Agnosticism and atheism Books

Book SynopsisAtheists generated widespread anxieties between the Reformation and the Enlightenment. In response to such anxieties a distinct genre of religious apologetics emerged in England between 1580 and 1720. By examining the form and the content of the confutation of atheism, Anti-Atheism in Early Modern England demonstrates the prevalence of patterned assumptions and arguments about who an atheist was and what an atheist was supposed to believe, outlines and analyzes the major arguments against atheists, and traces the important changes and challenges to this apologetic discourse in the early Enlightenment.Trade Review“This enormously valuable addition to the historiography of religious and moral thought is packed with sources and conclusions of significance far beyond England.” Ada Palmer, University of Chicago. In: Renaissance Quarterly, Vol. 70, No. 2 (Summer 2017), pp. 780-782. “The volume is elegantly written and immaculately edited … and may serve as an excellent avenue into a new kind of theologically aware historical “thick description” of the complex discursive fields of early modernity”. Philipp Reisner, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf. In: Sixteenth Century Journal, Vol. 48, No 1 (Spring 2017), pp. 192-193.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Anxieties About Atheism 2. “The Atheist Answered and His Error Confuted” 3. Atheist Epicurus 4. Anti-Atheist Plato 5. Atheism and Apostasy 6. Atheism and Society 7. Atheism and Happiness 8. From Confutation to Criticism Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisFreethinkers of Medieval Islam focuses on the express denial of prophecy in the medieval Islamicate world. The development of Islamic freethinking is analyzed against the background of the significance of prophets in Islam. In her book, Sarah Stroumsa examines the image of freethinkers, and the repercussions of freethinking on Muslim, Jewish and Christian medieval thought. She argue that freethinking, as exemplified by figures like Ibn al-Rāwandī (9th C.) and Abū Bakr al-Rāzī (10th C.), was a pivotal phenomenon, that had a major impact on the development of Islamic thought. In the present context of religious violence carried out in the name of Islam, this book highlights the striking existence of independent freethinking in the world of Islam.

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Book SynopsisAtheism is increasing, but as a phenomenon continues to be at the fringe of current research. Atheist groups and ideologies represent a wide range of attitudes, behaviour and ways of acting towards religion. The lack of a clear definition of what being atheist (or an unbeliever) means today invites us to study the issue in greater depth. This volume represents a first attempt at understanding and scrutinizing atheism, offering both a global perspective as well as specific case studies.

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Book SynopsisThe international “Atheist Bus Campaign” generated news coverage and controversy, and this volume is the first to systematically and thoroughly explore and analyze each manifestation of that campaign. It includes a chapter for each of the countries which enacted – or attempted to enact – localized versions of the original United Kingdom campaign which ran the slogan, “There’s Probably No God. Now Stop Worrying and Enjoy Your Life,” prominently on public buses. Its novel focus, using a singular micro-level event as a prism for analysis, allows for cross-country comparison of legal and social reactions to each campaign, as well as an understanding of issues pertaining to the historical and contemporary status of religion and the regulation of nonreligion in various national settings.

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Book SynopsisThe Great Protector of Wits provides a new assessment of baron d’Holbach (1723–1789) and his circle. A challenging figure of the European Enlightenment, Paul-Henri Thiry d’Holbach was not only a radically materialistic philosopher, a champion of anticlericalism, the author of the Système de la nature – known as ‘the Bible of atheists’ –, an idéologue, a popularizer of the natural sciences and a prolific contributor to the Encyclopédie, but he also played a crucial role as an organizer of intellectual networks and was a master of disseminating clandestine literature and a consummate strategist in authorial fictions. In this collective volume, for the first time, all these different threads of d’Holbach’s ‘philosophy in action’ are considered and analyzed in their interconnection. Contributors to this volume: Jacopo Agnesina, Nicholas Cronk, Mélanie Éphrème, Enrico Galvagni, Jonathan Israel, Alan Charles Kors, Mladen Kozul, Brunello Lotti, Emilio Mazza, Gianluca Mori, Iryna Mykhailova, Gianni Paganini, Paolo Quintili, Alain Sandrier, Ruggero Sciuto, Maria Susana Seguin, and Gerhardt Stenger.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Illustrations Abbreviations Notes on Contributors Introduction  Laura Nicolì Part 1: Holbach: Philosopher and Philosophe 1 Holbach’s Skepticism  Alan Charles Kors 2 The Concept of Natural Order in the Système de la Nature  Brunello Lotti 3 An Empire of Lies: Holbach on Vanity and Philosophy  Enrico Galvagni Part 2: Holbach: Strategist of the Enlightenment 4 Holbach traducteur, stratège et philosophe  Mladen Kozul 5 The Role of Prophecies: Baron d’Holbach as a Translator of Anthony Collins  Jacopo Agnesina 6 D’Holbach and the “Spirit of Judaism”  Gianni Paganini 7 The Absent Guest: D’Holbach’s Strategic Use of Voltaire’s Texts  Ruggero Sciuto Part 3: Holbach: Encyclopédiste 8 La critique religieuse du baron d’Holbach dans l’Encyclopédie : une approche méthodique  Alain Sandrier 9 L’autre d’Holbach : l’encyclopédiste traducteur de chimie et d’histoire naturelle  Mélanie Éphrème Part 4: Holbach and His Time 10 How Many Atheists at d’Holbach’s Table?  Emilio Mazza and Gianluca Mori 11 D’Holbach et Diderot : une amitié plus que philosophique  Paolo Quintili 12 Voltaire contre la coterie holbachique  Gerhardt Stenger 13 D’Holbach, les cercles holbachiques et la circulation de la littérature philosophique clandestine  Maria Susana Seguin 14 Who Are D’Holbach’s Readers?  Nicholas Cronk Part 5: Holbach and Revolutionary Consciousnesses 15 D’Holbach’s Political and Social Thought: The Democratic “Revolution” in Western Values Prior to 1789  Jonathan Israel 16 D’Holbach’s Legacy in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union  Iryna Mykhailova Index Nominum

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