Question everything! List of top books for atheist sorted by rating. The best books on atheism of all time for a must-read.
The God Delusion
One of the most provocative books in which Richard Dawkins argues with the existence of a supernatural Creator. He views religious faith through a prism of rational and scientific: so, therefore, faith in God would mean not only irrational but even potentially harmful social behavior. He is engaged with the roots of religion, its effect on the history of man, and the part science plays in trying to understand the universe. He appeals to his reader to be positively skeptical and evidence based in the way he or she views the world about him or her. This book challenges deeply held beliefs and invites readers to question the nature of faith and the existence of God.
God Is Not Great
In an insightful work, Christopher Hitchens sets up the role of religion within society. He writes that religion is not only unnecessary but harmful also, and refers to the evidence of history and modernity. The book criticizes major religions and their influence on the world in education, politics, and science. It suggests that what the world needs instead is a world steered by reason and humanistic values. The book thus opens the readers to introspect on their beliefs and what impact religion wields on human development.The Demon-Haunted World
Sagan acts as a standard-bearer for science and critical thinking, like candles in the dark against superstition, pseudoscience, and irrational beliefs. He points out to us the role of skeptical inquiry and empirical evidence. He examines the historical witch hunts, alien abductions, and much more to bring across just what dangers there are in unchecked credulity. A timeless rallying cry for reason.Why There Is No God
Wielding cosmology, evolutionary biology, neuroscience, and philosophy, Armin Navabi escorts the reader through an exhilarating, though most often dark, journey to building a full-fledged rational case against the existence of God. It enlists theological claims and assertions on the majority he systematically shreds before giving a secular construction that illuminates how the universe began, how human consciousness can emerge, and how to derive meaning and ethics without religion.Letter to a Christian Nation
In this polemical work, Sam Harris argues that upon scrutiny of reason and evidence, it becomes evident that Christian doctrines are irrational, unscientific, and even immoral. He calls for the stepping away religious dogma in the direction of more ethical coherent frames for morality based on secular philosophical and scientific principles and not faith.The End of Faith
In this powerful, far-reaching critique, Sam Harris argues that religious faith represents one of the most sacred of problems in the world: an origin of human conflict, violence, and irrationality. He ardently argues that humans should discard the archaic dogmas of religion and adhere to reason, which is increasingly necessary in this modern world of science and human ethics.Is Atheism Dead?
Metaxas argues that new scientific discoveries and philosophical arguments add more credence to the idea of God and Intelligent Design. In his attempt to write off some of the famous claims from atheists, he insists that the New Atheists arrive at conclusions far beyond the limits of science and reason in the questions of life's origins and cosmic fine-tuning.Outgrowing God
This is an argument by Richard Dawkins, the evolutionary biologist, that belief in God is only a relic of humanity's prehistoric state of being, a way of thinking the human race can no longer afford. Drawing on anthropology, psychology, and memetics, he argues that religious beliefs arose as evolutionarily beneficial fictions that humanity now must grow out of to attain ethical maturity.The Moral Landscape
Sam Harris provides a fundamentally new paradigm of grounding moral reasoning and deriving prescriptive values from empirical investigation into human flourishing and well-being. He argues that the abstractions of traditional philosophy have to be resisted and replaced with methodical investigation, accomplished by neuroscience and rational inquiry into objective factors that either promote or hold back human thriving and survival.The Portable Atheist
Compiled and edited by Christopher Hitchens, this is a powerful collection gathering the writings of the most renowned atheist thinkers and critics of religion in world history. Incisive selections by philosophers, scientists, and polemicists critically discredit theistic arguments, dogmas, and institutions. It is a definitive compendium that builds a formidable case against God and faith-based belief systems.Godless
The road traveled from fundamentalist Christian to fundamentalist atheist, landing the former evangelical minister Dan Barker on the shortlist of the nation's top atheist activists and writers. Part memoir, part philosophical treatise, Barker tells us why he rejected faith and deconstructs core Judeo-Christian beliefs through the lens of reason, science, and secular humanism.Breaking the Spell
While religion, for the philosopher Daniel C. Dennett, is a natural phenomenon devised by the human mind rather than religious claims to truth, his empirical perspective looks cross-culturally to the phenomenon of religion. He inquires into its evolutionary roots, psychological underpinnings, and cognitive base for a system of belief that survives both philosophical and scientific challenges.Gods of the Bible
It is a work that defies traditional scriptural interpretations and delves deeply into the polytheistic origins of the Bible and the ancient Israelite religion. The author insists that such figures as Yahweh were initially considered within the pantheon of gods in the ancient Near East, not as one superior god. This is a challenging and thought-provoking re-contextualization of the biblical text.Atheist Delusions
Theologian David Bentley Hart has written a scathing criticism of the "New Atheist" movement and the seminal works of Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and others. He charges these authors with ignorance of the philosophy of religion, flawed logic, and a gross oversimplification of the intricate arguments for and against the existence of God put forth by centuries of religious thinkers.Atheist Manifesto
According to French philosopher Michel Onfray, there is reason to adopt atheist philosophy, deeply rooted in the rationalist traditions of the Enlightenment. He shatters all metaphysical and theological justifications for belief in God and systematically promotes an "atheist ethic" centered on individual autonomy, human rights, and scientific empiricism.
