Atheism Research Articles

La religione atea di Dworkin e la divinizzazione del valore

SOMMARIO: 1. Ateismo religioso e valori - 2. Ateismo moderato, neo-ateismo e ateismo religioso - 3. Alcune considerazioni su indipendenza e inevitabilita dei valori - 4. Conclusioni. Dworkin’s Atheistic Religion and the Divinization of Value ABSTRACT: This essay critically discusses some of the central ideas of Ronald Dworkin’s last book, Religion Without God. In particular, it will be argued that the idea of “religion without God” is not a form of atheism, as Dworkin claims, but a pure religious attitude in which the idea of “theistic entity” of traditional religion is replaced by a new and not less problematic entity, the idea of “value”.

За пределами конфессий и атеизма: рецензия на сборник «Свободомыслие и атеизм: идеи и лица»

Представлена рецензия на вышедший в 2018 г. сборник статей «Свободомыслие и атеизм: идеи и лица» под авторством С. В. Иванеева и профессора З. А. Тажуризиной. Эта книга — сборник разноплановых материалов, в которых рассматриваются различные аспекты свободомыслия в отношении религии. Публикации сборника включают в себя и научные статьи, и публицистические тексты, материалы исторического и мемуарного характера. В теоретических статьях авторы раскрывают теорию и идеологию свободомыслия. В частности, приведена типология вариантов свободомыслия в отношении религии. Исторические материалы содержат рассмотрение различных проявлений свободомыслия: отношение к атеизму в христианских источниках, антирелигиозное движение в СССР в послереволюционные годы, феномен ересей и т. д. Мемуарные материалы содержат воспоминания о работе и жизни выдающихся идеологов и исследователей свободомыслия, многих из которых авторы знали лично. Книга интересна тем, что рассматриваемое явление — свободомыслие в отношении религии — в последние годы крайне редко становится предметом рассмотрения в научной литературе и за её пределами. При этом, как справедливо указывают авторы, само по себе это явление имеет широчайшее распространение и неоднократно играло важнейшую роль в развитии религий, верований и человеческого общества в целом. Многие материалы сборника можно назвать уникальными. Несмотря на ряд недочётов, описанных в рецензии, можно сделать вывод о существенной научной и научно-популярной ценности сборника.

Atheism vs. Atheism in the Encounter Between Science and Religion

Atheism vs. Atheism in the Encounter Between Science and Religion

With or Without God?

With or Without God?

Atheism and Agnosticism. By Graham Oppy

Atheism and Agnosticism. By Graham Oppy

Espiritualidad y autoconciencia existencial en Tugendhat

La filosofía de la religión y la mística del último Tugendhat se inserta en el centro de su etapa antropológica, pero guarda relación con toda su obra precedente. Las raíces antropológicas de la espiritualidad se hallan en la autoconciencia práctica o existencial, que se refiere al conjunto de nuestra vida y está expuesta —more heideggeriano— a la contingencia. A esta responden, según Tugendhat, la religión, con su creencia en seres espirituales (que él rechaza enérgicamente), y diversas formas de místicas orientales impersonales, como el budismo y el tao, que atemperan la voracidad de un yo egocéntrico. El artículo analiza la teorización tugendhatiana de ambos fenómenos y discute su argumento en pro del ateísmo, por mor de la “honestidad intelectual”, lo mismo que su pretensión de tomar las doctrinas místicas únicamente en su vertiente práctico-existencial.

Atheism and the Principle of Laïcité in France. A Shifting Process of Mutual Adaptation

SUMMARY: 1. Introduction - 2. The Vertical and Horizontal Influences - 3. Atheism, laicite and Church - 4. Atheism, laicite and Islam - 5. Today’s Popular Sources of Atheism - 6. Conclusion. ABSTRACT: With this article, the Author outlines the legal issues involving the atheism in France, analysing them in the light of the principle of laicite. France has a long history of criticism of religion. Many philosophes of the Enlightenment, for example, have provided the classical writings in this field. In this sense, they were able to aliment two major streams of thought of the magmatic French atheism: one is based on the horizontal influences arising from the effect of increasing worldwide travel with the discovery that people do not necessary share the same views and beliefs about the nature of human being; the other is centred on vertical arguments bubbling up from the past in a very form of scepticism and realism. With its multi-faceted and articulated view, the French atheism has also been promoted by a number of movements devoted to arguing the case for non-belief and for its political expression in laicite. In this manner, the Author tries to demonstrate that, since the Great Revolution and during the long history of the French constitutional system, laicite de combat and atheism has been influencing each other in a constantly shifting process of mutual adaptation.

Theologie des Neuen Testaments, Band 3: Historische Kritik der historisch-kritischen Exegese. By Ulrich Wilckens

This third volume of Wilckens’s New Testament theology falls, as he admits, outside that genre represented (controversially) by the six books or ‘part-volumes’ of vols. 1 (2002–5) and 2 (2007–9). Volume 1 (in four books) presents a ‘history of early Christian theology’, and the more ‘dogmatic’ (his word) and thematic volume 2 explains the hermeneutical principles which allow him to present the results of historical exegesis as the foundation of normative church doctrine. It clarifies the ‘inner connections’ in the ‘elemental themes’ of the New Testament, 11 of which get a chapter each in 2, 2. Volume 3 is in effect an appendix, delivering what was promised (and its conclusions anticipated) in the Introduction to the whole work (2002) and sketched in a short book, Kritik der Bibelkritik, in 2012. It is a ‘critical history of (New Testament) historical criticism’ designed to make a case: the roots of modern biblical criticism can be found in the Enlightenment’s reaction against the confessional divisions of Christianity responsible for the wars of religion. Its rational criticism of dogma, and of some of the Bible’s science, history, and morality, did not often entail disbelief in God but led to a historical study of the Bible independent of religious belief. This removed normative talk of God from biblical scholarship. Wilckens considers that disastrous for the Christian church, and his multi-volume work seeks to overcome it by building the methods, debates, and conclusions of his historical scholarship into a frame which, unlike most New Testament theologies, is explicitly theological. This book-length epilegomena, like Bultmann’s shorter one, provides some history of scholarship but also makes more room for the alternative stream that he himself advocates, presenting his readers in conclusion with an Either-Or: either a scholarship which acknowledges the reality of God and the historical resurrection of Jesus, or one that does not.

Fifty Voices of Disbelief: Why We Are Atheists. Edited by Russell Blackford and Udo Schüklenk. Pp. ix, 346, Oxford, Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. £16.99.

Fifty Voices of Disbelief: Why We Are Atheists. Edited by Russell Blackford and Udo Schüklenk. Pp. ix, 346, Oxford, Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. £16.99.

Can fictionalists have faith? It all depends

AbstractCan fictionalists have faith? It all depends on how we disambiguate ‘fictionalists’ and on what faith is. I consider the matter in light of my own theory. After clarifying its central terms, I distinguish two fictionalists – atheistic and agnostic – and I argue that, even though no atheistic fictionalist can have faith on my theory, agnostic fictionalists arguably can. After rejecting Finlay Malcolm's reasons for thinking this is a problem, I use his paradigmatic agnostic fictionalist as a foil to explore a variety of ways in which to describe agnostic fictionalists, none of whom pose a problem for my theory.

Atheism: What Everyone Needs to Know. By Michael Ruse

Atheism: What Everyone Needs to Know. By Michael Ruse

Contemporary Cultures and Atheism

Abstract: this article aims to present an analysis of the partial results of the research carried out on the historical and cultural bases of atheism and its relation to the conceptions of the sacred, worldviews and social hierarchy in the context of modern Western society. It was hypothesized that culture and technological and scientific advances contributed significantly to modern secularism, namely by defining itself as atheism. However, traditional theodicy still remains the basis of people's beliefs. We take as empirical research study carried out with eighty scholars and academics from three courses of PUC Goiás in 2015. Among those surveyed, a significant number of individuals claim to believe in God and to base their lives on religious values and teachings, pointing to the confirmation of the hypothesis that there is still a certain relevance of theodicy as answers to the daily needs of such a portion of the population.
 
 Culturas e Ateísmos Contemporâneos
 
 Resumo: este artigo tem como objetivo apresentar uma análise dos resultados parciais da pesquisa realizada sobre as bases históricas e culturais do ateísmo e suas relações com as concepções de sagrado, com as visões de mundo e com a hierarquização social no contexto da sociedade ocidental moderna. Partiu-se da hipótese de que a cultura e os avanços tecnológicos e científicos contribuíram de forma significativa com o secularismo moderno, nomeadamente, definindo-se como ateísmo. No entanto, as teodiceias tradicionais ainda continuam como base das crenças das pessoas. Tomamos como material de análise a pesquisa empírica realizada com oitenta acadêmicos e acadêmicas de três cursos da PUC Goiás, em 2015. Entre os pesquisados percebe-se um número significativo de indivíduos que afirmam crer em Deus e pautar suas vidas por valores e ensinamentos religiosos, apontando para a confirmação da hipótese de que há ainda certa pertinência das teodiceias enquanto respostas às necessidades cotidianas de tal parcela da população.

Atheists

AbstractAtheists represent an inconspicuous minority, identifiable only by their disbelief in God(s). Despite being highly stigmatized and disliked, until recent scientific endeavors, little has been known about this group including why they don't believe, how many people are atheists, and why they trigger intense reactions. Thus, this paper aims to synthesize what is known about atheists (so far) and to help explain the widespread negative attitudes and prejudice towards atheists; the possible cognitive, motivational, and cultural origins of disbelief; and the unique challenges facing the study of religious disbelievers. To do so, we will explore current findings in psychological research on atheism by considering the complex interactions of cultural learning, motivations, and core cognitive processes. Although significant scientific progress has been made in understanding the factors underlying atheism, there remains much to be explored in the domain of religious disbelief.

Alien Voices under the Bean Arbor: How an Eighteenth-Century French Jesuit Translated Doupeng xianhua 豆棚閒話 as the “Dialogue of a Modern Atheist Chinese Philosopher”*

This article examines an eighteenth-century French Jesuit’s translation of the final chapter of the early Qing collection of vernacular stories Doupeng xianhua 豆棚閒話 (Idle Talks under the Bean Arbor), which became a “philosophical dialogue” of a “modern atheist Chinese philosopher.” The trajectory of the text is examined by analyzing the layers of meaning superposed upon it by a succession of agencies: the original author Aina Jushi 艾衲居士, a Jiangnan literatus who philosophized on the fall of the Ming dynasty; Father François-Xavier Dentrecolles, the Jesuit missionary who translated the text with extensive commentaries of his own to make a case against atheism; the Parisian editor Jean-Baptiste Du Halde who published the translation in the landmark of Jesuit sinology, Description de l’Empire de la Chine et de la Tartarie chinoise (1735); the engravers in Paris and the Hague who remolded its cosmological diagrams to conform to their own scientific and aesthetic standards; and finally, its European re-translators and readers, some of whom used it as a weapon against the Jesuits and the Catholic Church. The gains and losses of the Doupeng xianhua during this process are discussed, as well as the new light brought by the French translation on its circulation in Qing China. Finally, the challenge this atypical case poses to received narratives of the Sino-Western cultural exchange through the Jesuit mission is assessed. Cet article examine la traduction au XVIIIe siècle, par un jésuite français, du dernier chapitre du recueil de contes vernaculaires Doupeng xianhua 豆棚閒話 (Propos oisifs sous la tonnelle des haricots), qui devient un « dialogue philosophique » d’un « philosophe chinois athée moderne ». La trajectoire de ce texte est retracée en analysant les strates successives de sens superposées sur ce texte grâce à des acteurs divers : l’auteur de l’original Aina Jushi 艾衲居士, un lettré du Jiangnan qui a philosophé sur la chute de la dynastie des Ming ; le missionnaire jésuite François-Xavier Dentrecolles qui a traduit le texte avec une profusion de commentaires de son propre cru contre l’athéisme ; l’éditeur parisien Jean-Baptiste Du Halde qui a publié cette traduction dans la Description de l’Empire de la Chine et de la Tartarie chinoise (1735), un monument de la sinologie française ; les graveurs à Paris et à La Haye qui ont retravaillé les diagrammes cosmologiques conformément à leurs propres normes scientifiques et esthétiques ; et enfin, les re-traducteurs et lecteurs européens de ce texte, certains desquels l’ont utilisé contre les jésuites et l’Église catholique. La conclusion évoque les gains et les pertes du Doupeng xianhua au cours de ce processus et l’éclairage que peut apporter cette traduction française sur la diffusion de l’original dans la Chine des Qing. Elle envisage enfin le défi posé par ce cas atypique aux récits conventionnels sur la médiation des jésuites dans les échanges culturels entre la Chine et l’Europe.

Paul Hedges, Towards Better Disagreement: Religion and Atheism in Dialogue

Paul Hedges, <i>Towards Better Disagreement: Religion and Atheism in Dialogue</i>

Emancipatory Faith: Reflection on Alain Badiou and the Christians for National Liberation

Although Badiouian political thought maintains an obvious distance from theology, theisms, and all forms of transcendental conceptualizations of human liberation, it does allow the most universal form of democratic mass participation, including by Christian believers. This crossover, far from being a domination of either politics or religion, is possible because of their common affirmation of and fidelity to an Event. This paper aims to show the crossover between the radical politics of Alain Badiou and the revolutionary potential of the Christian religion proposed by a revolutionary organization. It further clarifies that radical politics, which seemingly veers towards atheism, and religion can be united to a common conception of democracy and emancipation. Drawing from this crossover, this paper criticizes the current notions of democracy espoused and preached under the current system, and presents a more genuine notion of the same. The discussion hinges on the more than four decades of ardent revolutionary struggle of the Christians for National Liberation (CNL), a revolutionary Christian mass organization in the Philippines. Keywords Emancipation politics, Christians for National Liberation, Event, subject, fidelity, National Democratic Revolution

„Noch heute werde ich bei Dir im Paradiese sein“

Summary This essay focuses on ethical considerations about suicide. Our work is based on Dietrich Bonhoeffer‘s idea that suicide is objectionable not for moral but religious reasons. This is because suicide would be a result disbelief in God as the donor of life. The essay argues that neglecting suicide due to moral reasons is indeed inappropriate while at the same time suicide is not automatically a negation of God.

Atheism, Secularism and Satanism…”Full of Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing” (Macbeth)

Atheism, Secularism and Satanism…”Full of Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing” (Macbeth)

The Psychopatholgorithm of Atheism, Secularism and Satanism….

The Psychopatholgorithm of Atheism, Secularism and Satanism….

Review of 'Becoming Atheist: Humanism and the Secular West'

Review of 'Becoming Atheist: Humanism and the Secular West'