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The Atheist's Primer
Michael Palmer
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Description for The Atheist's Primer
Paperback.
Arguing that a 'new atheism', driven largely by Darwinian objections to God's existence, has limited debate to a scientific framework, The Atheist's Primer reinstates the importance of philosophy in the debate about God's existence and in so doing recovers the distinguished philosophical tradition of atheism, which Dawkins and others have obscured. Beginning with the Ancient Greeks and culminating with Hume, Michael Palmer provides the philosophical framework on which scientific objections to theism are hung. He explicates and comments on the thinking behind atheism, discussing issues such as evil, morality, miracles, and the motivations for belief. Although delving deeply ... Read moreinto epistemological concerns, emphasising the disheartening limitations of man's capacity for knowledge and our materialist dependencies, Palmer concludes on a positive note arguing - alongside Nietzsche, Marx and Freud and many others - that happiness and personal fulfilment are to be found in the very materialism that religious belief rejects. An eloquent abridgment of his previous work, The Atheist's Creed, which was aimed at the educational market, The Atheist's Primer is written in fluent and concise prose, making it an accessible introduction for the general reader. Show Less
Product Details
Publisher
Lutterworth Press
Place of Publication
Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Usually ships in 15 to 20 working days
About Michael Palmer
A former Teaching Fellow at McMaster University and Humboldt Fellow at Marburg University, Dr Palmer has taught at Marlborough College and Bristol University. For many years Founding Head of the Department of Religion and Philosophy at the Manchester Grammar School, Dr Palmer is also the author of the best-selling textbook Moral Problems as well as of the two-volume textbook The ... Read morePhilosophy of Religion. Show Less
Reviews for The Atheist's Primer
'Palmer appropriately returns us to the classical philosophical atheistic challenges against theism. His work is beyond praise and I believe greatly needed in time when "New Atheism" is in danger of eliminating the thrust of classical atheism, which squarely and fairly focused on arguments for and against existence of God. [...] I would recommend The Atheist's Primer to all Christians ... Read moreand atheists who love pondering the case for and against existence of God and are worn-out by New-Atheism's shortage of philosophical engagement in this most important subject. ' Daniel Prayson in With All I Am, 25th October 2012 ' This primer is an elegant subject guide for entry-level infidels. Perhaps it has been pitched to an age group who should already have divested themselves of imaginary friends, but it still constitutes a utile grounding in, and overview of, the thinking, constructive and destructive, of freethinkers throughout Western history. ' Daniel Binney in Times Higher Education, 25th October 2012 'Hurray for Michael Palmer! The Atheist's Primer is one of the best introductions to Atheism available. Well written and the many pictures of famous philosophers add to its charm - the only introduction to Atheism that I know of that has this!' Dr Michael Martin, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Boston University, October 2012 'In his concise, comprehensive and accessible grand tour d'horizon of atheistical arguments, he surveys the philosophical approach that started 2,500 years ago, in the extraordinary explosion of critical thought in 5th-century BC Athens. [...] Michael Palmer has written not only an elegant summary of 2,500 years of thinking-about-God, but a genuine "Primer", locked and loaded for argument, which doubles as a reminder of our intellectual limitations. The arguments it offers are less overweening than the barrage of scientific facts we tend to rely on.' Michael Bywater in New Humanist, Vol. 127 (6), Nov./Dec. 2012 'If you are a student of philosophy, history and possibly psychology you will find much to interest you in this book.' Dougie Gibbard, Skeptical Adversaria, Winter 2012 'The various logical arguments in favour of atheism contained in this book represent a valid arsenal of munitions very useful for both atheists and agnostics, in order to to be able to rebut in an efficient way all of the pseudo-demonstrations that believers always advance in favour of their divinities...' Enrica Rota, L'ATEO, n. 1/2013 (86) '[The Atheist's Primer] seeks to highlight 'important philosophical arguments' that Palmer believes have been sidelined in contemporary debates between theists and their opponents. He is surely right that the greatest atheist thinkers - Nietzsche, Marx and Freud - often do not receive a full hearing...' Mark Vernon, The Times Literary Supplement, No 5730, January 2013 'This book [...] offers an engaging introduction, accessible to the general reader, to the history of atheism and to some of the main contemporary philosophical arguments for atheism. [...] it will be especially helpful for those without a philosophical background.' Reviews in Science and Religion, No. 61, May 2013 'Palmer's book should be read and studied by teachers of all religious faiths, and should be studied in courses on Christian/religious apologetics. Religious people concerned about the secular and anti-religious trends in Western society should also read Palmer's books to gain insight into the philosophical shifts which have moved Western culture to a more post-Christian and post-religious position. Religionists need to actively engage the increasing popularity of atheism with their own robust theological and intellectual traditions.' Armand J. Boehme, Faribault, MN, Reviews in Religion and Theology, Vol.21, No.1, January 2014 'Palmer's book is a refreshing, jargon-free take on the history of atheism which, spanning the analytic-continental divide, covers a very broad range of philosophical arguments [...] it can be recommended to the general reader as a lively and accessible introduction to philosophical atheism'. David Leech, University of Bristol, Religious Studies, Vol. 50, Issue 1, March 2014 "... Palmer's book is refreshing in that it approaches atheism from a philosophical perspective... A narrative of Western atheism's progression that is highly readable and accessible to the general reader..." Richard Viladesau, Journal of Theological Studies, Vol. 75, Issue 3 September 2014 "Atheism should be studied both by believers and unbelievers for understanding argumentation and limits about the rational proof of the existence of God. For these who want to consider this issue, The Atheist's Primer is undoubtedly the manual. Pedro José Grande Sánchez, Anuario Filosófico Volume 47, issue 2, 2014 "This study offers a valuable guide for readers interested in the history of ideas informing the debates surrounding the question of the existence of God." -J Show Less
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