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The Atheist's Primer
The Athiest’s Primer is a concise but wide-ranging introduction to a variety of arguments, concepts, and issues pertaining to belief in God. In lucid and engaging prose, Malcom Murray offers a penetrating yet fair-minded critique of the traditional arguments for the existence of God. He then explores a number of other important issues relevant to religious belief, such as the problem of suffering and the relationship between religion and morality, in each case arguing that atheism is preferable to theism. The book will appeal to both students and professionals in the philosophy of religion, as well as general audiences interested in the topic.
- GenresReligionPhilosophy
276 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 12, 2021
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140910: excellent primer. this is well organized, accessible, readable, and deals with many arguments, proofs, attributes, definitions, beliefs, fallacies, mistakes, virtually everything related to theism and atheism. philosophically coherent, aside from just implausibility of various concepts of God, this shows logical impossibilities. this book is very useful, very clear, not polemical or dogmatic. examines arguments from all angles for and against. this is a book atheists in which i can find personal beliefs or doubts expressed cogently, without malice, with generous exploration and characterization of theist positions. give it to your favorite theist...
140910: excellent primer. this is well organized, accessible, readable, and deals with many arguments, proofs, attributes, definitions, beliefs, fallacies, mistakes, virtually everything related to theism and atheism. philosophically coherent, aside from just implausibility of various concepts of God, this shows logical impossibilities. this book is very useful, very clear, not polemical or dogmatic. examines arguments from all angles for and against. this is a book atheists in which i can find personal beliefs or doubts expressed cogently, without malice, with generous exploration and characterization of theist positions. give it to your favorite theist...
October 28, 2017
What should a Christian expect when he begins reading a book called The Atheist's Primer? This Christian mistakenly thought he was buying a book written by a Christian to argue against atheism. Clearly I didn't read the back cover blurb before I bought it. Having now read the blurb I see it was intended to 1. shake me (a foolish believers like me) free of my delusion, and 2. to provide succinct arguments and justification for the enlightened ones who don't believe in 'fairy tales.'
Murray presents his case against the existence of God very succinctly, comprehensively and not without a little humour. He also writes with occasional condescension and arrogance. His analogies and explanations are very well explained and clearly, in most cases, illustrate his points.
Bottom line? There is no empirical evidence for the existence of metaphysical agency (ie God). If therefore you believe in God, whatever reason you have for your belief is illogical and you are deluded. Belief in God is not epistemically warranted.
The author does not believe in God because he denies all metaphysical agency. His arguments begin from this point of view. If it is not logical, then it cannot be true. His attempts to explain away alleged supernatural phenomena, to deny metaphysical agency, read like clever self justification. He often used natural things, like his mind, to try to comprehend supernatural things. The finite mind cannot fully grasp infinite concepts, but Murray's response is to abandon anything which can't be rationally explained, or to say that in fact everything has a rational explanation. That's not a criticism. It's merely an acknowledgment that's what atheists do.
I could read Murray's book because it was fair. It presented different Theistic points of view and referenced some significant Theistic thinkers. I thought it was a reasonably balanced presentation, but it was a little frustrating to read at times because I happen to accept metaphysical agency. I believe in God, and I don't expect to understand him fully. I know that some things are beyond my ability to understand and I don't need a rational explanation for everything.
I can recommend The Atheist's Primer with a couple of caveats. Firstly, a lot of Murray's arguments take the form of long winded, and to me confusing, logic. Perhaps my mind just doesn't work like that (maybe I am illogical and deluded), but I had trouble following it sometimes. For example, the author's use of Mr Smith and Mr Jones mowing their lawns when he was discussing omniscience and free will was too much for me. Him saying that God can't be timeless (atemporal, eternal) and present (temporal) at the same time just proves my point about him not being prepared to accept anything beyond his comprehension as true.
Secondly, if you like hard core, rabid Christian haters like Dawkins, you may not like Murray's gentle, reasonable and fair minded approach. Dawkins gets a mention, but Murray seems like a nice bloke and some one I'd be interested in having a conversation with.
Thirdly, if you're a Christian, you need to be careful with this material, and remember Paul's warnings in Titus 3:9 (arguments and controversies) and Colossians 2:4 (clever and fine sounding arguments). In 1 Corinthians 1:25 he also reminds us that God is smarter than we are.
Murray presents his case against the existence of God very succinctly, comprehensively and not without a little humour. He also writes with occasional condescension and arrogance. His analogies and explanations are very well explained and clearly, in most cases, illustrate his points.
Bottom line? There is no empirical evidence for the existence of metaphysical agency (ie God). If therefore you believe in God, whatever reason you have for your belief is illogical and you are deluded. Belief in God is not epistemically warranted.
The author does not believe in God because he denies all metaphysical agency. His arguments begin from this point of view. If it is not logical, then it cannot be true. His attempts to explain away alleged supernatural phenomena, to deny metaphysical agency, read like clever self justification. He often used natural things, like his mind, to try to comprehend supernatural things. The finite mind cannot fully grasp infinite concepts, but Murray's response is to abandon anything which can't be rationally explained, or to say that in fact everything has a rational explanation. That's not a criticism. It's merely an acknowledgment that's what atheists do.
I could read Murray's book because it was fair. It presented different Theistic points of view and referenced some significant Theistic thinkers. I thought it was a reasonably balanced presentation, but it was a little frustrating to read at times because I happen to accept metaphysical agency. I believe in God, and I don't expect to understand him fully. I know that some things are beyond my ability to understand and I don't need a rational explanation for everything.
I can recommend The Atheist's Primer with a couple of caveats. Firstly, a lot of Murray's arguments take the form of long winded, and to me confusing, logic. Perhaps my mind just doesn't work like that (maybe I am illogical and deluded), but I had trouble following it sometimes. For example, the author's use of Mr Smith and Mr Jones mowing their lawns when he was discussing omniscience and free will was too much for me. Him saying that God can't be timeless (atemporal, eternal) and present (temporal) at the same time just proves my point about him not being prepared to accept anything beyond his comprehension as true.
Secondly, if you like hard core, rabid Christian haters like Dawkins, you may not like Murray's gentle, reasonable and fair minded approach. Dawkins gets a mention, but Murray seems like a nice bloke and some one I'd be interested in having a conversation with.
Thirdly, if you're a Christian, you need to be careful with this material, and remember Paul's warnings in Titus 3:9 (arguments and controversies) and Colossians 2:4 (clever and fine sounding arguments). In 1 Corinthians 1:25 he also reminds us that God is smarter than we are.
February 17, 2012
This rather wonderful book is a classic of epistemological writing that effortlessly straddles the line between 'popular' and 'esoteric'. The subject is obvious from the title, and the author makes it very clear throughout that nothing he writes here will give solace to theists: the atheist stance is constant and consistent throughout.
What the book sets out to do is to examine a vast number of arguments theists have proposed over the ages in their attempts to 'prove' or justify the existence of 'god' and the related topic of life after death. Murray presents these arguments cogently, and then examines each of them in some detail, all from a purely epistemological view. In each case, the conclusion is that the arguments presented have no significant substance which might suggest to an atheist that theism or even agnosticism are valid in necessitating belief in any metaphysical concept. (This is not a spoiler: as mentioned already, the author's stance is made clear from the very beginning.) The only conclusions possible: there is/are no rational arguments for positing a need for the existence of god(s), or life after death, or any associated metaphysical notions.
Some of the arguments will be familiar; others, particularly the more refined or metaphysical arguments, will be less so. The latter require a sharp intellect, and very subtle reasoning (the subtlety of the arguments warrants this precision) — and this might present a problem for some readers. This is not always 'easy' reading, and sometimes, it is quite difficult: but Murray's style is still quite clear, and basically easy to follow. One does, however, need to take it steadily, and think through the arguments and rebuttals carefully — but Murray is always as helpful as he can be (and on this subject, one needs to be!) and the extra effort required is well worth it.
This short book (226 pages of text) has 25 Chapters split into Five parts. Each Chapter covers a number of arguments as described above. The range is extensive, covering quite a surprising number of topics and issues. The last Part, for example, deals with topics such as Mysticism, Morality, the Meaning of Life, Death, and Error Theory (theories on why beliefs persist even when proved erroneous).
None of this, of course, will convert anyone to atheism, but as far as I am aware this book is unique in presenting its arguments so comprehensively and clearly in a concise manner that is more or less readily accessible to the non-specialist reader. Highly recommended for anyone who needs solid, rational thinking on this important subject.
What the book sets out to do is to examine a vast number of arguments theists have proposed over the ages in their attempts to 'prove' or justify the existence of 'god' and the related topic of life after death. Murray presents these arguments cogently, and then examines each of them in some detail, all from a purely epistemological view. In each case, the conclusion is that the arguments presented have no significant substance which might suggest to an atheist that theism or even agnosticism are valid in necessitating belief in any metaphysical concept. (This is not a spoiler: as mentioned already, the author's stance is made clear from the very beginning.) The only conclusions possible: there is/are no rational arguments for positing a need for the existence of god(s), or life after death, or any associated metaphysical notions.
Some of the arguments will be familiar; others, particularly the more refined or metaphysical arguments, will be less so. The latter require a sharp intellect, and very subtle reasoning (the subtlety of the arguments warrants this precision) — and this might present a problem for some readers. This is not always 'easy' reading, and sometimes, it is quite difficult: but Murray's style is still quite clear, and basically easy to follow. One does, however, need to take it steadily, and think through the arguments and rebuttals carefully — but Murray is always as helpful as he can be (and on this subject, one needs to be!) and the extra effort required is well worth it.
This short book (226 pages of text) has 25 Chapters split into Five parts. Each Chapter covers a number of arguments as described above. The range is extensive, covering quite a surprising number of topics and issues. The last Part, for example, deals with topics such as Mysticism, Morality, the Meaning of Life, Death, and Error Theory (theories on why beliefs persist even when proved erroneous).
None of this, of course, will convert anyone to atheism, but as far as I am aware this book is unique in presenting its arguments so comprehensively and clearly in a concise manner that is more or less readily accessible to the non-specialist reader. Highly recommended for anyone who needs solid, rational thinking on this important subject.
November 29, 2024
Respectful and well-articulated defense of atheism
Having read several atheist books, I find this Athiest Primer at the top of my list. It presents religious views fairly and accurately without strawmaning or mocking them and proceeds to show the strength of the atheist viewpoint.
No slam-dunk proofs are offered to debunk and toss out religion. If they existed, such proofs would have been offered long ago, ending a fruitless discussion of God.
Malcolm Murray makes compelling arguments for the atheist side. Similar to the account for evolution, for which there is a mountain of evidence, it will vary from person to person whether they consider such arguments overwhelmingly decisive.
Reading this primer will give you a solid grasp of the issues at hand, and from that vantage point, you can decide how strongly these arguments impact your beliefs.
Having read several atheist books, I find this Athiest Primer at the top of my list. It presents religious views fairly and accurately without strawmaning or mocking them and proceeds to show the strength of the atheist viewpoint.
No slam-dunk proofs are offered to debunk and toss out religion. If they existed, such proofs would have been offered long ago, ending a fruitless discussion of God.
Malcolm Murray makes compelling arguments for the atheist side. Similar to the account for evolution, for which there is a mountain of evidence, it will vary from person to person whether they consider such arguments overwhelmingly decisive.
Reading this primer will give you a solid grasp of the issues at hand, and from that vantage point, you can decide how strongly these arguments impact your beliefs.
June 26, 2014
For the most part, this was a good book. The arguments against the ontological and cosmological proofs were my favorites. Some of the explanations were hard to understand but he does a good job of summarizing each chapter at the end.
Want to read
January 27, 2011Being open-minded regarding atheistic ideas I won't mind exploring this volume.....
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews