Atheism Stack Exchange Archive

What is the single most influential book every atheist should read?

Inspired by this question: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1711/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-every-programmer-should-read

Let’s list and vote the best books.

Please,

Answer 58

Since the question is explicitly “what every atheist should read”, I assume that it’s not a book that should convince me of atheism. Rather, it should give me an edge when arguing for atheism.

In that regard, I think The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins really takes the price. Some call it shrill, I call it frank. But more importantly, it offers some very hard to refute arguments in a very clear and concise manner. In particular, it completely disembowels agnosticism.

Answer 22

In the US? The Bible.

It has, without a doubt, done more to turn me away from Christianity than anything else.

Answer 32

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan

alt text

Answer 303

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. This isn’t a book about atheism, and the author really doesn’t come out strongly as such (in this book). But for me this one opened my eyes: before that I’d been a wimpy agnostic. This book doesn’t convince by argument so much as by wonder: Here is the world explained, rational, logical, and explicable, without the need for a single supernatural force or sky-hook.

People think Dawkins is just a big angry Atheist, and I admire that side of him, but if you read his earlier work you’ll see where all of that comes from- an absolute confidence and deep knowledge of the real world and the real wonders it provides, which are never miracles, and only get trivialized by naming them as such.

Answer 25

My vote is Why I am not a Christian by Bertrand Russell.

Answer 69

I would have to answer Letter To a Christan Nation by Sam Harris. It is rather scathing, but makes many good points, and does so in a rather short page length. A great book to read if you don't have much time to sit down and read a full 400 pages or more.. "Christian Nation" is essentially a distilled 93 pages drawn from Harris' "The End of Faith" and Christian responses to it.

Answer 173

Christopher Hitchens God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything.

Answer 551

Breaking the Spell by Daniel Dennett

This book aims to explain the roots of religion in as neutral a manner as possible. As the subtitle states, it treats "religion as a natural phenomenon". It gives good insights into the evolution and psychology of religion.

Answer 121

Steven Pinker’s How the Mind Works provides wonderful insight into our current understanding of human psychology, including how it is presumed to have evolved. The first few chapters dealing with neural networks bore the crap out of me, but I was enthralled by the rest.

Answer 813

God the Failed Hypothesis: How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist by Victor J. Stenger.

As the emeritus professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Hawaii, Stenger explores the problem of the existence of God from a Physicist’s point of view arguing that, if he/she/it truly existed, then there should be some evidence out in the Universe. Having argued throughout the book that this is clearly not the case, he concludes that life, the Universe and everything is the way it is because no Gods exist or have ever existed.

Answer 33

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins in my opinion. It is solidly written and a joy to read.

Answer 36

When it comes to Atheistic topics, “Why I am not a Christian” by Bertrand Russell is a good one. There are certainly several concepts like the celestial teapot, which Russell introduces to help one understand agnosticism in a non-threatening manner.

Paine’s “The Age of Reason” might be second on my list, of ‘classic’ literature. – by that I mean people who have passed on.

Answer 43

I vote for the Bible as well. It’s a fine work of literature and the King James version contains much that has influenced our language and culture. A recent survey showed that atheists tended to know more about the Bible and other religions than most people who professed a religion, and knowing your scripture is always handy when you are in a debate with somebody.

Answer 45

I see a lot of references to Not-Christian here.

To group all religions under Belief System, or B.S., I would recommend Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson as it looks at all religions.

It also teaches you to play with ideas and think logically.

alt text

Answer 3040

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy ‘trilogy’ by Douglas Adams. I was already an atheist, but that confirmed it for me. Especially the Proof that God exists, of course.

Answer 29

“Inherit the Wind,” the play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. I read it in seventh grade and I’m still quoting from it today, 25 years later.

Answer 48

“Arguing for Atheism” by Robin Le Poidevin.

Answer 560

I recommend reading Bertrand Russell’s ‘The Scientific Outlook’ and ‘Religion and Science’, which though not specifically about atheism, make clear why religion is untenable in the face of reason and science. Any atheist who has not a solid scientific background, but even those who have will enjoy and learn from these lectures.

For people who can read French, I strongly recommend Jean Bricmont’s ‘Science et religion : l’irréductible antagonisme’.

Answer 1821

How We Believe: Science, Skepticism, and the Search for God by Michael Shermer

alt text

If you are going to debate theists and stand up for your beliefs in science, atheism and rationality, it helps to understand who and what you're dealing with, when it comes to the minds of religious people.

Answer 2704

Religion Explained: The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Thought is by cognitive anthropologist Pascal Boyer that discusses the evolutionary psychology and evolutionary origin of religions.

Answer 2705

In Gods We Trust by Scott Atran seeks to explain the origins of religion using our knowledge of the evolution of cognition. Scott Atran argues that religion is a by-product of human evolution just as the cognitive intervention, cultural selection, and historical survival of religion is an accommodation of certain existential and moral elements that have evolved in the human condition.

Answer 3075

Origin of species by Charles Darwin.

Why:

It’s probably the most influential book in the history of atheism, because it explained the origins of mankind without any supernatural intervention. It’s not the best book on evolution, nowdays, but I believe it’s a must read for every atheist - as far as there can be “must read” books at all.

I don’t really care about books that give arguments in favor of atheism, like the Gods Delusion. They don’t give you anything simple common sense couldn’t. And as for fancy stuff that could be used in debates… I don’t care about that either. My debates are short. Show me your god, then we talk. Until then. Burden of proof, pal, burden of proof. I don’t need no fancy arguments, it’s theists that need them.

So, Origin of species.

Answer 339

Easy, the Bible, all of them, the Quran, Mormon texts. The lot. Then you can say you know what you are talking about.

All content is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.