Lists of atheists
Appearance
Listed here are persons who have identified themselves as atheists. Also included are those who have said that they disbelieve in God or deities, and have not chosen an alternative label (such as agnostic) to describe their disbelief.
There is no way to list all famous persons who happen(ed) to be atheists, so the list includes only those whose atheism has been relevant in their public life or works.
Activists and educators
- Emma Goldman (1869–1940): Lithuanian-born radical, known for her writings and speeches defending anarcho-communism, feminism, and atheism. [1]
- Ellen Johnson: current president of American Atheists. [2]
- Michael Newdow: 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. [3]
- 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. [4]
- 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."[5]
- Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (1883–1966): Indian revolutionary freedom fighter, and Hindu nationalist leader. [6]
- Ali Sina: Founder of FaithFreedom International(FFI), a movement that denounces Islam. [7]
- Barbara Smoker (1923–): British humanist activist and freethought advocate. Wrote the book Freethoughts: Atheism, Secularism, Humanism – Selected Egotistically from "The Freethinker". [8]
- Polly Toynbee, a columnist for The Guardian.[9]
Authors
- Douglas Adams (1952–2001): British radio and television writer, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Adams called himself a "radical Atheist." [10]
- Isaac Asimov (1920-1992): Russian-born American author of science fiction and popular science books. Asimov said, "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."[11]
- Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914?): American writer, author of The Devil's Dictionary. [12]
- Sir Arthur C. Clarke (1917–): British scientist and Science Fiction author.[13]
- Vardis Fisher (1895–1968): American writer, scholar. Author of atheistic Testament of Man series.[14]
- Sam Harris (1967–): American author, researcher in neuroscience, author of the international bestseller, The End of Faith. [15]
- 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.[16]
- Christopher Hitchens (1949–): Essayist who proclaims himself an atheist. [17]
- S. T. Joshi (1958–): American editor and literary critic. [18]
- Ludovic Kennedy (1919–): British journalist, author, and campaigner for voluntary euthanasia. [19]
- Primo Levi (1919–1987): Italian novelist and chemist, survivor of Auschwitz concentration camp. [20]
- Pierre Loti (1850-1923): French novelist and travel writer. [21]
- Joseph McCabe (1867–1955): English writer, anti-religion campaigner. [22]
- Camille Paglia (1947–): American post-feminist literary and cultural critic. [23]
- Philip Pullman (1946–): CBE, British author of His Dark Materials fantasy trilogy for young adults. [24]
- Ayn Rand (1905-1982): Russian-born American author and founder of Objectivism.[25]
- Ron Reagan (1958–): American magazine journalist, board member of the politically activistic Creative Coalition, son of former U. S. President Ronald Reagan. 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."[26]
- Salman Rushdie (1947-): Indian-born British essayist and author of fiction. [27]
- Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822): British Romantic poet, contemporary and associate of John Keats and Lord Byron, and author of The Necessity of Atheism. [28]
- Warren Allen Smith: Author of Who's Who in Hell. [29]
- 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)."[5]
- 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.[30]
Business
- Sir Richard Branson (1950-): British entrepreneur, founder of the Virgin Group.[31]
- Warren Buffet (1930-): American investor, considered to be the world's second richest man, although he is currently in the process of giving away much of his fortune.[32]
- Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919): Industrialist and philanthropist, sometimes described as the wealthiest man who ever lived. [33]
- Larry Flynt (1942-): Founder of Hustler Magazine.[34]
- George Soros (1930-): Hungarian-born investor, philanthropist and writer.[35]
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."[5]
- George Carlin (1937–): American comedian, actor and author. Outspoken atheist, wrote a number of monologues about the non-existence of God. [36]
- Adam Carolla (1964–): former American TV personality, now radio talk show host. [37]
- David Cross (1964-): American actor and comedian.[38]
- Kathy Griffin (1963-): American comedian, stated on her reality show that she was an atheist and former catholic.[39]
- Julia Sweeney (1961–): American actor and comedian. Alumna of Saturday Night Live, author/performer of a one-woman autobiographical stage show about finding atheism: Letting Go of God. [40]
Film, radio and television
- Phillip Adams (1939–): Australian broadcaster, writer, film-maker, left-wing radical thinker, iconoclast, Australian Humanist of the Year 1987. [41]
- Ingmar Bergman (1918–): Swedish film director and playwright. [42]
- Luis Buñuel (1900–1983): Spanish-born Mexican film-maker, important activist of the surrealist movement. Famous for his one-liner, "Thank God I'm still an atheist."[43]
- Ricky Gervais (1961–): British actor, co-writer of the original version of The Office.[44]
- Katharine Hepburn (1907–2003): Famed American actress, who appeared in 53 films from 1932 to 1994. [45]
- John Humphrys (1943-): British radio and television presenter. Presented a series of programmes interviewing religious leaders entitled Humphrys in Search of God. "A God of mercy, any God, seems out of the question." [46]
- Penn Jillette (1955-): American magician, co-host of Bullshit!. [47]
- Skandar Keynes (1991–): English actor (Chronicles of Narnia films).[48]
- Tom Leykis (1956–): radio talk-show host. [49]
- Gene Roddenberry (1921–1991): American television producer, creator of Star Trek. [50]
- Robert Smith (1972–) Former Minnesota Vikings running back and NFL Network football analyst.[51]
- Teller (1948-): American magician and co-host of Bullshit!. [47]
- Joss Whedon (1964-): American screenwriter and director, most famous for creating Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Asked if there was a God, he answered, "No." [52]
Music
- Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): French composer [53]
- Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): German/Austrian composer. [54]
- Fritz Theodor Albert "Frederick" Delius (1862-1934): English composer [55]
- Kathleen Hanna (1969–): front woman of the 1990s band Bikini Kill and currently Le Tigre. [56]
- Lou Harrison (1917-2003): American composer [57]
- Stephan Jenkins (1964-): Musician, lead singer for the American rock band, Third Eye Blind. Jenkins has expressed that he does not believe in God and that he thinks "religion is a bunch of hooey." [58]
- 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.[59]
- Nicolo Paganini (1782-1840): Extremely influential Italian violinist and composer. [60][61]
- Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844–1908): Russian Nationalist composer, member of "The Five", best-known for the tone poem Scheherazade.[62]
- Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): British composer [63]
Philosophy
- Mikhail Bakunin (1814–1876): Russian philosopher, writer and anarchist leader. [64]
- Albert Camus (1913–1960): French philosopher and novelist, a luminary of existentialism. [5]
- Benedetto Croce (1886-1952): Italian philosopher and public figure. [65]
- Baron d'Holbach (1723-89): French philosopher and encyclopedist, most famous as being one of the first outspoken atheists in Europe. [66]
- Daniel Dennett (1942-): American philosopher, author of Breaking the Spell [67]
- Denis Diderot (1713-84): editor-in-chief of the Encyclopédie, who succeeded in bringing about "a revolution in men's minds." (Will and Ariel Durant, Rousseau and Revolution, p. 183.)
- Claude Adrien Helvétius (1715-71): French philosopher whose ethical and social views helped shape the school of utilitarianism later made famous by Jeremy Bentham. (Will and Ariel Durant, Rousseau and Revolution, p. 183.)
- Karl Marx (1818-83): German-Jewish author of Das Kapital, known for his assertion that "Religion is... the opium of the people." [68]
- 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. [69] [70]
- Julien Offray de La Mettrie (1709-51): French physician and philosopher, earliest materialist writer of the Enlightenment, claimed as a founder of cognitive science. [71]
- 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). [72]
- Piergiorgio Odifreddi (1950-): Italian mathematician, philosopher and science writer. [73]
- Bertrand Russell, (1872-1970), English philosopher and mathematician. 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. [74]
- 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.[75] 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.[76]
Politics and law
- 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." [77]
- Aleksander Kwaśniewski (1954-), former President of Poland (1995-2005), has said, "I am an atheist and everybody knows it..."[78]
- Alexander Lukashenko (1954-): President of Belarus, self-described "Russian Orthodox atheist." [79]
- Joseph Stalin (1879-1953) - Soviet dictator [80]
Science and medicine
- Francis Crick (1916-2004): Nobel-laureate co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, who described himself as a skeptic and an agnostic with "a strong inclination towards atheism."[81]
- 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.[82]
- Richard Feynman (1918–1988), American theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate. Of Jewish birth, but described himself as "an avowed atheist" by his early youth.[83]
- 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.[84]
- Peter D. Mitchell (1920-1992): Nobel-laureate British biochemist. Atheist mother, and himself atheist from age 15.[85]
- Amartya Kumar Sen (1933-): Nobel Laureate in Economics (1998).[86] [87] [88] [89]
- James D. Watson (1928-), Nobel-laureate co-discover of the structure of DNA, is identified as an atheist in a Newsweek commentary by his acquaintance, Rabbi Marc Gellman. [90]
- Steven Weinberg (1933-), Physics Nobel Laureate, has said, "...I don't believe in God... the god of traditional Judaism and Christianity and Islam seems to me a terrible character." [91]
Visual Arts
- Alexander McQueen (1969-): English fashion designer [92]
References
- ^ Online reprint of essay by Emma Goldman, The Philosophy of Atheism, advocating atheism.
- ^ Listing of Ellen Johnson as president of American Atheists; from official website.
- ^ Adherents.com article: The Religious Affiliation of Michael Newdow [1].
- ^ American Atheist's profile of O'Hair and her family as atheism advocates [2].
- ^ a b c d 2,000 Years of Disbelief: Famous People with the Courage to Doubt, James A. Haught, 1996, Prometheus Books, ISBN 1-57392-067-3
- ^ "Savarkar was an atheist. When he was the Hindu Mahasabha president he used to give lectures on why there is no god."; quote from an interview with historian, Bipan Chandra [3].
- ^ Atheist essay by Sina, Rational Spirituality.
- ^ Listing of Barbara Smoker's Freethoughts: Atheism, Humanism, Secularism. Selected Egotistically from the 'Freethinker' at Amazon.com[4].
- ^ This is a clash of civilisations - between reason and superstition
- ^ Interview with Adams by American Atheists[5].
- ^ Isaac Asimov, in "Free Inquiry", Spring 1982, vol.2 no.2, p. 9 (See Wikiquote.)
- ^ Multiple quotes from Bierce substantiating his atheist views[6].
- ^ "…Stanley [Kubrick] is a Jew and I'm an atheist". Arthur C. Clarke, as quoted in The Making of Kubrick's 2001, Jeromy Agel (Ed.) (1970), p.306
- ^ American Atheists article on Fisher [7].
- ^ Author of An Atheist Manifesto
- ^ "Harry Harrison is a self-confessed atheist" per official website HarryHarrison.com
- ^ Slate.com article by Hitchens, "Bush's Secularist Triumph", with atheist declaration.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Levi quoted as saying "There is Auschwitz, and so there cannot be God." Interview with Marlboro Press (1989)[8].
- ^ Repeatedly mentioned in Lesley Blanch's biography of him: Pierre Loti - Travels with the Legendary Romantic.
- ^ Multiple quotes from McCabe substantiating his atheist view [9].
- ^ Salon magazine 28 April 1999 [10]
- ^ In conversation with Archbishop Rowan Williams [11].
- ^ "I am an intransigent atheist, but not a militant one." Michael S. Berliner (1995). Letters of Ayn Rand: March 20, 1965 [12]
- ^ 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 [13].
- ^ 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."
- ^ Roger Lowerstein: Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist, Doubleday, 1995, p.13: "He did not subscribe to his family's religion. Even at a young age he was too mathematical, too logical, to make the leap of faith. He adopted his father's ethical underpinnings, but not his belief in an unseen divinity."
- ^ 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.
- ^ Multiple quotes from Carlin substantiating his atheist views[14].
- ^ Interview with Penn Jillete in which Carolla declared "...I'm an atheist"[15].
- ^ Appearance on ABC's "Politically Incorrect" (March 9, 1998) "I was born Jewish, but I am an atheist. I don't believe in God."[16]
- ^ 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).
- ^ Interview with Sweeney discussing her atheism[17].
- ^ 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]"[18].
- ^ Adherents.com article: The Religious Affiliation of Ingmar Bergman [19].
- ^ "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
- ^ States he is an atheist in his Animals live DVD.
- ^ 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[20]
- ^ In Search of God
- ^ 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." [21]
- ^ The Seattle Times article confirming that Leykis hosts a radio segment called Ask the Atheist [22].
- ^ "Although Roddenberry's family were churchgoers, he became an atheist when a teenager." Gene Roddenberry (1921-1991) at the website of the British Humanist Association (Accessed 29 August 2006).
- ^ "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).
- ^ Is There a God?, by Stephen Thompson, 9 October 2002, A.V. Club (Accessed 22 October 2006.)
- ^ http://www.atheists.org/Atheism/roots/musicians/
- ^ http://www.atheists.org/Atheism/roots/musicians/
- ^ http://www.atheistalliance.org/aaw/atheistmusicians_atoe.html
- ^ Hanna quoted as saying: "I don't believe in God, but I believe God invented four-tracks"[23].
- ^ http://www.atheistalliance.org/aaw/atheistmusicians_ftom.html
- ^ 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
- ^ http://www.atheists.org/Atheism/roots/musicians/
- ^ http://www.atheistalliance.org/aaw/atheistmusicians_mtor.html
- ^ The Guardian describes as "a devout atheist - Stravinsky later described him rather disapprovingly as having a mind 'closed to any religious or metaphysical idea'" [24]
- ^ http://www.atheistalliance.org/aaw/atheistmusicians_stoz.html
- ^ Multiple quotes from Bakunin substantiating his atheist views[25].
- ^ Stated in Will Durant's Outlines of Philosophy
- ^ 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
- ^ Dennett, Daniel C. (2006), Breaking the Spell, Viking (Penguin), ISBN 0-670-03472-X
- ^ 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 [26])
- ^ 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.
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(help) - ^ Kemerling, Garth (October 27, 2001). "Sartre: Existential Life". Philosophy Pages. Britannica Internet Guide Selection. Retrieved 2006-11-12.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Freethought of the Day, Freedom From Religion Foundation, May 11 2006 [27]
- ^ A Rough History of Disbelief Official BBC site describing the series
- ^ Nobel Biography[28].
- ^ Reported lecture [29]
- ^ Self-proclaimed [30]
- ^ World Bank [31]
- ^ Press meeting [32]
- ^ 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)
- ^ The Atheism Tapes, program 2 - transcript of an extended interview with Steven Weinberg for the Jonathan Miller BBC TV series The Atheism Tapes
- ^ [33]
See also
- Atheism
- Agnosticism
- Nontheism
- List of people by belief
- List of people
- List of agnostics
- List of humanists
External links
- Great Minds Quotes quotes from great minds such as Einstein, Jefferson, Lincoln, Hawking, Freud, among others, on the topics of religion, spirituality, and general belief.
- The Celebrity Atheist List (includes atheists and agnostics)
- Famous black freethinkers
- NNDB-list
- Atheist Pin-Ups quotes from various celebrities and national icons