New Atheism vs. old atheism

The new atheist Richard Dawkins declared: "Christianity may actually be our best defence against aberrant forms of religion that threaten the world".[1][2] See also: Richard Dawkins and Islam

The term New Atheism, which first appeared in the November 2006 edition of Wired magazine, is frequently applied to a movement spawned by a series of six best-selling books by five authors that appeared in the period between 2004–2008. These authors include Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett and Victor J. Stenger.[3]

Richard Dawkins said about New Atheism, "[O]ur struggle is not so much an intellectual struggle, as a political one: What are we going to do about it?”.[4]

Commenting on the New Atheism and British/United States politics, Steven Kettell wrote in the journal Secularism and Nonreligion:

“  |  ...both countries have also experienced a rising influence of religion in the public sphere since the turn of the century. In the U.S this has centered on the role of the Christian Right, especially under the administration of George W. Bush. In Britain, issues of multiculturalism and faith schools have been particularly prominent. In this context, new atheism can be said to represent something of a defensive rear-guard action, an attempt to push back against the encroaching forces of faith, and a response to a world that, as Aronson (2008) observes, “no longer seems to be going our way”.[5] |  ”

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The four most prominent writers of the New Atheist movement are Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens and Daniel Dennett and they have commonly been called "the four horsemen" of New Atheism. PZ Myers self-appointed himself as the fifth horseman of the New Atheism movement, but was mocked for doing so by Michael Nugent.[6][7]

## Contents

* 1 New Atheism vs. old atheism
* 2 Recommended books
* 3 See also
* 4 Notes

## New Atheism vs. old atheism[edit]

Below are a number of articles which contrasts New Atheism with "old atheism". A common criticism of New Atheism is that it is not meaningfully different than old atheism (see: history of atheism).

* New Atheists and Old Atheists, Philosophy Now

* Is the ‘New Atheism’ any different from old atheism?, Patheos

* ‘Classical Atheism’ vs ‘New Atheism’ – Dispelling the Myth of ‘New Atheism’

* What does the 'new' in 'new atheism' really mean?, Guardian

* Nothing New- Today’s atheists are even less convincing than their ancestors, Reformed Resources

* Richard Dawkins has lost: meet the new new atheists by Theo Hobson, The Spectator

## Recommended books[edit]

* True Reason: Confronting the Irrationality of the New Atheism, Tom Gilson (Editor), Carson Weitnauer (Editor), Publisher: Kregel Publications; Reprint edition (February 1, 2014). ISBN 0825443385. ISBN 978-0825443381

* New Atheism: A Survival Guide by Graham Veale, Publisher: Christian Focus, 2014. ISBN 1781913161. ISBN 978-1781913161

## See also[edit]

* Causes of the New Atheism movement
* New Atheism criticism
* Decline of New Atheism
* Atheist factions
* Schools of atheist thought

## Notes[edit]

1. ↑ Professional Atheist Dawkins Says Christianity ‘Bulwark Against Something Worse’, by Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D, Breitbart News Network, Jan 12, 2016
2. ↑ Richard Dawkins says Christianity is world's best defence against radical Islam, Christianity Today, January 2016
3. ↑ http://www.colorado.edu/philosophy/vstenger/battle.html
4. ↑ Faithless: The politics of new atheism by Steven Kettell
5. ↑ Faithless: The politics of new atheism by Steven Kettell
6. ↑
* Chronology of misrepresentations and smears in the atheist movement by PZ Myers and others by Michael Nugent on November 4, 2014
7. ↑ Comes a Horseman by PZ Myers • 13 October 2009