The Evolution of Atheism

The Politics of a Modern Movement

Stephen LeDrew

Argues that the New Atheism has parallels with religious fundamentalism
Shows that divisions among atheists threaten to fracture the movement
Rejects the widely accepted understanding of contemporary atheism as grounded in liberalism, instead arguing for the existence of an "Atheist Right" that mirrors the Christian Right

The Evolution of Atheism

The Politics of a Modern Movement

Stephen LeDrew

Description

The concept of evolution is widely considered to be a foundational building block in atheist thought. Leaders of the New Atheist movement have taken Darwin's work and used it to diminish the authority of religious institutions and belief systems. But they have also embraced it as a metaphor for the gradual replacement of religious faith with secular reason. They have posed as harbingers of human progress, claiming the moral high ground, and rejecting with intolerance any message that challenges the hegemony of science and reason. Religion, according to the New Atheists, should be relegated to the Dark Ages of superstition and senseless violence.

Yet Darwin did not see evolution as a linear progression to an improved state of being. The more antagonistic members of the New Atheist movement who embrace this idea are not only employing bad history, but also the kind of rigid, black-and-white thinking they excoriate in their religious opponents. Indeed, Stephen LeDrew argues, militant atheists have more in common with religious fundamentalists than they would care to admit, advancing what LeDrew calls secular fundamentalism. In reaction to fundamentalist Christianity and Islamism, this strain of atheism has become an offshoot of the religion it tries so hard to malign.

The Evolution of Atheism outlines the essential political tension at the heart of the atheist movement. The New Atheism, LeDrew shows, is part of a tradition of atheist thought and activism that promotes individualism and scientific authority, which puts it at odds with atheist groups that are motivated by humanistic ethics and social justice. LeDrew draws on public relations campaigns, publications, podcasts, and in-depth interviews to explore the belief systems, internal logics, and self-contradictions of the people who consider themselves to be atheists. He argues that evolving understandings of what atheism means, and how it should be put into action, are threatening to irrevocably fragment the movement.

The Evolution of Atheism

The Politics of a Modern Movement

Stephen LeDrew

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Evolution of Atheism
Chapter 2: The New Atheism
Chapter 3: A Light in a Dark Jungle
Chapter 4: The Secular Movement
Chapter 5: The Moral Minority
Chapter 6: Purists, Freethinkers, and Bridge Builders: Tensions at the Grassroots
Chapter 7: The Atheist Right
Conclusion

Notes
Bibliography
Index

The Evolution of Atheism

The Politics of a Modern Movement

Stephen LeDrew

Author Information

Stephen LeDrew is a Post-doctoral Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Religion and Society at Uppsala University.

The Evolution of Atheism

The Politics of a Modern Movement

Stephen LeDrew

Reviews and Awards

"An impressively sophisticated study densely packed with interesting and valuable insights about the atheist movement in general and the New Atheism in particular...[LeDrew] presents his findings in an engaging, non-technical manner."--Counterpunch

"Digging beneath simplistic 'science vs religion' dichotomies, this book aims to uncover the true reasons for the nature and rise of so-called New Atheism. Arguing that we must look to religious fundamentalism and its values as well as to as the general post-modern onslaught on rationality, Stephen LeDrew's The Evolution of Atheism makes a strong case that we must cast broadly into today's culture if we are to understand the staggering success of the works of Richard Dawkins and others. This is a very important book that brings many fresh insights to its topic." --Michael Ruse, author of Atheism: What Everyone Needs to Know

"This is a very good, important, and readable book that makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of the New Atheism, in part by calling atheism out as yet another object of study and explanation, rather than the supposed natural default position of all reasonable people. Striking a nice balance of scholarly sympathy and critical distance, it provides new insights and makes very interesting claims about the internal diversity of the New Atheism. This book ought to get much attention and generate helpful discussion." --Christian Smith, author of The Sacred Project of American Sociology

"The success of this book rests on the author's willingness to venture beyond his stated premise, which is to offer an interpretation of modern atheistic movements framed by the lens of evolution...Highly recommended"--CHOICE

The Evolution of Atheism

The Politics of a Modern Movement

Stephen LeDrew

From Our Blog

The legacy of the New Atheism

The ten-year anniversary of the publication of Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion is approaching, and it has already been over ten years since Sam Harris published The End of Faith. These two figures, along with the late Christopher Hitchens, are the most important in the anti-religious movement known as the New Atheism.

Posted on November 9, 2015

Read the blog post