The New Atheism: Taking a Stand for Science and Reason

In recent years a number of bestselling books have forcefully argued that belief in God can no longer be defended on rational or empirical grounds, and that the scientific worldview has rendered obsolete the traditional beliefs held by Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The authors of these books--Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and Victor J. Stenger--have come to be known as the "New Atheists." Predictably, their works have been controversial and attracted a good deal of critical reaction.

In this new book, Victor J. Stenger, whose God: The Failed Hypothesis was on the New York Times bestseller list in 2007, reviews and expands upon the principles of New Atheism and answers many of its critics. He demonstrates in detail that naturalism--the view that all of reality is reducible to matter and nothing else--is sufficient to explain everything we observe in the universe, from the most distant galaxies to the inner workings of the brain that result in the phenomenon of mind.

Stenger disputes the claim of many critics that the question of whether God exists is beyond the ken of science. On the contrary, he argues that absence of evidence for God is, indeed, evidence of absence when the evidence should be there and is not.

Turning from scientific to historical evidence, Stenger then points out the many examples of evil perpetrated in the name of religion. He also notes that the Bible, which is still taken to be divine revelation by millions, fails as a basis for morality and is unable to account for the problem of unnecessary suffering throughout the world.

Finally, he discusses the teachings of ancient nontheist sages such as Buddha, Lao Tzu, and Confucius, whose guidelines for coping with the problems of life and death did not depend upon a supernatural metaphysics. Stenger argues that this "way of nature" is far superior to the traditional supernatural monotheisms, which history shows can lead to a host of evils.

The New Atheism is a well-argued defense of the atheist position and a strong rebuttal of its critics. more

Price Range:$7.20 to $13.68 | 5 stores
Product Rating:

4 Reviews
Info:
Set Price Alert Save to Wish List
Tags:
Amazon, HotBookSale.com, Barnes & Noble, Buy.com, DeepDiscount.com

ComparePrices

title,desc	merchant	price	seeit
Smarter Choice Paperback, The New Atheism: Taking a... In this new book, Stenger ( God: The Failed Hypothesis ) reviews and expands upon the principles of New Atheism and...	23,982 reviews *smarter certified	$11.04	See it
The New Atheism: Taking a Stand for... Victor J. Stenger / 2009 / 282 pages Books	DeepDiscount.com 4,164 reviews *smarter certified	$13.30 Free Shipping Coupon 1 coupon available Code:No Code Required Detail: Free Standard shipping on any order at DeepDiscount. Expires:Aug-31-2010 Restriction:Unknow	See it
The New Atheism: Taking a Stand for...	24 reviews	$7.20 Free Shipping	See it
The New Atheism: Taking a Stand for... Atheism Religion - In recent years a number of bestselling books have forcefully argued that belief in God can no...	Barnes & Noble	$19 $13.68 Coupon 2 coupons available Code:No Code Required Detail: Free Shipping on orders of $25 at Barnes & Noble Expires:Jun-30-2010 Restriction:see site for more details Code:J7M3C9V Detail: 20% off single item when you use Master card at Barnes & Noble Expires:Dec-31-2009 Restriction:Unknow	See it
The New Atheism: Taking a Stand for... Pages: 282, Paperback, Prometheus Books	Amazon 11,406 reviews	$12.92 Coupon 1 coupon available Code:No Code Required Detail: FREE Shipping on orders over $25 at Amazon. Expires:Dec-31-2010 Restriction:Some restrictions apply. See site for details.	See it

*Shipping costs are based on an estimate of the lowest shipping rate available within the contiguous US, excluding Alaska and Hawaii. Only merchants with this product in stock are listed (Merchants with this product back ordered have been removed from this list).

Do you see a pricing error? Please let us know by filling out a simple form: Click here

MoreStores

Write a review

ProductReviews96/100 (4 Reviews)

Recent Reviews

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Sep-16-2009; Good stance on the New Atheists; This is a great book that explains the new atheists stance on many issues, not just religious in my opinion. Although it's not as good as his God: The Failed Hypothesis, but I place these in different categories. This is not really...; read full review | report as inappropriate

4/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Sep-15-2009; Solid Look at Current State of New Atheism / Muddled Metaphysical Exploration; Many critics of Victor Stenger's writing have accused him of taking one basic set of arguments and writing a dozen different books using them. While there is undoubtedly some overlap between his books (and some with more commonalities...; read full review | report as inappropriate

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Sep-09-2009; A Totally Fascinationg Book; DR Vic Stenger, adjunct professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado and emeritus professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Hawaii , has given us the best yet of that collection of books under the genre of New...; read full review | report as inappropriate

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Sep-04-2009; A Rational Response to Irrational Criticism; Stenger successfully provides a rational response to the irrational critiques of the so-called "new atheists," highlighting the more prominent of these atheists (Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, Chris Hitchens, and himself)...; read full review | report as inappropriate

Selected Reviews

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Sep-16-2009; Good stance on the New Atheists; This is a great book that explains the new atheists stance on many issues, not just religious in my opinion. Although it's not as good as his God: The Failed Hypothesis, but I place these in different categories. This is not really...; read full review | report as inappropriate