Icons of Unbelief: Atheists, Agnostics, and Secularists (Greenwood Icons)

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.

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.

Editor, critic, and scholar Joshi's anthology of essays offers insight into some of Western civilization's most significant agnostics, atheists, and secularists of the past 300 years. The 21 contributors discuss the work of intellectuals and philosophers, journalists and publicists, as well as authors. The focus is primarily on the religious and philosophical thinking of the subjects. The author notes that his intent is to add to society's continuing discussion regarding the place of religion, atheism, agnosticism, and secularism in our personal, political, and social lives--particularly since it is highly unlikely that advocates for religion and atheism are likely to disappear. The unusual collection of subjects ranges from John Stuart Mill and Fredrich Nietzsche to H.P. Lovecraft and Samuel Clemens, and from Richard Dawkins and Albert Einstein to Bertrand Russell and John Dewey. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Discusses the ideas and impact of 27 atheists, agnostics, and secularists whose ideas have shaped society over the last 200 years.

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

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