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Icons of Unbelief Atheists, Agnostics, and Secularists
S. T. Joshi, ed.
ISBN: 0-313-34759-X
ISBN-13: 978-0-313-34759-7
476 pages
Greenwood Press
Publication: 10/30/2008
List Price: $75.00 (UK Sterling Price: £51.95)
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Trim Size: 7 x 10
Subjects:
Series Title: Greenwood Icons
Reviews:
  • "This biographical collection offers in-depth, essay-format profiles of 27 iconic figures of “unbelief,” intellectuals who have advocated for atheism, agnosticism, or secularism, from the historical . . . to the contemporary. . . This is an excellent starting point for research and paper writing, but the casual reader will find the book engaging as well. This reviewer was caught up in the content and found the profiles to be well written, clearly presented, and very informative. . . . This set is recommended for public, high school, and academic libraries."
    —ARBA     3/1/2009
Description: In the opinion of many critics and philosophers, we are entering an age of atheism marked by the waning of Christian fundamentalism and the flourishing of secular thought. Through alphabetically arranged entries written by expert contributors, this book profiles 27 iconic figures of unbelief whose ideas have shaped American society over the last 200 years. Included are entries on influential figures of the past, such as Albert Einstein and Voltaire, as well as on such contemporary figures as Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris. Each entry discusses the ideas and lasting significance of each person or group, provides sidebars of interesting information and illuminating quotations, and cites works for further reading. The volume closes with a selected, general bibliography. Students in social studies and history classes will welcome this reference as a guide to the ideas central to the American separation of Church and State and to many of the political debates at the heart of society today.

Never before has atheism and agnosticism been so prevalent in American society, as testified by the simultaneous appearance of 2 atheist volumes on the bestseller lists: Richard Dawkins's The God Delusion and Sam Harris's Letter to a Christian Nation. This volume profiles some of the key figures and groups who have advanced religious unbelief over the past 200 years.

Each entry discusses the ideas and lasting significance of the person or group, provides sidebars of interesting information and quotations, and closes with a list of works for further reading. The volume ends with a selected, general bibliography. Students in history and social studies classes will welcome this reference as a guide to the American separation of Church and State and to the ideas central to contemporary political debates. Title Features:
Included are alphabetically arranged entries on 27 iconic figures of unbelief, such as:
Charles Bradlaugh
Richard Dawkins
Daniel C. Dennett
Albert Einstein
The Existentialists
The Founding Fathers
Sigmund Freud
Sam Harris
Robert G. Ingersoll
Friedrich Nietzsche
Madalyn Murray O'Hair
Mark Twain
Voltaire
Table of Contents:
  • Preface
    Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Jenin Younes
    Charles Bradlaugh, David Tribe
    Richard Dawkins, Donald R. Burleson
    Daniel C. Dennett, Richard Gillilan
    John Dewey, John Shook
    Albert Einstein, Mauro Murzi
    The Existentialists, Max Deutscher
    The Founding Fathers, Edd Doerr
    Sigmund Freud, Kirk Bingaman
    Sam Harris, Jenin Younes
    Thomas Henry Huxley, Sherrie Lyons
    Robert G. Ingersoll, Tom Flynn
    Paul Kurtz, Bill Cooke
    Corliss Lamont, Bill Cooke
    H. P. Lovecraft, Robert M. Price
    H. L. Mencken, S. T. Joshi
    John Stuart Mill, S. T. Joshi
    Kai Nielsen, Bla Szabados and Andrew Lugg
    Friedrich Nietzsche, Weaver Santaniello
    Madalyn Murray OHair, Frank R. Zindler
    The Philosophes, Wilda Anderson
    Bertrand Russell, Keith M. Parsons
    Carl Sagan, John Shook
    Leslie Stephen, S. T. Joshi
    Mark Twain, Richard Bleiler
    Gore Vidal, S. T. Joshi
    Voltaire, Jean-Claude Pecker
    General Bibliography
    About the Contributors
About the Author: S. T. Joshi is an independent scholar and the author or editor of numerous books, including Icons of Horror and the Supernatural (Greenwood, 2007), Supernatural Literature of the World: An Encyclopedia (Greenwood, 2005), Atheism: A Reader (2000), God's Defenders: What They Believe and Why They Are Wrong (2003), and The Agnostic Reader (2007). He is also founder and editor of Lovecraft Studies and Studies in Weird Fiction.
PDF Catalogs:
Academic Library Fall 2008.pdf
Academic Library Spring 2009.pdf
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