Review of The Atheist’s Primer and Atheism for Beginners

Andrew J. Bissette

doi:10.5334/snr.ao

Abstract

The New Atheists are occasionally accused of lacking nuance and sophistication, or of existing in an intellectual vacuum. To some it may seem that Dawkins et al . are naive logical positivists; this perspective may be reinforced by recent authors’ explicit rejection of the value of philosophy and other non-scientific approaches to knowledge (cf. Lawrence Krauss, Stephen Hawking). Into the fray steps Michael Palmer, offering his attempt to popularise a version of atheism that is underpinned by a long tradition of philosophical inquiry. The Atheist’s Primer , a condensed version of Palmer’s previous work, is aptly named: it is a crash course on the history and major arguments of atheism from a firmly philosophical angle. Its companion text, Atheism For Beginners , is a coursebook aimed at tutors seeking to teach this material.

Highlights

The subject matter of these books has been appropriately selected and covers, amongst other things, the meaning and variations of atheism; miracles; theodicy; and teleological, cosmological, and moral arguments for God, and their weaknesses
Into the fray steps Michael Palmer, offering his attempt to popularise a version of atheism that is underpinned by a long tradition of philosophical inquiry
Arguments are put into context, and this narrative approach allows one to ease into each subject with a sense of where it fits into the broader picture

Summary

Introduction

The subject matter of these books has been appropriately selected and covers, amongst other things, the meaning and variations of atheism; miracles; theodicy; and teleological, cosmological, and moral arguments for God, and their weaknesses. A J 2014 Review of The Atheist’s Primer and Atheism for Beginners. Review of The Atheist’s Primer and Atheism for Beginners The Atheist’s Primer, Michael Palmer, Cambridge, UK: Lutterworth Press, 2012, ISBN: 9780718892975.

Results

Conclusion