List of atheists
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An atheist is one who disbelieves[1] in the existence of a deity or deities. Different definitions identify various levels of disbelief that an atheist may have. An atheist may be one who asserts that there is no God,[2] one who rejects belief in a deity,[3] or one who simply does not believe in a deity.[4][5][6]
This list does not prefer any particular definition of atheist, but gives precedence to a person's self-identification. With few exceptions, only those who have called themselves atheists are listed. Others may be listed if identified as such by informed and impartial sources, or if they fit the narrowest sense of the word atheist (they have denied the existence of God and other deities).
Excluded are persons who have merely expressed skepticism about the existence of God, or who have merely criticized religion. Such sentiments are insufficient to identify someone as an atheist.
Contents |
[edit] List
[edit] Activists and educators
- Pietro Acciarito (1871–1943): Italian anarchist activist known for attempting to assassinate the king Umberto I.[7]
- Ayaan Hirsi Ali (1969—): Dutch feminist and politician.[8]
- Emma Goldman (1869–1940): Lithuanian-born radical, known for her writings and speeches defending anarchist communism, feminism, and atheism.[9]
- Ellen Johnson: current president of American Atheists.[10]
- Taslima Nasrin (1962—): Bangladeshi physician, writer, feminist human rights activist and secular humanist. [11]
- Michael Newdow (1953—): American physician and attorney, who sued a school district on the grounds that its requirement that children recite the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, containing the words "under God," breached the separation-of-church-and-state provision in the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution.[12]
- Madalyn Murray O'Hair (1919–1995): founder of American Atheists, campaigner for the separation of church and state; filed the lawsuit that led the US Supreme Court to ban teacher-led prayer and Bible reading in public schools.[13]
- Margaret Sanger (1879–1966): American birth-control activist, founder of the American Birth Control League, a forerunner to Planned Parenthood. The masthead motto of her newsletter, The Woman Rebel, read: "No Gods, No Masters."[14]
- Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (1883–1966): Indian revolutionary freedom fighter, and Hindu nationalist leader.[15]
- Barbara Smoker (1923—): British humanist activist and freethought advocate. Wrote the book Freethoughts: Atheism, Secularism, Humanism – Selected Egotistically from The Freethinker.[16]
- Polly Toynbee (1946—): columnist for The Guardian.[17]
[edit] Authors
- Douglas Adams (1952–2001): British radio and television writer, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. [18]
- Isaac Asimov (1920–1992): Russian-born American author of science fiction and popular science books. [19]
- Dave Barry (1947—): American author and Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist who wrote a nationally syndicated column for the The Miami Herald from 1983 to 2005.
- Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914?): American writer, author of The Devil's Dictionary.[20]
- Sir Arthur C. Clarke (1917—): British scientist and Science Fiction author.[21]
- Vardis Fisher (1895–1968): American writer, scholar. Author of atheistic Testament of Man series.[22]
- Jan Guillou (1944–): Swedish author and Journalist.[23]
- Sam Harris (1967—): American author, researcher in neuroscience, author of The End of Faith.[24]
- Harry Harrison (1925—): American Science Fiction author, anthologist and artist whose short story "The Streets of Ashkelon" took as its hero an atheist who tries to prevent a Christian missionary from indoctrinating a tribe of irreligious but ingenuous alien beings.[25]
- Christopher Hitchens (1949—): Author, journalist and essayist.[26]
- Michel Houellebecq (1958—) : French novelist.[27]
- S. T. Joshi (1958—): American editor and literary critic.[28]
- Ludovic Kennedy (1919—): British journalist, author, and campaigner for voluntary euthanasia.[29]
- Stanislaw Lem (1921–2006): Polish science fiction novelist and essayist.[30]
- Primo Levi (1919–1987): Italian novelist and chemist, survivor of Auschwitz concentration camp.[31]
- Pierre Loti (1850–1923): French novelist and travel writer.[32]
- Joseph McCabe (1867–1955): English writer, anti-religion campaigner.[33]
- China Miéville (1972—): British Science Fiction author.[34]
- Camille Paglia (1947—): American post-feminist literary and cultural critic.[35]
- Terry Pratchett (1948—): English Fantasy author known for his satirical Discworld series.[36]
- Philip Pullman (1946—): CBE, British author of His Dark Materials fantasy trilogy for young adults.[37]
- Ayn Rand (1905–1982): Russian-born American author and founder of Objectivism.[38]
- Ron Reagan (1958—): American magazine journalist, board member of the politically activist Creative Coalition, son of former U. S. President Ronald Reagan. [39]
- Salman Rushdie (1947—): Indian-born British essayist and author of fiction.[40]
- Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822): British Romantic poet, contemporary and associate of John Keats and Lord Byron, and author of The Necessity of Atheism.[41]
- Warren Allen Smith (1921—): Author of Who's Who in Hell.[42]
- Kurt Vonnegut (1922—): American author, writer of Cat's Cradle, among other books. Vonnegut said "I am an atheist (or at best a Unitarian who winds up in churches quite a lot)."[14]
- Ibn Warraq (1946—): Best-selling author and secularist scholar of Islam currently living in the United States. He is a Muslim apostate and an outspoken critic of Islam who has written extensively on what he views as the oppressive nature of Islam.[43]
- H. G. Wells (1866–1946): English writer best known for such science fiction novels as The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man and The Island of Doctor Moreau.[44]
[edit] Business
- Sir Richard Branson (1950—): British entrepreneur, founder of the Virgin Group.[45]
- Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919): Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist, sometimes described as the wealthiest man who ever lived.[46]
- Larry Flynt (1942—): Founder of Hustler Magazine.[47]
- George Soros (1930—): Hungarian-born investor, philanthropist and writer.[48]
- Christer Sturmark (1964—): Swedish IT entrepreneur and chairman of The Swedish Humanist Organisation.[49]
[edit] Comedians
- Woody Allen (1935—): American film director, actor and comedian. In a column in The New Yorker entitled "My Philosophy," Allen wrote: "Not only is there no God, but try getting a plumber on weekends."[14]
- George Carlin (1937—): American comedian, actor and author. Outspoken atheist, described religion as having "the greatest bullshit story ever told", that "there's an invisible man living in the sky."[50]
- Larry David (1947—) American comedian and actor. He said: "Religion should be made fun of. It's quite ridiculous, isn't it? When you think how people spend their lives. They have no idea - they go around as if this is a fact. It seems so insane, you know? If I really believed that stuff I'd keep it to myself. Otherwise somebody would think I was out of my mind."[51]
- David Cross (1964—): American actor and comedian.[52]
- Kathy Griffin (1963—): American comedian.[53]
- Patton Oswalt (1969—): American actor and comedian. [54]
- Julia Sweeney (1961—): American actor and comedian. Alumna of Saturday Night Live, author/performer of a one-woman autobiographical stage show about finding atheism: Letting Go of God.[55]
[edit] Film, radio and television
- Phillip Adams (1939—): Australian broadcaster, writer, film-maker, left-wing radical thinker, iconoclast, Australian Humanist of the Year 1987.[56]
- Brannon Braga (1965–): American TV producer and writer, creator of Star Trek: Enterprise. [57]
- Luis Buñuel (1900–1983): Spanish-born Mexican film-maker, activist of the surrealist movement. Known for his one-liner, "Thank God I'm still an atheist."[58]
- Adam Carolla (1964—): American comedic radio personality and television personality, best known for co-hosting the radio program Loveline and the television series The Man Show.[59]
- Stanley Donen (1924—): American film director, best known for his musicals including Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Singin' in the Rain; awarded honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement. [60]
- Ricky Gervais (1961—): British actor, co-creator of the original version of The Office; appears as the Curator in the 2006 film, Night at the Museum.[61]
- Paul Giamatti (1967—): American film and television actor[62]
- Katharine Hepburn (1907–2003): American actress, who appeared in 53 films from 1932 to 1994; winner of four Academy Awards for Best Actress.[63]
- John Humphrys (1943—): British radio and television presenter who hosted a series of programmes interviewing religious leaders, Humphrys in Search of God. [64]
- Jamie Hyneman (1956—): co-host of MythBusters.[65]
- Penn Jillette (1955—): American magician, co-host of Bullshit!.[66]
- Skandar Keynes (1991—): English actor (Chronicles of Narnia films).[67]
- Tom Leykis (1956—): radio talk-show host.[68]
- Paul Mazursky (1930—) American director, producer and actor[69]
- George Meyer (1956—) Producer and writer for The Simpsons.[70]
- Gene Roddenberry (1921—1991): American scriptwriter and producer, creator of Star Trek.[71]
- Robert Smith (1972—): former Minnesota Vikings running back and NFL Network football analyst.[72]
- Teller (1948—): American magician and co-host of Bullshit!.[66]
- Joss Whedon (1964—): American screenwriter and director, most famous for creating Buffy the Vampire Slayer. [73]
[edit] Music
- David Gilmour (1946—) English guitarist and vocalist with Pink Floyd.[74]
- Kathleen Hanna (1969—): front woman of the 1990s band Bikini Kill and currently Le Tigre.[75]
- Stephan Jenkins (1964—): Musician, lead singer for the American rock band, Third Eye Blind. [76]
- Lemmy (1945—): English rock singer and bass guitarist, most famous for founding the heavy metal band Motörhead.[77]
- Till Lindemann (1963—): Lead singer of the German heavy metal band, Rammstein [78]
- Gary Numan (1958—): British New Wave and industrial musician whose albums Sacrifice (1994), Exile (1997), Pure (2000), and Jagged (2006) mock and condemn religious beliefs.[79]
- Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844–1908): Russian Nationalist composer, member of "The Five", best-known for the tone poem Scheherazade.[80]
- Ned Rorem (1923—): American composer [81]
[edit] Philosophy
- Mikhail Bakunin (1814–1876): Russian philosopher, writer and anarchist.[82]
- Albert Camus (1913–1960): French philosopher and novelist, a luminary of existentialism.[14]
- Benedetto Croce (1886–1952): Italian philosopher and public figure.[83]
- Daniel Dennett (1942—): American philosopher, author of Breaking the Spell[84]
- Diagoras (5th century BCE): Ancient Greek poet and sophist known as the Atheist of Milos, who declared that there were no Gods.[85]
- Denis Diderot (1713–84): editor-in-chief of the Encyclopédie, who succeeded in bringing about "a revolution in men's minds."[86]
- Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach (1804–1872): German philosopher whose major work, The Essence of Christianity (1841), maintains that religion and divinity are projections of human nature.[87]
- Claude Adrien Helvétius (1715–71): French philosopher whose ethical and social views helped shape the school of utilitarianism later made famous by Jeremy Bentham.[86]
- Baron d'Holbach (1723–89): French philosopher and encyclopedist, most famous as being one of the first outspoken atheists in Europe.[88]
- Karl Marx (1818–83): German-Jewish author of Das Kapital, known for his assertion that "Religion is... the opium of the people."[89]
- Jean Meslier (1678–1733): French village Catholic priest who was found, on his death, to have written a book-length philosophical essay, entitled Common Sense but commonly referred to as Meslier's Testament, promoting atheism.[90][91]
- Julien Offray de La Mettrie (1709–51): French physician and philosopher, earliest materialist writer of the Enlightenment, claimed as a founder of cognitive science.[92]
- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900): German Existentialist philosopher whose Beyond Good and Evil sought to refute traditional notions of morality. Nietzsche penned a memorable secular statement of the Doctrine of Eternal Recurrence in Thus Spake Zarathustra and is forever associated with the phrase, "God is dead" (first seen in his book, The Gay Science).[93]
- Piergiorgio Odifreddi (1950—): Italian mathematician, philosopher and science writer.[94]
- Bertrand Russell, (1872–1970): British philosopher and mathematician. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950. Though he considered himself an agnostic in a purely philosophical context, he said that the label atheist conveyed a more accurate understanding of his views in a popular context.[95]
- Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980): French existentialist philosopher, dramatist and novelist who declared that he had been an atheist from age twelve. Although he regarded God as a self-contradictory concept, he still thought of it as an ideal toward which people strive.[96] He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1964. According to Sartre, his most-repeated summary of his existentialist philosophy, "Existence precedes essence," implies that humans must abandon traditional notions of having been designed by a divine creator.[97]
- Peter Singer (1946—): Australian utilitarian philosopher, proponent of animal rights, and Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University.[98]
[edit] Politics and law
- Shulamit Aloni (1928—): Israeli politician and left-wing activist.She served as Israel's minister of education from 1992 to 1993.[99]
- Charles Bradlaugh (1833–1891): Political activist and one of the most famous English atheists of the 19th century.[100]
- Robin Cook (1946–2005): Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs of the UK 1997–2001, whose funeral service was held in the High Kirk of Scotland, where he was described as a "Presbyterian atheist."[101]
- Mikhail Gorbachev (1931—): Former Soviet president and 1991 Nobel Laureate in Peace. [102]
- Hu Jintao (1942—): President of the People's Republic of China.[103][104]
- Aleksander Kwaśniewski (1954—): Former President of Poland (1995-2005). [105]
- Alexander Lukashenko (1954—): President of Belarus, self-described "Russian Orthodox atheist."[106]
- Joseph Stalin (1879–1953): Soviet head of state.[107]
- Pete Stark, D.-Calif. (1931—): U.S. Representative. [108]
[edit] Science and technology
- David Baltimore (1938—): Professor of Biology at the California Institute of Technology. He won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1975 for his work on the genetic mechanisms of viruses.[109]
- Paul D. Boyer (1918—): American biochemist and Nobel Laureate in Chemistry in 1997.[110]
- Sean M. Carroll (1956—): Theoretical cosmologist specializing in dark energy and general relativity.[111]
- Francis Crick (1916–2004): 1962-Nobel-laureate co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, who described himself as a skeptic and an agnostic with "a strong inclination towards atheism."[112][113]
- Marie Curie (1867–1934): Nobel Laureate in Physics (1903) and Chemistry (1911). First woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize, only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different scientific disciplines.[114]
- Richard Dawkins (1941—): British zoologist, biologist, creator of the concepts of the selfish gene and the meme; outspoken atheist and popularizer of science, author of The God Delusion and founder of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science.[115]
- Richard Feynman (1918–1988): American 1965-Nobel-laureate theoretical physicist. [116]
- Sigmund Freud (1856–1939): Father of psychoanalysis.[117]
- Christer Fuglesang (1957—), Swedish astronaut and physicist, identified as an atheist in a Dagens Nyheter interview.[118]
- Vitaly Ginzburg (1916—): 2003 Nobel Laureate in Physics.[119]
- Alfred Kinsey (1894–1956): American biologist, sexologist and professor of entomology and zoology.[120]
- Frédéric Joliot-Curie (1900–1958): French physicist and Nobel Laureate in Chemistry in 1935.[121]
- Irène Joliot-Curie (1897–1956): French scientist, the daughter of Marie and Pierre Curie and the wife of Frédéric Joliot-Curie, and Nobel laureate in Chemistry in 1935.[122]
- Harold Kroto (1939—): 1996 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry.[123]
- PZ Myers (1957—) American biology professor at the University of Minnesota and a science blogger via his blog, Pharyngula.[124]
- Richard Leakey (1944—): Kenyan paleontologist, archaeologist and conservationist.[125]
- Ernst Mayr (1904–2005): a renowned taxonomist, tropical explorer, ornithologist, historian of science, and naturalist. He was one of the 20th century's leading evolutionary biologists.[126]
- Jonathan Miller (1934—): British physician, actor, theatre and opera director, and (latterly) television presenter. Wrote and presented the 2004 television series, Atheism: A Rough History of Disbelief, exploring the roots of his own atheism and investigating the history of atheism in the world.[127]
- Peter D. Mitchell (1920–1992): 1978-Nobel-laureate British biochemist. Atheist mother, and himself atheist from age 15.[128]
- Paul Nurse (1949—): 2001 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine.[129]
- Linus Pauling (1901–1994): Nobel Laureate in Chemistry (1954) and Peace (1962). He is also considered by many to be the greatest chemist of the 20th century.[130]
- Steven Pinker (1954—): American psychologist.[131]
- Amartya Kumar Sen (1933—): 1998 Nobel Laureate in Economics.[132][133][134][135]
- Claude Shannon (1916–2001): American electrical engineer and mathematician, has been called "the father of information theory", and was the founder of practical digital circuit design theory. [136]
- Michael Smith (1932–2000): British-born Canadian biochemist and Nobel Laureate in Chemistry in 1993.[137]
- Richard Stallman (1953—): American software freedom activist, hacker, and software developer.[138]
- Linus Torvalds (1969—): Finnish software engineer, creator of the Linux kernel. [139]
- James D. Watson (1928—), 1962-Nobel-laureate co-discover of the structure of DNA, identified as an atheist in a Newsweek commentary by his acquaintance, Rabbi Marc Gellman.[140]
- Steven Weinberg (1933—): 1979 Nobel Laureate in Physics.[141]
[edit] Visual Arts
- Mitch Clem (1982—): American cartoonist and webcomic author.[142]
- Alexander McQueen (1969—): English fashion designer.[143]
- "Normal" Bob Smith (1969—): American graphic artist, who prompted controversy with his creation of Jesus Dress Up.[144]
[edit] Footnotes and citations
- ^ Various dictionaries give a range of definitions for disbelief, from "lack of belief" to "doubt" and "withholding of belief" to "rejection of belief", "refusal to believe", and "denial". (Oxford English Dictionary 1989)
- ^ "The average theologian (there are exceptions, of course) uses 'atheist' to mean a person who denies the existence of a God."(Stein 1980, p. 3)
- ^ "Atheism is fundamentally a rejection of belief in any God. It is more than a simple lack of belief, as children and some members of tribal societies may not believe out of ignorance." (Lyngzeidetson 2003)
- ^ "Atheists are people who do not believe in a god or gods (or other immaterial beings), or who believe that these concepts are not meaningful. Some atheists put it more firmly and believe that god or gods do not exist." (BBC 2006)
- ^ "The broader, and more common, understanding of atheism among atheists is quite simply 'not believing in any gods.' No claims or denials are made—an atheist is just a person who does not happen to be a theist." (Cline 2006a)
- ^ "[Most atheists] would hold that an atheist is a person without a belief in God. The distiniction is small but important. Denying something means that you have knowledge of what it is that you are being asked to affirm, but that you have rejected that particular concept. To be without a belief in God merely means that the term 'god' has no importance or possibly no meaning to you. Belief in God is not a factor in your life. Surely this is quite different from denying the existence of God. Atheism is not a belief as such. It is the lack of belief." (Stein 1980, p. 3)
- ^ Vizetelly, Ernest Alfred (1911), Barcelona Outrages - The Empress Elizabeth and Luccheni, The Anarchists: Their Faith and Their Record, Turnbull and Spears Printers, Edingurgh. Retrieved March 19, 2007.
- ^ Ian Buruma. "Sacred freedom", Financial Times, 2005-08-05. Retrieved on 2006-12-22. “Too much reason can reform a faith away, which would be fine with Hirsi Ali, who regards herself as an atheist.”
- ^ Emma Goldman (1916 February). The Philosophy of Atheism. positiveatheism.org. Retrieved on 2006-12-13.
- ^ Ellen Johnson (2006). Welcome from the president of American Atheists. American Atheists. Retrieved on 2006-12-13.
- ^ "I was born in a Muslim family, but I became an atheist." For freedom of expression, Taslima Nasreen, November 12, 1999 - Taslima Nasreen took the floor during Commission V of UNESCO's General Conference, as a delegate of the NGO International Humanist and Ethical Union(Accessed 23 December 2006).
- ^ Tom Curry. "Atheist pleads with justices to stop recitation of pledge", MSNBC, 2004-03-24. Retrieved on 2006-12-13.
- ^ Conrad F. Goeringer (2000 June). The Murray O’Hair Family. American Atheists. Retrieved on 2006-12-13.
- ^ a b c d Haught, James A. (1996). 2,000 Years of Disbelief: Famous People with the Courage to Doubt. Prometheus Books, pp. 261-262. ISBN 1-57392-067-3.
- ^ "The Rediff Interview: Bipan Chandra", Rediff India Abroad, 2003-03-03. Retrieved on 2006-12-13. “Savarkar was an atheist. When he was the Hindu Mahasabha president he used to give lectures on why there is no god.”
- ^ Smoker, Barbara (2002). Freethoughts: Atheism, Humanism, Secularism. Foote (G.W.) & Co Ltd. ISBN 0-9508243-5-6.
- ^ Polly Toynbee. "This is a clash of civilisations - between reason and superstition", The Guardian, 2006-04-14. Retrieved on 2006-12-13. “Even an old atheist like me sees no good in this ignorance of basic Christian myths.”
- ^ "I am a radical Atheist..." Adams in an interview by American Atheists[1].
- ^ "I am an atheist, out and out. It took me a long time to say it... I don't have the evidence to prove that God doesn't exist, but I so strongly suspect he doesn't that I don't want to waste my time." Isaac Asimov in "Free Inquiry", Spring 1982, vol.2 no.2, p. 9 (See Wikiquote.)
- ^ Multiple quotes from Bierce substantiating his atheist views[2].
- ^ "…Stanley [Kubrick] is a Jew and I'm an atheist". Clarke quoted in Jeromy Agel (Ed.) (1970). The Making of Kubrick's 2001: p.306
- ^ American Atheists article on Fisher [3].
- ^ (Swedish) Translation: "I am [an] atheist, but Ann-Marie and I light a candle anyway. I have dedicated "Madame Terror" to her. Since she has helped me much with [my] books, not least with this one, the latest. Much talk on and forth, I've had a lot yellings." "Det ska mycket till för att reta upp mig". Expressen (2006-12-03). Retrieved on 2007-01-20.
- ^ Author of An Atheist Manifesto
- ^ "Harry Harrison is a self-confessed atheist" per official website HarryHarrison.com
- ^ "Secularism is not just a smug attitude. It is a possible way of democratic and pluralistic life that only became thinkable after several wars and revolutions had ruthlessly smashed the hold of the clergy on the state. ... I have spent all my life on the atheist side of this argument..." Hitchens in Slate.com article, "Bush's Secularist Triumph".
- ^ http://www.quadrant.org.au/php/article_view.php?article_id=242
- ^ Joshi's book: God's Defenders: What They Believe and Why They Are Wrong at amazon.com.
- ^ Kennedy's book: All in the Mind: A Farewell to God at amazon.com.
- ^ An Interview with Stanislaw Lem by Peter Engel. The Missouri Review, Volume 7, Number 2, 1984.
- ^ Levi quoted as saying "There is Auschwitz, and so there cannot be God." Interview with Marlboro Press (1989)[4].
- ^ Repeatedly mentioned in Lesley Blanch's biography of him: Pierre Loti - Travels with the Legendary Romantic.
- ^ Multiple quotes from McCabe substantiating his atheist view [5].
- ^ "My distaste for Lewis and Tolkien as writers does not stem from the fact that, as an atheist, I disagree with their religious beliefs or think that religious concerns cannot make great literature." — Reinvigorating the Fantastic, Accessed February 12, 2007.
- ^ Salon magazine 28 April 1999 [6]
- ^ "I'm an atheist, at least to the extent that I don't believe in the objective existence of any big beards in the sky." — The Line One Interview with Terry Pratchett, Gay, Anne, 1999. Accessed December 24, 2006.
- ^ In conversation with Archbishop Rowan Williams [7].
- ^ "I am an intransigent atheist, but not a militant one." Rand quoted in Michael S. Berliner (1995). Letters of Ayn Rand: March 20, 1965 [8]
- ^ When asked by Larry King if he would ever run for office, Reagan Jr. responded by saying, "I'm an atheist so... I can't be elected to anything, because polls all say that people won't elect an atheist." Interview on Larry King Live, 26 June 2004. See clip.
- ^ Interview with Rushdie by Gigi Marzullo; Sottovoce, RAIUNO, March 31, 2006.
- ^ Listing of Shelley's The Necessity of Atheism at Amazon.com [9].
- ^ Listing of Smith as a founder of Freethinkers New York.
- ^ "Warraq's book Why I Am Not a Muslim presents a strident historical, moral, and philosophical indictment of Islam and advocates not just a firm separation of mosque and state but outright atheism." Holy War, by Chris Mooney at The American Prospect online (Accessed 29 August 2006).
- ^ H.G. WELLS SEES IT THROUGH[10]
- ^ Richard Branson: Losing My Virginity, p.239: "I do not believe in God, but as I sat there in the damaged [balloon] capsule, hopelessly vulnerable to the slightest shift in weather or mechanical fault, I could not believe my eyes."
- ^ Ira D. Cardiff: What Great Men Think of Religion, 1945: "I don't believe in God. My god is patriotism. Teach a man to be a good citizen and you have solved the problem of life."
- ^ "I am not saying Jerry Falwell doesn't believe in God. I am just saying I don't believe in God. That puts me at odds with him." Larry King Live, January 10, 1996
- ^ Steve Kroft: Are you a religious man? Soros: No. Kroft: Do you believe in God? Soros: No. 60 Minutes, broadcast December 20, 1998.
- ^ (Swedish) Translation: I am also an atheist. I find that just about everybody are atheists. The religions of the world has created many gods. Hinduism has millions. Most of the people I meet that call themselves Christians are atheists when it comes to all gods, except for one. Jag är en sökare!
- ^ Quotes from "There Is No God", You Are All Diseased. Carlin says on the same track that "there is no God. None, not one, no God, never was."
- ^ Appearance on WCBS-TV, "Interview with Larry David": http://wcbstv.com/video/?id=83761@wcbs.dayport.com
- ^ Appearance on ABC's "Politically Incorrect" (March 9, 1998) "I was born Jewish, but I am an atheist. I don't believe in God."[11]
- ^ Speaking to Sacramento’s Outword Magazine, Griffin said: "...I think I’m getting more atheist because of the way the country is getting more into bible-thumping." See Quotelines, by Rex Wockner at Windy City Times (Accessed 29 August 2006).
- ^ MySpace must be doing something right, Chicago Sun-Times, Oct 5, 2006 by Andy Ihnatko (Accessed 20 December 2006)
- ^ Interview with Sweeney discussing her atheism[12].
- ^ In a letter by Adams dated 10 August 1993: "I've spent a life-time attacking religious beliefs and have not wavered from a view of the universe that many would regard as bleak. Namely, that it is a meaningless place devoid of deity [sic]"[13].
- ^ Every religion has a mythology. Sidmennt, the Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association (16 August 2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-19.
- ^ "Father Julian... and I often talk about faith and the existence of God, but... he's forever coming up against the stone wall of my atheism..." Luis Bunuel (1982, 1985). My Last Breath: p.254
- ^ The Adam Carolla Show Blog, February 10, 2006
- ^ Stephen M. Silverman, Dancing on the Ceiling: Stanley Donen and His Movies, Alfred A. Knopf: New York (1996), page 312.
- ^ States he is an atheist in his Animals live DVD. Said, "I'm an atheist," and that Homer Simpson was the closest thing for him to God, in a PBS "Fresh Air" interview, December 18, 2006.
- ^ ""I never saw Russell lose it on set..."", TotalFilm.com, 2006-02-08. Retrieved on 2007-03-03.
- ^ Hepburn stated "I'm an atheist, and that's it. I believe there's nothing we can know except that we should be kind to each other and do what we can for people" in the October 1991 issue of Ladies' Home Journal[14]
- ^ "A God of mercy, any God, seems out of the question." In Search of God
- ^ On December 12, 2006, in an interview on Skepticality, the official podcast of Skeptic Magazine, Hyneman says "I'm pretty adamant about the whole god thing... It seems that skeptics are by and large atheists, or something approaching that, which I strongly identify with. ... I've become enthusiastically part of [the skeptical movement]." (Quoted portion is from minute range 29:30-29:53 of the interview.)
- ^ a b Interview with Penn Jillette in which he mentions his and Teller's atheism.
- ^ "28.Do you have a religion and if so what is it? I am an Atheist. I know the film's really Christian and everything but it doesn’t really affect me. Oh and you know I’m related to Charles Darwin." [15]
- ^ The Seattle Times article confirming that Leykis hosts a radio segment called Ask the Atheist [16].
- ^ Farber, Stephen. "A Night in Hollywood, a Day in Ukraine", The New York Times, 2006-12-31. Retrieved on 2006-12-31. “I’ve always felt very Jewish but very ambivalent about being Jewish. I’m an atheist.”
- ^ "As I was saying before, it was so hard for me to be a Catholic. It wound my spring almost to the breaking point. The spring is still uncoiling from those early years. I’m a thoroughly virulent atheist."September 2004 Interview in The Believer
- ^ Interview of Gene Roddenberry by David Alexander
- ^ "Former Minnesota Vikings running back Robert Smith, an atheist, says he has no objection to making religious counseling and services available to interested players." Going long for Jesus, by Tom Krattenmaker at Salon.com (Accessed 29 August 2006).
- ^ Asked if there was a God, Whedon answered, "No." Is There a God?, by Stephen Thompson, 9 October 2002, A.V. Club (Accessed 22 October 2006.)
- ^ From Newsday, published March 30, 2006: "I'm an atheist, and I don't have any belief in an afterlife,"
- ^ Hanna quoted as saying: "I don't believe in God, but I believe God invented four-tracks"[17].
- ^ Jenkins has expressed that he does not believe in God and that he thinks "religion is a bunch of hooey." December 16, 2000 AP report on the 'Jingle Ball' at New York City's Madison Square Garden by Jennifer Vineyard, as cited by celebatheists.com.
- ^ "I'm an atheist and an anarchist" — Eddy, Chuck (1997). Damage Case: Lemmy and Motörhead. Motörhead Forever.
- ^ Stated that he is an Atheist http://rammstein-europe.com/main.php?sekce=till-lindemann&l=en
- ^ "Personally, I don't believe in God at all…" Sonic Boom Magazine
- ^ The Guardian describes as "a devout atheist - Stravinsky later described him rather disapprovingly as having a mind 'closed to any religious or metaphysical idea'" [18]
- ^ quoted as saying "I'm an atheist" in interview for American Music Box http://www.newmusicbox.org/article.nmbx?id=4621
- ^ Multiple quotes from Bakunin substantiating his atheist views[19].
- ^ Stated in Will Durant's Outlines of Philosophy
- ^ Dennett, Daniel C. (2006), Breaking the Spell, Viking (Penguin), ISBN 0-670-03472-X
- ^ A History of Freethought, Ancient and Modern, to the Period of the French Revolution, J.M. Robertson, Fourth Edition, Revised and Expanded, In Two Volumes, Vol. I, Watts, 1936. p173 - 174
- ^ a b Will and Ariel Durant, Rousseau and Revolution, p. 183
- ^ http://positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/qframe.htm
- ^ Will and Ariel Durant, The Age of Voltaire: a History of Civilization in Western Europe from 1715 to 1756, with Special Emphasis on the Conflict between Religion and Philosophy, New York, Simon and Schuster, 1965, pp. 695-714
- ^ Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right, 1843
- ^ Extracts from Moi Testament published as Superstition in All Ages
- ^ Will and Ariel Durant, The Age of Voltaire, 1965, pp. 611-17
- ^ Will and Ariel Durant, The Age of Voltaire, 1965, pp. 617-22
- ^ Die fröhliche Wissenschaft, aphorisms 108 and 125 [20])
- ^ Piergiorgio Odifreddi. Che fine ha fatto Dio?. Retrieved on 2006-10-09.
- ^ Russell said: "As a philosopher, if I were speaking to a purely philosophic audience I should say that I ought to describe myself as an Agnostic, because I do not think that there is a conclusive argument by which one prove that there is not a God. On the other hand, if I am to convey the right impression to the ordinary man in the street I think I ought to say that I am an Atheist... None of us would seriously consider the possibility that all the gods of Homer really exist, and yet if you were to set to work to give a logical demonstration that Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, and the rest of them did not exist you would find it an awful job. You could not get such proof. Therefore, in regard to the Olympic gods, speaking to a purely philosophical audience, I would say that I am an Agnostic. But speaking popularly, I think that all of us would say in regard to those gods that we were Atheists. In regard to the Christian God, I should, I think, take exactly the same line." Am I an Agnostic or an Atheist?, from Last Philosophical Testament 1943–1968, (1997) Routledge ISBN 0-415-09409-7.
- ^ Kimball, Roger (2000). The World According to Sartre. The New Criterion. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
- ^ Kemerling, Garth (October 27, 2001). Sartre: Existential Life. Philosophy Pages. Britannica Internet Guide Selection. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
- ^ Price, Joyce Howard. "Princeton bioethicist argues Christianity hurts animals", The Washington Times, 4 July 2002. “I am an atheist.”
- ^ http://www.celebatheists.com/index.php?title=Shulamit_Aloni
- ^ Bradlaugh professes and defends atheism in his essay A Plea For Atheism.
- ^ Labour Party at prayer salutes Cook the atheist, by Magnus Linklater, The Times, 13 August 2005.
- ^ "I am an atheist. But I... respect the feelings and the religious beliefs of each citizen." Gorbachev interview with Peter Jennings, ABC News, Sept. 6, 1991, reported in The New York Times, Sept. 7, 1991.
- ^ Hu Jintao Stresses Publicity and Ideological Work[21]
- ^ When atheist Hu meets proudly religious Bush[22]
- ^ "I am an atheist and everybody knows it..." Atheist premier attacks lack of Christianity in EU constitution, by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, The Telegraph, 4 June 2003.
- ^ PERSECUTION WATCH: Belarus. vineyardfederalway.org. Retrieved on 2006-09-01.
- ^ Stalin is quoted as saying "You know, they are fooling us, there is no God...all this talk about God is sheer nonsense" in E. Yaroslavsky, Landmarks in the Life of Stalin, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Moscow 1940
- ^ L.A.Times, March 13, 2007, by Adam Schreck.
- ^ A Defense of Atheism[23]. From this article is quite clear that Dr. David Baltimore is an atheist.
- ^ Boyer, Paul. "A Path to Atheism". Freedom From Religion Foundation. Retrieved on February 3, 2007
- ^ Why (Almost All) Cosmologists are Atheists[24]
- ^ Francis Crick, What Mad Pursuit: a Personal View of Scientific Discovery, Basic Books reprint edition, 1990, ISBN 0-465-09138-5, p. 145.
- ^ How I Got Inclined Towards Atheism[25]
- ^ "Marie Curie's family religion was Roman Catholic, but she became an anticlerical atheist on the death of her mother and older sister." Jone Johnson Lewis (2006). Biography of Marie Curie. About, Inc. Retrieved on 2006-12-19.
- ^ Dawkins identifies himself as an atheist in his article "A Challenge to Atheists: Come Out of the Closet," Free Inquiry, Summer, 2002. Excerpt reprinted at Positiveatheism.org
- ^ Feynman was of Jewish birth, but described himself as "an avowed atheist" by his early youth in Freethought of the Day, Freedom From Religion Foundation, May 11, 2006 [26]
- ^ "[Freud and Jung] were close for several years, but Jung's ambition, and his growing commitment to religion and mysticism — most unwelcome to Freud, an aggressive atheist — finally drove them apart." Sigmund Freud, by Peter Gay, The TIME 100: The Most Important People of the Century
- ^ Atlantseglaren från Bromma vill tänja gränsen mot rymden, Dagens Nyheter, December 10, 2006
- ^ "I am an atheist, that is, I think nothing exists except and beyond nature." Ginzburg's autobiography at Nobelprize.org
- ^ "Kinsey was also shown to be an atheist who loathed religion and its constraints on sex." 'Kinsey' critics ready, Cheryl Wetzstein, The Washington Times. (Accessed 2 February 2007)
- ^ [27]
- ^ Irène Joliot-Curie - Summary. BookRags.com. Accessed February 3, 2007.
- ^ Harold Kroto claims to have four "religions": humanism, atheism, amnesty-internationalism and humourism.[28]
- ^ "I was brought up a Lutheran, but I became an atheist" — PZ Meyers (February 14, 2007), It's the arrogance, stupid, Pharyngula. Retrieved February 22, 2007.
- ^ Leakey, Richard [September 2001]. Wildlife Wars: My Fight to Save Africa's Natural Treasures, design by Kathryn Parise, p. 257. ISBN 0-312-20626-7.
- ^ An appreciation of biologist Ernst Mayr (1904-2005) [29]
- ^ A Rough History of Disbelief Official BBC site describing the series
- ^ Nobel Biography[30].
- ^ "I gradually slipped away from religion over several years and became an atheist or to be more philosophically correct, a sceptical agnostic." Nurse's autobiography at Nobelprize.org
- ^ Linus Pauling, in private, was an atheist.[31]
- ^ "I never outgrew my conversion to atheism at 13, but at various times was a serious cultural Jew." The Guardian Profile. "Steven Pinker: the mind reader", Guardian News and Media Limited, November 6, 1999. Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
- ^ Reported lecture [32]
- ^ Self-proclaimed [33]
- ^ World Bank [34]
- ^ Press meeting [35]
- ^ "Shannon described himself as an atheist and was outwardly apolitical." William Poundstone, Fortune's Formula, Hill and Wang: New York (2005), page 18.
- ^ Smith, Michael. Michael Smith: Autobiography. Nobel Prize.org. Retrieved on February 3, 2007.
- ^ http://www.stallman.org/extra/personal.html
- ^ "[I am] Hmmm, completely a-religious--atheist. I find that people seem to think religion brings morals and appreciation of nature. I actually think it detracts from both.." [36] - interview of Torvalds performed by the Linux Journal. Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
- ^ Trying to Understand Angry Atheists: Why do nonbelievers seem to be threatened by the idea of God?, by Rabbi Marc Gellman, Newsweek, 28 April 2006 (Accessed 11 November 2006)
- ^ "I don't believe in God... the god of traditional Judaism and Christianity and Islam seems to me a terrible character." The Atheism Tapes, program 2 - transcript of an extended interview with Steven Weinberg for the Jonathan Miller BBC TV series The Atheism Tapes
- ^ "The thing is that, as an athiest[sic], I don't BELIEVE in Satan." — Clem, Mitch (February 13, 2006). Tour V. San Antonio Rock City. Retrieved on 2006-01-03.
- ^ http://www.celebatheists.com/index.php?title=Alexander_McQueen
- ^ Smith's explanation of his atheism to a hate mailer on his website [37]
[edit] References
- a BBC. Ethics and Religion - Atheism. bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
- a Cline, Austin (2006). What Is the Definition of Atheism?. about.com. Retrieved on 2006-10-21.
- ^ Lyngzeidetson, Albert (2003). Comparative Religions: A Guide to World Religions. QuickStudy: BarCharts, Inc. ISBN 1-57222-744-3.
- a (1989) The Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition, Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 0-19-861186-2.
- a b (1980) in Stein, Gordon: An Anthology of Atheism and Rationalism. New York: Prometheus.
[edit] See also
| Atheism topics |
|---|
| List of atheists · Demographics · Religion · History · State atheism · Criticism · Discrimination · Persecution · Nontheism · Weak and strong · Agnostic atheism · Implicit and explicit · Antitheism · Arguments |
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