The Cambridge Companion to Atheism [Paperback]

In this 2007 volume, eighteen of the world's leading scholars present original essays on various aspects of atheism.In this 2007 volume, eighteen of the world's leading scholars present original essays on various aspects of atheism: its history, defense and implications. These essays give a broad understanding of atheism and a lucid introduction to this controversial topic.In this 2007 volume, eighteen of the world's leading scholars present original essays on various aspects of atheism: its history, defense and implications. These essays give a broad understanding of atheism and a lucid introduction to this controversial topic.In this 2007 volume, eighteen of the world's leading scholars present original essays on various aspects of atheism: its history, both ancient and modern, defense and implications. The topic is examined in terms of its implications for a wide range of disciplines including philosophy, religion, feminism, postmodernism, sociology and psychology. In its defense, both classical and contemporary theistic arguments are criticized, and, the argument from evil, and impossibility arguments, along with a non religious basis for morality are defended. These essays give a broad understanding of atheism and a lucid introduction to this controversial topic.Part I. Background: 1. Atheism in antiquity Jan Bremmer; 2. Atheism in modern history Gavin Hyman; 3. Atheism: contemporary rates and contemporary patterns Phil Zuckerman; Part II. The Case Against Theism: 4. Theistic critiques of atheism William Lane Craig; 5. The failure of classical theistic arguments Richard Gale; 6. Some contemporary theistic arguments Keith Parsons; 7. Naturalism and physicalism Evans Fales; 8. Atheism and evolution Daniel Dennett; 9. The autonomy of ethics David Brink; 10. The argument from evil Andrea Weisberger; 11. Kalam Cosmological argument for atheism Quentin Smith; 12. Impossibility arguments Patrick Grim; III. Implications: 13. Atheism and religion Michael Martin; 14. Feml3/