Topic: Atheist books & authors
no photo
Fri 06/19/09 04:24 PM
What atheist books have you read? What's your favorite? Why?
Which atheist authors have you read? Who would you recommend?

lilott's photo
Fri 06/19/09 05:20 PM
Never read any. I'm agnostic.

no photo
Fri 06/19/09 05:37 PM
Lilott,

Have you read any agnostic authors?

Inkracer's photo
Fri 06/19/09 05:52 PM
I've read Richard Dawkin's "The God Delusion" I also have 2 of his other books, which deal mainly with Science.

no photo
Sun 06/21/09 12:35 PM
I have read, "god is not great" by Hitchens great book, a lot of information and sources, I didn't expect.

I mostly read science books, thats the only real atheism book I have read.

rockabilly_mike's photo
Tue 06/23/09 10:06 AM
i've read the god delusion by richard dawkins,letter to a christian nation by im pretty sure sam harris,also the hitchens book..i'd say the god delusion was the best in my opinion,so go with richard dawkins

TexasScoundrel's photo
Mon 06/29/09 11:04 PM
The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker and The God Delusion (all by Dawkins) are great books.

no photo
Thu 07/09/09 06:53 PM
Thanks, guys, for responding! Dawkins and Hitchens, everywhere. It looks like the community of atheist/agnostic active in this forum is very small, judging from the "# views" these topics get.

Some of my favorite authors offer their commentary through fiction, so Douglas Adams tops my list.

no photo
Thu 07/09/09 06:54 PM
I'm not sure if he's atheist, but I just finished John Sladek's "Tik Tok." Its about a asimov-type robot who is no longer bound by the laws. Among other things, the book is a harsh critique of humanity. I found some parts of this book hilarious at first, until I realized that what I thought were 'gross exaggerations of humanity's evil' were, actually, fairly accurate. sick

These quotes from Tik Tok relate to skepticism/religion, which are not main themes of the book:


Darwin evidently claimed that animals evolved one species turning into another. This was supposed to happen by means of "natural selection", in which the fittest members of a species survive, while the less fit perish. The question was, was this science?

It was found in some states that the real guardians of science and scientific truth were religious leaders and lawyers, unswayed by facts. Scientists were generally so dogmatic and arrogant as to claim that some facts were just facts and not matters of religious preference at all.




... from statue law, namely from the Equal Science Act. This says that 'no scientific theory, hypothesis, principle, law, definition, program, procedure, or statement may be taught in any California school while in conflict with any other theory etc arising from any religious teaching, unless both theories etc are given equal emphasis as equally valid.'

The idea was to give Genesis equal time with evolution as a creation theory, but it soon ot out of hand, with Ptolemaic Anabaptists insisting on equal time with Copernican theory, and finally with the Christian Flat Earth Assembly (Swiss Synod), whose representatives brought a suit against a California teacher for mentioning satellites. There are no satellites orbiting a flat earth, they pointed out, and so anyone mentioning satellites should also express doubt about their existence. A group of astronomers filed a counter-suit, claiming that if satellites were unreal, their livelihood was in jeopardy. Moreover, satellite communications could not work and could not therefore be licenses by the government.


Someone actually said something like the following to me once, while discussing religious beliefs...


On Sunday he attended the Church of the Flat Nazareth, a place for strong beliefs. The paradox of working in aerospace and at the same time accepting the doctrine of a flat earth, was made easier for him by his minister's assurances that this apparent conflict was resolved in God.


... I was so relaxed and open in our areas of disagreement, they thought I was a potential convert, and told me not to worry about my questions, but to "let God take care of it". I'm thinking... okay, thats fine - is that like just admitting we don't know? Are you saying I should focus on my 'relationship with God' and not worry about 'the validity or consequences of a particular theology'? If you are going to 'let God take care of' those dogmatic assertions, why are you also campaigning for those assertions influence public policy?

Anyone read Tik-Tok?

I'd be much interested in quotes any of you found interesting, compelling, influential in reading atheist/agnostic literature (of any kind).

NaciremaDream's photo
Tue 10/06/09 03:56 PM
Richard Dawkin is the man ! Have all of his books.