodcast
• Friendly Atheist PodcastFriendly Atheist PodcastPodcast
• Beyond Atheism PodcastAtheists United StudiosPodcast

Voices to follow

• Douglas Murray@douglaskmurray · XBritish author and political commentator (born 1979)

Debates

• Is atheism itself a belief system?One view: Yes, because it involves the belief that no gods exist, requiring a stance on a fundamental question. · Another: No, because it is simply the absence of belief in gods, not a positive affirmation of non-existence.Open question
• Can morality exist without a divine source or religious framework?One view: No, because divine commands or religious texts provide the ultimate authority and foundation for objective moral truths. · Another: Yes, because morality can be derived from human reason, empathy, and the pursuit of societal well-being.Open question
• Does atheism necessarily lead to a more scientific worldview?One view: Yes, because rejecting supernatural explanations encourages reliance on empirical evidence and rational inquiry. · Another: No, because one can be religious and still embrace scientific methods and discoveries in understanding the natural world.Open question

Glossary

• AtheismThe absence of belief in the existence of gods or a specific god.
• AgnosticismThe view that the existence of God, of the divine, or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable.
• TheismBelief in the existence of a god or gods, especially belief in one God as creator and ruler of the universe.
• HumanismA philosophical and ethical stance that emphasizes the value and agency of human beings, often preferring critical thinking and evidence over dogma or superstition.
• SecularismThe principle of separation of government institutions and persons mandated to represent the state from religious institutions and religious dignitaries.
• IrreligionThe absence of, indifference to, or rejection of religion.

Careers

Roles this can lead toward

Threads 3

Where this connects to other fields — and why it's worth knowing.

• Developmental Psychology Psychology

  Little kids naturally assume everything exists 'for a reason', clouds are for raining, rocks are for animals to scratch on. That instinct to see purpose and design is our brain's factory setting. Which flips the usual story: believing in a designer comes easy, while atheism is the harder position you have to learn.

• Incentives & Rational Choice Economics

  In places with no government safety net, your religious community is the backup plan: they bring food when you're sick and help when you're broke. So when a country builds strong welfare and unemployment support, people tend to drift away from church, because the state now does what the congregation used to.

• Misinformation & Disinformation Media

  Your brain is a pattern-and-agent detector, always asking 'who's behind this?' That same wiring that once conjured gods in thunderstorms now conjures secret cabals behind every news event. A mind hunting for hidden plotters will find them whether they exist or not, which is why believing in gods and believing in conspiracies run on the exact same hardware.