Atheism and Agnosticism: Exploring the Issues

by Peter A. Huff

Overview

An overview essay and approximately 50 alphabetically arranged reference entries explore the background and significance of atheism and agnosticism in modern society.

This is the age of atheism and agnosticism. The number of people living without religious belief and practice is quickly and dramatically rising. Some experts call nonreligion, after Christianity and Islam, the third largest "religion" in the world today. Understanding the origins, history, variations, and impact of atheism and agnosticism is crucial to getting a grasp of the meaning of the present and gaining a glimpse of the future.

Exploring some of the most extraordinary people, events, and ideas of all time, this book provides a fair, comprehensive, and engaging survey of all aspects of contemporary atheism and agnosticism. An overview essay discusses the background and social and political contexts of unbelief, while a timeline highlights key events. Some 50 alphabetically arranged reference entries follow, with each providing fundamental, objective information about particular topics along with cross-references and suggestions for further reading. The volume closes with an annotated bibliography of the most important resources on atheism and agnosticism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798216050582
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	09/01/2021
Series:	Religion in Politics and Society Today
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	661 KB
Age Range:	7 - 17 Years

About the Author

Peter A. Huff is director of the Center for Mission and Identity and professor in the department of history, philosophy, religious studies, and global studies at Benedictine University.
Peter A. Huff is director of the Center for Mission and Identity and professor in the department of history, philosophy, religious studies, and global studies at Benedictine University.

Table of Contents

Alphabetical List of Entries,
Series Foreword,
Preface,
Acknowledgments,
Overview,
Chronology,
A to Z,
Annotated Bibliography,
Index,

Editorial Reviews

A good summation of the relatively nascent study of atheism and agnosticism and serves as a good reference for an introductory inquiry in the field of both.” —Booklist

“Few are agnostic about atheism and agnosticism; this eloquent, wide-ranging volume should appeal to many, as well as supporting recent academic interest in its subject.” —Library Jourbanal

“Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates, general readers.” —Choice

From the Publisher

★ 12/01/2021

For Huff (history, philosophy, religious studies, and global studies, Benedictine Univ., IL; The Voice of Vatican II), atheism and agnosticism express "the defining freedoms of the modern age: inquiry, revolution, invention." His introductory essay in this new volume eschews a narrow view, steers readers away from negative descriptors, and quotes social scientist Phil Zuckerman on the "courage and awe" and authenticity of often-persecuted doubters and dissenters. This refreshing approach underpins his book's balanced perspective and allows readers to see facets they might otherwise miss, including cultural and psychological value independent of religion's truth or dogma. In about 60 astute analytical entries (with cross-reference and further reading), Huff expertly broadens the field of inquiry to non-Western, nonwhite, and gender-diverse viewpoints, over a range of expressions of nontheism (e.g., atheism and agnosticism in Islam; the impact of faith-based homophobia on LGBTQ+ Americans). He assesses key figures and concepts, offering occasional revelations (e.g., in Rome's heyday, Jews and Christians were referred to as atheists). A chronology (1811–2020) provides both historical and contemporary perspective, and the index and annotated bibliography will be useful. VERDICT Few are agnostic about atheism and agnosticism; this eloquent, wide-ranging volume should appeal to many, as well as supporting recent academic interest in its subject.—Patricia D. Lothrop, formerly at St. George's Sch., Newport, RI

Library Journal