What Is Atheism?

by Douglas E. Krueger

Book Overview

Written in the tradition of the vastly popular Prometheus title Atheism: The Case Against God and The Atheist Debater's Handbook, this accessible and inviting primer of nonbelief ponders eight of the most-asked questions about atheism.What is atheism? How can atheists have morals? How can atheists have purpose in their lives? Doesn't the Bible show that god exists? Do reports of miracles prove the existence of a god? Aren't there philosophical proofs...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1573922145
• ISBN13: 9781573922142
• Release Date: May 1998
• Publisher: Prometheus Books
• Length: 242 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

A response to John Fuller's review below

As a doctoral student in philosophy who has taught the philosophy of religion at two universities, I recommend this book very highly. At the risk of bringing further attention to the comments of an ignoramus, I feel the need to rebut the incompetent review of John Fuller (which can be seen further down). To begin with, Fuller claims that Krueger uses the Euthyphro dilemma as the "anchor" for the rest of this book. But as anyone who has studied philosophy or read the book knows, this argument is only relevant to the question of the source of morality. Therefore, it cannot be (and is not) related to any chapters in this book after chapter two. Fuller then tries to attack this supposed 'anchor' by saying that it only applies to polytheism. But this is downright false, as any competent philosopher will know and as any good introductory ethics text will explain. After some petty comments on capitalization (the merit of which anyone reading this can judge for him/herself), Fuller continues with eleven further errors, all conveniently numbered by him: 1.Fuller claims that utilitarianism, Kantianism and virtue ethics all 'fail to describe the concepts of good and bad'. No justification is given for this extraordinary claim (it certainly flies in the face of the general consensus of philosophers), and no alternative definition of these concepts is given. 2.Fuller claims that Krueger makes a confusion between a purpuse IN life and a purpose TO life -- when Krueger's position is that the latter reduces to the former. This objection simply begs the question by assuming life must have an externally mandated purpose, which is just what Krueger is contesting in Chapter 3. 3.Fuller claims that Krueger recommends the admiration of the "racist eugenics-obsessed" Margaret Sanger. Not only is this a distortion of what Krueger says (he claims only that her tireless devotion to her work was a life of purpose), but Sanger was in fact _opposed_ to racism and racist eugenics and attacked racists. While it is true that she did advocate some by my standards unethical measures (advocated more strongly, incidentally, by Christians at the time), these were not connected with racism. Fuller has fallen for a Christian smear job here, and it is not even relevant to Krueger (who again says nothing about admiring Sanger in his very brief mention of her). 4.Fuller claims that Krueger doesn't understand claims about biblical prophecies, and that he ignores counter-evidence (none of which, conveniently, is substantiated by Fuller). The reader should read Krueger's work itself and then judge: this is an entirely unsupported allegation by Fuller. 5.Fuller chides Krueger for following the scholarly consensus that the bible is mostly composed by anonymous sources and is not inerrant. In other words, he would have Krueger reject the opinions of the most serious scholars in the field over the past century in favor of -- whom? The "acknowledged master in the field", F. F. B

one of the best

Of all the books supporting atheism that I have read so far, this one is probably the best. It is succinct, to the point, clear, persuasive, and avoids philosophical jargon almost entirely. The logic presented is simple and therefore rock-solid. Perfect for the beginner, an excellent refresher for the more advanced. This book presents the atheist's arguments more persuasively, and is accessible to more people, than many supposedly "more scholarly" books. I'd love to see another book by the same author, written in the same style, covering some of the arguments not covered in this book.

A must read book for someone interested in atheism.

Mr. Krueger gives a powerful, easy to understand look into the arguments for atheism in this book. Yet, one of the reviewers here still blathered about the "atheistic world view." Obviously, that person did not read the book, and therefore his (her?) review is invalid. Krueger states that the only thing that atheists are guarenteed to have in commom in the abscence of a belief in a god. There is no world view attached to non-belief in unicorns, nor is there one attached to non-belief in any supreme being. It is unfortunate that someone who supposedly read this book would write a review displaying nothing but abysmal ignorance about it. What is typical of most reviews in this subject is that they merely reflect people's religious views, or lack of them. Mine is no exception. It is unfair for someone to state that they are not biased, we all are. But I was not an atheist before I read this book, I was merely curious. I was an atheist afterward, but I did not stop there. I continued to read about deism, pantheism, and every other form of -ism under the sun. Unlike the feeble-minded "reader from New Jersey", I was not afraid of what I would learn in reading new books and new material; much of which asserted the existence of a god. I urge people not to be afraid of learning new things; it is the only way to come to rational conclusions about the world around you. I would tell the atheist to read Richard Swineburne's "The Existence of God." For the theist, I recommend this book. It is easy to understand, to the point, and a great introduction to atheism.

An excellent primer on atheism

This book is a well-written, thorough and concise primer on atheism. It presents numerous arguments that have been made over the years that attempt to logically prove the existence of god, then immediately provides arguments that demonstrate the flaws of logic in those proofs. The book is written in a succinct, clear, unemotive style without excessive flourish that would detract from the logic of its arguments. Anyone interested in examining the basics of this topic unemotionally and on the basis of logic alone should consider this book. One of the best books of its kind.

EXCELLENT defense of atheism

Douglas Krueger's book "What is Atheism" is the best book I've ever read on the subject. As a recently "converted" atheist. Krueger's book gave me the fundamental views of atheist thought and answered alternative questions I had such as "Can atheist have morals" and "Can atheists have purpose to their lives" This is a thought provoking book which shows that atheism is not only a powerful alternative to theism, but that atheism is the only way to go. After reading this, I can't imagine how anyone in good rational judgement believes in god or religion. This book is a MUST READ for anyone who is interested in the subject. I personally challenge ANY THEIST to read this book and HONESTLY either 1.Not have SEVERE DOUBTS about their absurd religious beliefs. Or 2. Not become an atheist. If anyone reads this and would like to respond INTELLIGENTLY to my challenge, I can be reached at rogehater99@yahoo.com. This book is a devastating attack on god and religion and is proof that not only "God is Dead" but religion is dead also. Thank you Mr. Krueger, your book changed my life.