Atheistic Humanism

by Antony Flew

This collection of essays by one of the world's most distinguished philosophers addresses the many and diverse aspects of atheistic humanism. Antony Flew begins his comprehensive study with "Fundamentals of Unbelief," in which he argues that there is no good or sufficient natural reason to (1) that the universe was created by a conscious, personal, willing, and doing Being; (2) that such a conjectural Being has provided his (or her or its) creatures with a Revelation; and (3) that we should either hope or fear some future for ourselves after our deaths.

In the second part, "Defending Knowledge and Responsibility," Flew disposes of the perennial charge that a naturalistic world outlook presupposes values which it cannot justify. He also criticizes sociologists of belief who refute themselves by refusing to admit that there is such a thing as "objective knowledge". And he examines the subject of mental illness, explaining and defining the notion by refering to the familiar yet often denied realities of choice and consequent responsibility.

The third section, "Scientific Socialism?", consists of three critical analyses of Marxism. Flew exposes the faulty philosophical foundations of Communism, compares Marxist theory with Darwin's theory of evolution, questions the status of Marxism as a social "science," and points out some of the significant failures of the socialist project.

Finally, in the fourth part, "Applied Philosophy," Flew looks at three social issues which have been the subject of much recent the right to die, the definition of mental health, and the problems of racism.

Genres: Philosophy, Religion

302 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1993

About the author

Antony Garrard Newton Flew (11 February 1923 – 8 April 2010) was a British philosopher. Belonging to the analytic and evidentialist schools of thought, he was notable for his works on the philosophy of religion.

Flew was a strong advocate of atheism, arguing that one should presuppose atheism until empirical evidence of a God surfaces. He also criticised the idea of life after death, the free will defence to the problem of evil, and the meaningfulness of the concept of God. In 2003 he was one of the signers of the Humanist Manifesto. However, in 2004 he stated an allegiance to deism, more specifically a belief in the Aristotelian God, stating that in keeping his lifelong commitment to go where the evidence leads, he now believes in the existence of God.

He later wrote the book There is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind, with contributions from Roy Abraham Varghese. This book (and Flew's conversion itself) has been the subject of controversy, following an article in the New York Times magazine alleging that Flew had mentally declined, and that Varghese was the primary author. The matter remains contentious, with some commentators including PZ Myers and Richard Carrier supporting the allegations, and others, including Flew himself, opposing them.