Lists of atheists: Difference between revisions
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===Music=== |
===Music=== |
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[[Image:Nikolai Rimskiy-Korsakov.jpg|right|thumb|100px|[[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov|Rimsky-Korsakov]].]] |
[[Image:Nikolai Rimskiy-Korsakov.jpg|right|thumb|100px|[[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov|Rimsky-Korsakov]].]] |
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* [[David Gilmour]] (1946—) English guitarist and vocalist with Pink Floyd.</ref> |
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* [[Kathleen Hanna]] (1969—): front woman of the 1990s band [[Bikini Kill]] and currently [[Le Tigre]].<ref>Hanna quoted as saying: "I don't believe in God, but I believe God invented four-tracks"[http://www.atheistalliance.org/aaw/atheistmusicians_ftom.html].</ref> |
* [[Kathleen Hanna]] (1969—): front woman of the 1990s band [[Bikini Kill]] and currently [[Le Tigre]].<ref>Hanna quoted as saying: "I don't believe in God, but I believe God invented four-tracks"[http://www.atheistalliance.org/aaw/atheistmusicians_ftom.html].</ref> |
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* [[Lou Harrison]] (1917–2003): American composer<ref>http://www.atheistalliance.org/aaw/atheistmusicians_ftom.html</ref> |
* [[Lou Harrison]] (1917–2003): American composer<ref>http://www.atheistalliance.org/aaw/atheistmusicians_ftom.html</ref> |
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Revision as of 14:46, 21 December 2006
An atheist is one who disbelieves[1] in the existence God and other deities. Different definitions identify various levels of disbelief that an atheist may have. An atheist may be one who asserts that there is no God,[2] one who rejects belief in a deity,[3] or one who simply does not believe in a deity.[4][5][6]
This list does not prefer any particular definition of "atheism," but gives precedence to a person's self-identification. With few exceptions, only those who have called themselves "atheists" are listed. Others may be listed if identified as such by informed and impartial sources, or if they fit the narrowest sense of the word "atheist" (they have denied the existence of God and other deities).
Excluded are persons who have merely expressed skepticism about the existence of God, or who have merely criticized religion. Such sentiments are insufficient to identity one as atheist.
Activists and educators
- Emma Goldman (1869–1940): Lithuanian-born radical, known for her writings and speeches defending anarcho-communism, feminism, and atheism.[7]
- Ellen Johnson: current president of American Atheists.[8]
- Michael Newdow (1953—): American physician and attorney, who successfully sued a school district on the grounds that its requirement that children recite the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, containing the words "under God," breached the separation-of-church-and-state provision in the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution.[9]
- Madalyn Murray O'Hair (1919–1995): founder of American Atheists, campaigner for the separation of church and state; filed the lawsuit that led the US Supreme Court to ban teacher-led prayer and Bible reading in public schools.[10]
- Margaret Sanger (1883–1966): American birth-control activist, founder of the American Birth Control League, a forerunner to Planned Parenthood. The masthead motto of her newsletter, The Woman Rebel, read: "No Gods, No Masters."[11]
- Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (1883–1966): Indian revolutionary freedom fighter, and Hindu nationalist leader.[12]
- Barbara Smoker (1923—): British humanist activist and freethought advocate. Wrote the book Freethoughts: Atheism, Secularism, Humanism – Selected Egotistically from The Freethinker.[13]
- Polly Toynbee (1946—), columnist for The Guardian.[14]
Authors
- Douglas Adams (1952–2001): British radio and television writer, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. [15]
- Isaac Asimov (1920–1992): Russian-born American author of science fiction and popular science books. [16]
- Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914?): American writer, author of The Devil's Dictionary.[17]
- Sir Arthur C. Clarke (1917—): British scientist and Science Fiction author.[18]
- Vardis Fisher (1895–1968): American writer, scholar. Author of atheistic Testament of Man series.[19]
- Sam Harris (1967—): American author, researcher in neuroscience, author of the international bestseller, The End of Faith.[20]
- Harry Harrison (1925—): American Science Fiction author, anthologist and artist whose short story "The Streets of Ashkelon" took as its hero an atheist who tries to prevent a Christian missionary from indoctrinating a tribe of irreligious but ingenuous alien beings.[21]
- Christopher Hitchens (1949—): Author, journalist and essayist.[22]
- S. T. Joshi (1958—): American editor and literary critic.[23]
- Ludovic Kennedy (1919—): British journalist, author, and campaigner for voluntary euthanasia.[24]
- Stanislaw Lem (1921–2006): Polish science fiction novelist and essayist.[25]
- Primo Levi (1919–1987): Italian novelist and chemist, survivor of Auschwitz concentration camp.[26]
- Pierre Loti (1850–1923): French novelist and travel writer.[27]
- Joseph McCabe (1867–1955): English writer, anti-religion campaigner.[28]
- Camille Paglia (1947—): American post-feminist literary and cultural critic.[29]
- Philip Pullman (1946—): CBE, British author of His Dark Materials fantasy trilogy for young adults.[30]
- Ayn Rand (1905–1982): Russian-born American author and founder of Objectivism.[31]
- Ron Reagan (1958—): American magazine journalist, board member of the politically activistic Creative Coalition, son of former U. S. President Ronald Reagan. [32]
- Salman Rushdie (1947—): Indian-born British essayist and author of fiction.[33]
- Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822): British Romantic poet, contemporary and associate of John Keats and Lord Byron, and author of The Necessity of Atheism.[34]
- Warren Allen Smith (1921—): Author of Who's Who in Hell.[35]
- Kurt Vonnegut (1922—): American author, writer of Cat's Cradle, among other books. Vonnegut said "I am an atheist (or at best a Unitarian who winds up in churches quite a lot)."[11]
- Ibn Warraq (1946—): Best-selling author and secularist scholar of Islam currently living in the United States. He is a Muslim apostate and an outspoken critic of Islam who has written extensively on what he views as the oppressive nature of Islam.[36]
Business
- Sir Richard Branson (1950—): British entrepreneur, founder of the Virgin Group.[37]
- Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919): Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist, sometimes described as the wealthiest man who ever lived.[38]
- Larry Flynt (1942—): Founder of Hustler Magazine.[39]
- George Soros (1930—): Hungarian-born investor, philanthropist and writer.[40]
Comedians
- Woody Allen (1935—): American film director, actor and comedian. In a column in The New Yorker entitled "My Philosophy," Allen wrote: "Not only is there no God, but try getting a plumber on weekends."[11]
- George Carlin (1937—): American comedian, actor and author. Outspoken atheist, described religion as having "the best bullshit story ever told", that "there's an invisible man living in the sky."[41]
- David Cross (1964—): American actor and comedian.[42]
- Kathy Griffin (1963—): American comedian.[43]
- Patton Oswalt (1969—): American actor and comedian. Cite error: A
<ref>tag is missing the closing</ref>(see the help page).
Film, radio and television
- Phillip Adams (1939—): Australian broadcaster, writer, film-maker, left-wing radical thinker, iconoclast, Australian Humanist of the Year 1987.[44]
- Brannon Braga (1965–): American TV producer and writer, creator of Star Trek: Enterprise. [45]
- Luis Buñuel (1900–1983): Spanish-born Mexican film-maker, activist of the surrealist movement. Known for his one-liner, "Thank God I'm still an atheist."[46]
- Stanley Donen (1924—): American film director, best known for his musicals including Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Singin' in the Rain; awarded honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement. [47]
- Ricky Gervais (1961—): British actor, co-creator of the original version of The Office; appears as the Curator in the 2006 film, Night at the Museum.[48]
- Katharine Hepburn (1907–2003): American actress, who appeared in 53 films from 1932 to 1994; winner of four Academy Awards for Best Actress.[49]
- John Humphrys (1943—): British radio and television presenter who hosted a series of programmes interviewing religious leaders, Humphrys in Search of God. [50]
- Jamie Hyneman (1956—): co-host of MythBusters.[51]
- Penn Jillette (1955—): American magician, co-host of Bullshit!.[52]
- Skandar Keynes (1991—): English actor (Chronicles of Narnia films).[53]
- Tom Leykis (1956—): radio talk-show host.[54]
- Robert Smith (1972—): former Minnesota Vikings running back and NFL Network football analyst.[55]
- Teller (1948—): American magician and co-host of Bullshit!.[52]
- Joss Whedon (1964—): American screenwriter and director, most famous for creating Buffy the Vampire Slayer. [56]
Music
- David Gilmour (1946—) English guitarist and vocalist with Pink Floyd.</ref>
- Kathleen Hanna (1969—): front woman of the 1990s band Bikini Kill and currently Le Tigre.[57]
- Lou Harrison (1917–2003): American composer[58]
- Stephan Jenkins (1964—): Musician, lead singer for the American rock band, Third Eye Blind. [59]
- Gary Numan (1958—): British New Wave and industrial musician whose albums Sacrifice (1994), Exile (1997), Pure (2000), and Jagged (2006) mock and condemn religious beliefs.[60]
- Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844–1908): Russian Nationalist composer, member of "The Five", best-known for the tone poem Scheherazade.[61]
- Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958): British composer[62]
Philosophy
- Mikhail Bakunin (1814–1876): Russian philosopher, writer and anarchist.[63]
- Albert Camus (1913–1960): French philosopher and novelist, a luminary of existentialism.[11]
- Benedetto Croce (1886–1952): Italian philosopher and public figure.[64]
- Daniel Dennett (1942—): American philosopher, author of Breaking the Spell[65]
- Denis Diderot (1713–84): editor-in-chief of the Encyclopédie, who succeeded in bringing about "a revolution in men's minds."[66]
- Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach (1804–1872): German philosopher whose major work, The Essence of Christianity (1841), maintains that religion and divinity are projections of human nature.[67]
- Claude Adrien Helvétius (1715–71): French philosopher whose ethical and social views helped shape the school of utilitarianism later made famous by Jeremy Bentham.[66]
- Baron d'Holbach (1723–89): French philosopher and encyclopedist, most famous as being one of the first outspoken atheists in Europe.[68]
- Karl Marx (1818–83): German-Jewish author of Das Kapital, known for his assertion that "Religion is... the opium of the people."[69]
- Jean Meslier (1678–1733): French village Catholic priest who was found, on his death, to have written a book-length philosophical essay, entitled Common Sense but commonly referred to as Meslier's Testament, promoting atheism.[70][71]
- Julien Offray de La Mettrie (1709–51): French physician and philosopher, earliest materialist writer of the Enlightenment, claimed as a founder of cognitive science.[72]
- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900): German Existentialist philosopher who wrote Beyond Good and Evil, which attempted to refute traditional notions of morality. Nietzsche is forever associated with the phrase, "God is dead" (first seen in his book, Die fröhliche Wissenschaft).[73]
- Piergiorgio Odifreddi (1950—): Italian mathematician, philosopher and science writer.[74]
- Bertrand Russell, (1872–1970): English philosopher and mathematician. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950. Though he considered himself an agnostic in a purely philosophical context, he said that the label atheist conveyed a more accurate understanding of his views in a popular context.[75]
- Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980): French existentialist philosopher, dramatist and novelist who declared that he had been an atheist from age twelve. Although he regarded God as a self-contradictory concept, he still thought of it as an ideal toward which people strive.[76] He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1964. According to Sartre, his most-repeated summary of his existentialist philosophy, "Existence precedes essence," implies that humans must abandon traditional notions of having been designed by a divine creator.[77]
Politics and law
- Charles Bradlaugh (1833–1891): A political activist and one of the most famous English atheists of the 19th century.[78]
- Robin Cook (1946–2005): Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs of the UK 1997–2001, whose funeral service was held in the High Kirk of Scotland, where he was described as a "Presbyterian atheist."[79];
- Aleksander Kwaśniewski (1954—): Former President of Poland (1995-2005), has said, "I am an atheist and everybody knows it..."[80]
- Alexander Lukashenko (1954—): President of Belarus, self-described "Russian Orthodox atheist."[81]
- Joseph Stalin (1879–1953): Soviet dictator.[82]
Science and technology
- Francis Crick (1916–2004): 1962-Nobel-laureate co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, who described himself as a skeptic and an agnostic with "a strong inclination towards atheism."[83]
- Marie Curie (1867–1934): Nobel Laureate in Physics (1903) and Chemistry (1911). First woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize, only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different scientific disciplines.[84]
- Richard Dawkins (1941—): British zoologist, biologist, creator of the concepts of the selfish gene and the meme; outspoken atheist and popularizer of science, author of The God Delusion and founder of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science.[85]
- Richard Feynman (1918–1988): American 1965-Nobel-laureate theoretical physicist. [86]
- Sigmund Freud (1856–1939): Father of psychoanalysis.[87]
- Christer Fuglesang (1957—), Swedish astronaut and physicist, identified as an atheist in a Dagens Nyheter interview.[88]
- Vitaly Ginzburg (1916—): 2003 Nobel Laureate in Physics.[89]
- Harold Kroto (1939—): 1996 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry.[90]
- Richard Leakey (1944—): Kenyan paleontologist, archaeologist and conservationist.[91]
- Jonathan Miller (1934—): British physician, actor, theatre and opera director, and (latterly) television presenter. Wrote and presented the 2004 television series, Atheism: A Rough History of Disbelief, exploring the roots of his own atheism and investigating the history of atheism in the world.[92]
- Peter D. Mitchell (1920–1992): 1978-Nobel-laureate British biochemist. Atheist mother, and himself atheist from age 15.[93]
- Paul Nurse (1949—): 2001 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine.[94]
- Linus Pauling (1901–1994): Nobel Laureate in Chemistry (1954) and Peace (1962). Near-discoverer of the structure of DNA.[95]
- Steven Pinker (1954—): American psychologist.[96]
- Amartya Kumar Sen (1933—): 1998 Nobel Laureate in Economics.[97][98][99][100]
- James D. Watson (1928—), 1962-Nobel-laureate co-discover of the structure of DNA, identified as an atheist in a Newsweek commentary by his acquaintance, Rabbi Marc Gellman.[101]
- Steven Weinberg (1933—): 1979 Nobel Laureate in Physics.[102]
Visual Arts
- Alexander McQueen (1969—): English fashion designer[103]
- "Normal" Bob Smith (1969—): American graphic artist, who prompted controversy with his website http://www.jesusdressup.com/[104]
Footnotes and citations
- ^ Various dictionaries give a range of definitions for disbelief, from "lack of belief" to "doubt" and "withholding of belief" to "rejection of belief", "refusal to believe", and "denial". Template:Ref harvard
- ^ "The average theologian (there are exceptions, of course) uses 'atheist' to mean a person who denies the existence of a God."Template:Ref harvard
- ^ "Atheism is fundamentally a rejection of belief in any God. It is more than a simple lack of belief, as children and some members of tribal societies may not believe out of ignorance." Template:Ref harvard
- ^ "Atheists are people who do not believe in a god or gods (or other immaterial beings), or who believe that these concepts are not meaningful. Some atheists put it more firmly and believe that god or gods do not exist." Template:Ref harvard
- ^ "The broader, and more common, understanding of atheism among atheists is quite simply 'not believing in any gods.' No claims or denials are made—an atheist is just a person who does not happen to be a theist." Template:Ref harvard
- ^ "[Most atheists] would hold that an atheist is a person without a belief in God. The distiniction is small but important. Denying something means that you have knowledge of what it is that you are being asked to affirm, but that you have rejected that particular concept. To be without a belief in God merely means that the term 'god' has no importance or possibly no meaning to you. Belief in God is not a factor in your life. Surely this is quite different from denying the existence of God. Atheism is not a belief as such. It is the lack of belief." Template:Ref harvard
- ^ Emma Goldman (1916 February). "The Philosophy of Atheism". positiveatheism.org. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Ellen Johnson (2006). "Welcome from the president of American Atheists". American Atheists. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
- ^ Tom Curry (2004-03-24). "Atheist pleads with justices to stop recitation of pledge". MSNBC. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
- ^ Conrad F. Goeringer (2000 June). "The Murray O'Hair Family". American Atheists. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d Haught, James A. (1996). 2,000 Years of Disbelief: Famous People with the Courage to Doubt. Prometheus Books. pp. pp. 261-262. ISBN 1-57392-067-3.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - ^ "The Rediff Interview: Bipan Chandra". Rediff India Abroad. 2003-03-03. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
Savarkar was an atheist. When he was the Hindu Mahasabha president he used to give lectures on why there is no god.
- ^ Smoker, Barbara (2002). Freethoughts: Atheism, Humanism, Secularism. Foote (G.W.) & Co Ltd. ISBN 0-9508243-5-6.
- ^ Polly Toynbee (2006-04-14). "This is a clash of civilisations - between reason and superstition". The Guardian. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
Even an old atheist like me sees no good in this ignorance of basic Christian myths.
- ^ "I am a radical Atheist..." Adams in an interview by American Atheists[1].
- ^ "I am an atheist, out and out. It took me a long time to say it... I don't have the evidence to prove that God doesn't exist, but I so strongly suspect he doesn't that I don't want to waste my time." Isaac Asimov in "Free Inquiry", Spring 1982, vol.2 no.2, p. 9 (See Wikiquote.)
- ^ Multiple quotes from Bierce substantiating his atheist views[2].
- ^ "…Stanley [Kubrick] is a Jew and I'm an atheist". Clarke quoted in Jeromy Agel (Ed.) (1970). The Making of Kubrick's 2001: p.306
- ^ American Atheists article on Fisher [3].
- ^ Author of An Atheist Manifesto
- ^ "Harry Harrison is a self-confessed atheist" per official website HarryHarrison.com
- ^ "Secularism is not just a smug attitude. It is a possible way of democratic and pluralistic life that only became thinkable after several wars and revolutions had ruthlessly smashed the hold of the clergy on the state. ... I have spent all my life on the atheist side of this argument..." Hitchens in Slate.com article, "Bush's Secularist Triumph".
- ^ Joshi's book: God's Defenders: What They Believe and Why They Are Wrong at amazon.com.
- ^ Kennedy's book: All in the Mind: A Farewell to God at amazon.com.
- ^ An Interview with Stanislaw Lem by Peter Engel. The Missouri Review, Volume 7, Number 2, 1984.
- ^ Levi quoted as saying "There is Auschwitz, and so there cannot be God." Interview with Marlboro Press (1989)[4].
- ^ Repeatedly mentioned in Lesley Blanch's biography of him: Pierre Loti - Travels with the Legendary Romantic.
- ^ Multiple quotes from McCabe substantiating his atheist view [5].
- ^ Salon magazine 28 April 1999 [6]
- ^ In conversation with Archbishop Rowan Williams [7].
- ^ "I am an intransigent atheist, but not a militant one." Rand quoted in Michael S. Berliner (1995). Letters of Ayn Rand: March 20, 1965 [8]
- ^ When asked by Larry King if he would ever run for office, Reagan Jr. responded by saying, "I'm an atheist so... I can't be elected to anything, because polls all say that people won't elect an atheist." Interview on Larry King Live, 26 June 2004. See clip.
- ^ Interview with Rushdie by Gigi Marzullo; Sottovoce, RAIUNO, March 31 2006.
- ^ Listing of Shelley's The Necessity of Atheism at Amazon.com [9].
- ^ Listing of Smith as a founder of Freethinkers New York.
- ^ "Warraq's book Why I Am Not a Muslim presents a strident historical, moral, and philosophical indictment of Islam and advocates not just a firm separation of mosque and state but outright atheism." Holy War, by Chris Mooney at The American Prospect online (Accessed 29 August 2006).
- ^ Richard Branson: Losing My Virginity, p.239: "I do not believe in God, but as I sat there in the damaged [balloon] capsule, hopelessly vulnerable to the slightest shift in weather or mechanical fault, I could not believe my eyes."
- ^ Ira D. Cardiff: What Great Men Think of Religion, 1945: "I don't believe in God. My god is patriotism. Teach a man to be a good citizen and you have solved the problem of life."
- ^ "I am not saying Jerry Falwell don't believe in God. I am just saying I don't believe in God. That puts me at odds with him." Larry King Live, January 10, 1996
- ^ Steve Kroft: Are you a religious man? Soros: No. Kroft: Do you believe in God? Soros: No. 60 Minutes, broadcast December 20, 1998.
- ^ Quotes from "There Is No God", You Are All Diseased. Carlin says on the same track that "there is no God. None, not one, no God, never was."
- ^ Appearance on ABC's "Politically Incorrect" (March 9, 1998) "I was born Jewish, but I am an atheist. I don't believe in God."[10]
- ^ Speaking to Sacramento’s Outword Magazine, Griffin said: "...I think I’m getting more atheist because of the way the country is getting more into bible-thumping." See Quotelines, by Rex Wockner at Windy City Times (Accessed 29 August 2006).
- ^ In a letter by Adams dated 10 August 1993: "I've spent a life-time attacking religious beliefs and have not wavered from a view of the universe that many would regard as bleak. Namely, that it is a meaningless place devoid of deity [sic]"[11].
- ^ "Every religion has a mythology". Sidmennt, the Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association. 16 August 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Father Julian... and I often talk about faith and the existence of God, but... he's forever coming up against the stone wall of my atheism..." Luis Bunuel (1982, 1985). My Last Breath: p.254
- ^ Stephen M. Silverman, Dancing on the Ceiling: Stanley Donen and His Movies, Alfred A. Knopf: New York (1996), page 312.
- ^ States he is an atheist in his Animals live DVD. Said, "I'm an atheist," and that Homer Simpson was the closest thing for him to God, in a PBS "Fresh Air" interview, December 18, 2006.
- ^ Hepburn stated "I'm an atheist, and that's it. I believe there's nothing we can know except that we should be kind to each other and do what we can for people" in the October 1991 issue of Ladies' Home Journal[12]
- ^ "A God of mercy, any God, seems out of the question." In Search of God
- ^ On December 12, 2006, in an interview on Skepticality, the official podcast of Skeptic Magazine, Hyneman says "I'm pretty adamant about the whole god thing... It seems that skeptics are by and large atheists, or something approaching that, which I strongly identify with. ... I've become enthusiastically part of [the skeptical movement]." (Quoted portion is from minute range 29:30-29:53 of the interview.)
- ^ a b Interview with Penn Jillette in which he mentions his and Teller's atheism.
- ^ "28.Do you have a religion and if so what is it? I am an Atheist. I know the film's really Christian and everything but it doesn’t really affect me. Oh and you know I’m related to Charles Darwin." [13]
- ^ The Seattle Times article confirming that Leykis hosts a radio segment called Ask the Atheist [14].
- ^ "Former Minnesota Vikings running back Robert Smith, an atheist, says he has no objection to making religious counseling and services available to interested players." Going long for Jesus, by Tom Krattenmaker at Salon.com (Accessed 29 August 2006).
- ^ Asked if there was a God, Whedon answered, "No." Is There a God?, by Stephen Thompson, 9 October 2002, A.V. Club (Accessed 22 October 2006.)
- ^ Hanna quoted as saying: "I don't believe in God, but I believe God invented four-tracks"[15].
- ^ http://www.atheistalliance.org/aaw/atheistmusicians_ftom.html
- ^ Jenkins has expressed that he does not believe in God and that he thinks "religion is a bunch of hooey." December 16, 2000 AP report on the 'Jingle Ball' at New York City's Madison Square Garden by Jennifer Vineyard, as cited by celebatheists.com.
- ^ "Personally, I don't believe in God at all…" Sonic Boom Magazine
- ^ The Guardian describes as "a devout atheist - Stravinsky later described him rather disapprovingly as having a mind 'closed to any religious or metaphysical idea'" [16]
- ^ http://www.atheistalliance.org/aaw/atheistmusicians_stoz.html
- ^ Multiple quotes from Bakunin substantiating his atheist views[17].
- ^ Stated in Will Durant's Outlines of Philosophy
- ^ Dennett, Daniel C. (2006), Breaking the Spell, Viking (Penguin), ISBN 0-670-03472-X
- ^ a b Will and Ariel Durant, Rousseau and Revolution, p. 183
- ^ http://positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/qframe.htm
- ^ Will and Ariel Durant, The Age of Voltaire: a History of Civilization in Western Europe from 1715 to 1756, with Special Emphasis on the Conflict between Religion and Philosophy, New York, Simon and Schuster, 1965, pp. 695-714
- ^ Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right, 1843
- ^ Extracts from Moi Testament published as Superstition in All Ages
- ^ Will and Ariel Durant, The Age of Voltaire, 1965, pp. 611-17
- ^ Will and Ariel Durant, The Age of Voltaire, 1965, pp. 617-22
- ^ Die fröhliche Wissenschaft, aphorisms 108 and 125 [18])
- ^ Piergiorgio Odifreddi. "Che fine ha fatto Dio?". Retrieved 2006-10-09.
- ^ Russell said: "As a philosopher, if I were speaking to a purely philosophic audience I should say that I ought to describe myself as an Agnostic, because I do not think that there is a conclusive argument by which one prove that there is not a God. On the other hand, if I am to convey the right impression to the ordinary man in the street I think I ought to say that I am an Atheist... None of us would seriously consider the possibility that all the gods of Homer really exist, and yet if you were to set to work to give a logical demonstration that Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, and the rest of them did not exist you would find it an awful job. You could not get such proof. Therefore, in regard to the Olympic gods, speaking to a purely philosophical audience, I would say that I am an Agnostic. But speaking popularly, I think that all of us would say in regard to those gods that we were Atheists. In regard to the Christian God, I should, I think, take exactly the same line." Am I an Agnostic or an Atheist?, from Last Philosophical Testament 1943–1968, (1997) Routledge ISBN 0-415-09409-7.
- ^ Kimball, Roger (2000). "The World According to Sartre". The New Criterion. Retrieved 2006-11-12.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ Kemerling, Garth (October 27, 2001). "Sartre: Existential Life". Philosophy Pages. Britannica Internet Guide Selection. Retrieved 2006-11-12.
- ^ Bradlaugh professes and defends atheism in his essay A Plea For Atheism.
- ^ Labour Party at prayer salutes Cook the atheist, by Magnus Linklater, The Times, 13 August 2005.
- ^ Atheist premier attacks lack of Christianity in EU constitution, by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, The Telegraph, 4 June 2003.
- ^ "PERSECUTION WATCH: Belarus". vineyardfederalway.org. Retrieved 2006-09-01.
- ^ Stalin is quoted as saying "You know, they are fooling us, there is no God...all this talk about God is sheer nonsense" in E. Yaroslavsky, Landmarks in the Life of Stalin, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Moscow 1940
- ^ Francis Crick, What Mad Pursuit: a Personal View of Scientific Discovery, Basic Books reprint edition, 1990, ISBN 0-465-09138-5, p. 145.
- ^ "Marie Curie's family religion was Roman Catholic, but she became an anticlerical atheist on the death of her mother and older sister." Jone Johnson Lewis (2006). "Biography of Marie Curie". About, Inc. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
- ^ Dawkins identifies himself as an atheist in his article "A Challenge to Atheists: Come Out of the Closet," Free Inquiry, Summer, 2002. Excerpt reprinted at Positiveatheism.org
- ^ Feynman was of Jewish birth, but described himself as "an avowed atheist" by his early youth in Freethought of the Day, Freedom From Religion Foundation, May 11 2006 [19]
- ^ "[Freud and Jung] were close for several years, but Jung's ambition, and his growing commitment to religion and mysticism — most unwelcome to Freud, an aggressive atheist — finally drove them apart." Sigmund Freud, by Peter Gay, The TIME 100: The Most Important People of the Century
- ^ Atlantseglaren från Bromma vill tänja gränsen mot rymden, Dagens Nyheter, December 10, 2006
- ^ "I am an atheist, that is, I think nothing exists except and beyond nature." Ginzburg's autobiography at Nobelprize.org
- ^ Harold Kroto claims to have four "religions": humanism, atheism, amnesty-internationalism and humourism.[20]
- ^ Leakey, Richard. Wildlife Wars: My Fight to Save Africa's Natural Treasures. design by Kathryn Parise. pp. p. 257. ISBN 0-312-20626-7.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help); Unknown parameter|coauthor=ignored (|author=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|origmonth=ignored (help) - ^ A Rough History of Disbelief Official BBC site describing the series
- ^ Nobel Biography[21].
- ^ "I gradually slipped away from religion over several years and became an atheist or to be more philosophically correct, a sceptical agnostic." Nurse's autobiography at Nobelprize.org
- ^ Linus Pauling, in private, was an atheist.[22]
- ^ "I never outgrew my conversion to atheism at 13, but at various times was a serious cultural Jew." The Guardian Profile (November 6, 1999). "Steven Pinker: the mind reader". Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 2006-12-10.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Reported lecture [23]
- ^ Self-proclaimed [24]
- ^ World Bank [25]
- ^ Press meeting [26]
- ^ Trying to Understand Angry Atheists: Why do nonbelievers seem to be threatened by the idea of God?, by Rabbi Marc Gellman, Newsweek, 28 April 2006 (Accessed 11 November 2006)
- ^ "I don't believe in God... the god of traditional Judaism and Christianity and Islam seems to me a terrible character." The Atheism Tapes, program 2 - transcript of an extended interview with Steven Weinberg for the Jonathan Miller BBC TV series The Atheism Tapes
- ^ http://www.celebatheists.com/index.php?title=Alexander_McQueen
- ^ Smith's explanation of his atheism to a hate mailer on his website [27]
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References
- a BBC. "Ethics and Religion - Atheism". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2006-10-22.
- a Cline, Austin (2006). "What Is the Definition of Atheism?". about.com. Retrieved 2006-10-21.
- ^ Lyngzeidetson, Albert (2003). Comparative Religions: A Guide to World Religions. QuickStudy: BarCharts, Inc. ISBN 1-57222-744-3.
- a The Oxford English Dictionary (Second Edition ed.). Oxford University Press, USA. 1989. ISBN 0-19-861186-2.
{{cite book}}:|edition=has extra text (help) - a b Stein, Gordon, ed. (1980). An Anthology of Atheism and Rationalism. New York: Prometheus.