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Recommended Books on Atheism

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  • 10-06-2012 1:08pm
    #1
    MisterEpicurus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 588 ✭✭✭


    Just wondering can anyone recommend any books related to atheism. Of course, we have the typical Harris, Dennett, Dawkins and Hitchens...just wondering can anyone recommend any other books related to evolution, religion, atheism, philosophy, history, psychology etc. that are different but pertinent to the atheism discussion.

    Maybe this could be stickied?


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    #2
    Gbear
    Registered Users Posts: 12,775 ✭✭✭✭Gbear


    MisterEpicurus wrote: »
    Just wondering can anyone recommend any books related to atheism. Of course, we have the typical Harris, Dennett, Dawkins and Hitchens...just wondering can anyone recommend any other books related to evolution, religion, atheism, philosophy, history, psychology etc. that are different but pertinent to the atheism discussion.

    Maybe this could be stickied?

    The Atheist Manifesto by Michel Onfray (think it's translated from french - if you can speak french might be worth reading it in the original language).
    It's a fairly prickly and strident one and skips the whole "is there a god debate", takes it as a given that there isn't, and takes it from there.

    It's about hedonism and all that jazz. Interesting enough, I thought, and fairly short.


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    #3
    Coriolanus
    Registered Users Posts: 4,879 ✭✭✭Coriolanus


    A bible, a bit of apologetics cs lewis maybe.
    Cosmos by Carl Satan, demon haunted world too.


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    #4
    MrPudding
    Registered Users Posts: 9,788 ✭✭✭MrPudding


    "Why I am not a Christian" by Bertrand Russell. It's only an essay but very good.

    Also, "The Portable Athiest" this is by various writers and was compiled and is introduced by Christopher Hitchens.

    MrP


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    #5
    MisterEpicurus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 588 ✭✭✭MisterEpicurus


    MrPudding wrote: »
    "Why I am not a Christian" by Bertrand Russell. It's only an essay but very good.

    Also, "The Portable Athiest" this is by various writers and was compiled and is introduced by Christopher Hitchens.

    MrP

    Yeah - I can attest to the latter, very interesting book.

    I've been meaning to dig up Bertrand Russell's essay alright.

    Another good text is 'Pagan Christianity' by Frank Viola. It's written by a Christian but goes through why all the current practices are wrong and where they came from. Interesting!


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    #6
    Pushtrak
    Registered Users Posts: 4,640 ✭✭✭Pushtrak


    A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson
    Don't let the title fool you, this book has a lot of content. I have a link of it on audio book on youtube if anyone wants it.

    Big Bang - Simon Singh
    Great book that shows throughout history how progress was made in cosmology/astronomy. Goes in to a more depth than the one above.


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    #7
    Ellis Dee
    Registered Users Posts: 2,512 ✭✭✭Ellis Dee


    You'll find a lot of information here::)


    http://www.humanism.org.uk/education

    and also here:

    http://freethinker.co.uk/


    Also, I'd suggest reading the Bible and asking yourself at the end of every chapter how anyone in their right mind could actually not only believe such stuff and nonsense, but also regard it as a message directly from an invisible being that has never been detected with either senses or instruments, but they accept as the micromanager of every thing and event in this entire universe.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

    religious-insanity.jpg


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    #8
    cavedave
    Registered Users Posts: 2,164 ✭✭✭cavedave


    Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle. Anthropology, but they think so differently from us (not just on God) that it is really interesting

    Selfish reasons to have more kids. A great description of what the identical twin adoption studies tell us about raising children.
    The genetic nature of belief is talked about but also of health, education, wealth etc

    If This Is a Man and The Truce Primo Levi. There are atheists in foxholes. And there shouldn't be any foxholes.

    Nausea.


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    #9
    doctoremma
    Registered Users Posts: 1,870 ✭✭✭doctoremma


    Pushtrak wrote: »
    Big Bang - Simon Singh
    Great book that shows throughout history how progress was made in cosmology/astronomy. Goes in to a more depth than the one above.
    Coincidence, just bought this yesterday! For the science, rather than the atheism though :) But now doubly excited to read it!


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    #10
    HUNK
    Closed Accounts Posts: 383 ✭✭HUNK


    Pushtrak wrote: »
    A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson. I have a link of it on audio book on youtube if anyone wants it.

    Do want


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    #11
    endacl
    Registered Users Posts: 22,231 ✭✭✭✭endacl


    A bible and a koran should be all you need. A combination of the two should clearly explain the nonsense. Back these up with the book of mormon if you're still unsure. If these aren't enough, maybe a legion of Mary meeting? They also provide literature debunking religion.


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    #12
    Sarky
    Closed Accounts Posts: 31,967 ✭✭✭✭Sarky


    Not exactly what you're looking for but any of the discworld books dealing with gods, in particular Pyramids and Small Gods, are great at pointing out the absurdity of religion. Pratchett gave his gods the kind of personality you'd actually need to behave in the psychotic arbitrary ways they do, and the way they get stumped by things like logic and common sense is an excellent allegory for religion in general.


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    #13
    endacl
    Registered Users Posts: 22,231 ✭✭✭✭endacl


    Sarky wrote: »
    Not exactly what you're looking for but any of the discworld books dealing with gods, in particular Pyramids and Small Gods, are great at pointing out the absurdity of religion. Pratchett gave his gods the kind of personality you'd actually need to behave in the psychotic arbitrary ways they do, and the way they get stumped by things like logic and common sense is an excellent allegory for religion in general.
    Oh, good call...


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