Atheism and agnocticism

Who makes a distinction between positive and negative atheism? In what book?

Anthony Flew
The Presumption of Atheism, 1976

What are the types of atheism as put forward by Flew?

Positive/strong atheist - asserts the non-existence of God
Negative/weak atheist - someone who is not a theist

What position did Flew believe atheists should start from?

Negative atheism

Who are often materialists? What does materialist mean? Who does this view date back to?

Atheists
Someone who believes that the physical world constitutes all of reality
Pre-Socratic philosophers like Thales

Who introduced the term agnostic?

Thomas Huxley

How did Bertrand Russell define an agnostic? When did he give this definition?

An agnostic thinks it impossible to know the truth in matters such as God and the future life with which Christianity and other religions are concerned
1953

What are the types of agnosticism?

Strong agnosticist - believes the question of the existence of God can't be answered with any kind of certainty
Weak agnosticist - someone who hasn't personally made up their minds on the question

What is the name given to the modern movement that is deliberately and publicly hostile to religion? What is another name it's given?

New Atheism
Militant Atheism

Who are the 4 horsemen of New Atheism?

Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Daniel Dennett

What was a main reason for the rise of New Atheism?

Increase in religiously-motivated terrorist attacks

Which thinkers before the New Atheists had argued similar ideas?

Hume and Russell

When did the 4 'leaders' of the New Atheism movement create their famous 'Four Horsemen' recording?

2008

What was the name of Sam Harris' book?

The End of Faith, 2004

What did Sam Harris' book respond to?

The New York terrorist attacks on 11/09/2001

What does Harris concentrate on?

The dangers posed by religious extremist groups

What does Harris compare religious belief to? Who is this similar to?

Mental illness, Freud

What did Harris argue faith was aligned to?

Ignorance and therefore, hatred

What was Richard Dawkins' first book against religion called? What did he discuss?

The Selfish Gene, 1976
Promotes Darwin's ideas of evolution and says that God has nothing to do with human nature

In which book does Dawkins attack Christian design arguments? How does he do this?

The Blind Watchmaker, 1986
Says all apparent evidence of design can be put down to natural processes

What is Dawkins' most famous book?

The God Delusion, 2006

Why does Dawkins say he is an atheist?

- A lack of evidence
- The ineffectiveness of prayer
- Failure of arguments for God's existence

Why does Dawkins argue religion is damaging?

- At the root of wars and terrorism
- Detrimental to scientific enquiry
- Encourages blind following of authority

What is the name of Daniel Dennett's book?

Breaking the Spell, 2006

What does Dennett's book argue?

Religion should not be exempt from scientific analysis so it cn be proved as a human construction

What is the name of Christopher Hitchens' book?

God is not Great, 2007

What is the main case made by Hitchens' book?

Religion is damaging to society

Where does Hitchens argue faith comes from?

Fears about our own mortality and an outdated understanding of the world

Why does Hitchens believe religion is damaging to society?

- Religious people try to impose their outlook and morality on others
- It is intolerant and encourages bigotry
- It is hostile to scientific enquiry

Why does Hitchens believe the Bible is unreliable?

It is simply a collection of oral traditions and is full of contradictions

Atheists often criticise religion for being non-___________?

thinking

What is a quote from Dennnett about religion being free from scientific analysis?

'[religion has a] traditional exemption from certain sorts of analysis and criticism'

What is a quote from Dawkins about the Bible?

'The truth of the holy book is an axiom, not the end product of a process of reasoning'

What argument against religion does writer John Loftus give? In what book?

Religious believers have a blind spot to their own faith
The Outsider Test for Faith, 2013

What are some examples of incoherence/contradictions within Christianity?

- God is control of everything yet people have free will
- God is all-loving yet evils exists
- Jesus is God in human form yet he prays to God
- God is omnipotent yet Jesus had to die on the cross to save humanity

Atheists often criticise religion for presenting an ________ worldview?

infantile

How does Karl Marx argue religion is used?

To control people

What are some examples of scientists who struggled to get their ideas accepted due to religious ideas?

Galileo Galilei, Charles Darwin

What medical issues have religious people intervened in which arguably has held back scientific/medical progress?

- Research involving human embryos like stem cell research
- Artificial contraception

What is the name given to people who speak in defence of a cause or belief system, in this case religion?

Apologist

What analogy does Desmond Tutu give of religion? When?

Religion is like a knife wheich can be used as a murderous weapon in the wrong hands but when used properly can feed the hungry; the problem is not religion but its employment
2006

What fallacy do apologists say New Atheists commit?

Straw man fallacy

Which theologion points out the good religion has done over the centuries? In which book?

Keith Ward
Is Religion Dangerous, 2006

Which philosopher argued that religious belief is not in fact contradictory? In what book?

Richard Swinburne
1977

Which theologian criticses the New Atheists for their uncritical engagement with an outmoded model of religion? What is a quote from her about the nature of God

Tina Beattie
'Dawkins demand proof of God's existence...But the word 'God' does not denote a 'thing' whose existence we can prove, any more than we can prove the 'existence' of love, beauty, compassion or hope

Which journalist claimed Dawkins used atheism as a platform for bigotry and shouldn't be allowed to represent most atheists? When?

Owen Jones, 2013

What are some examples of strong Christians who made key developments in science?

- Robert Boyle, developed our understanding of elements and gases
- Michael Faraday, worked in electromagnetics
- Gregor Mendel, developed science of genetics (his research was also funded by the Catholic church)

Which theolgion converted from atheism to Christianity as a result of his involbvement in science? What book did he write in response to Dawkins?

Alister McGrath
The Dawkins Delusion, 2007

Which Cambridge University physicist says his faith grew as he learnt about the physical world?

John Polkinghorne