Battling the Gods : Atheism in the Ancient World (Paperback)

from Jaylia3

In Battling the Gods Tim Whitmarsh counters the idea that atheism is a new phenomenon, a result of the 18th century European Enlightenment, by using reason, history, and a careful examination of written works from the classical ages of Greece and Rome. Whitmarsh, a professor of Greek Culture at t...

from meandmybooks

While this was a bit more of a polemic than I'd anticipated – Whitmarsh claims in his Preface that “it is not my aim to prove the truth (or indeed falsehood) of atheism as a philosophical position,” but he then practically ties himself in knots trying to work out ways in which the most unlikely o...

from grandpahobo

This is a very good history of ancient Greek society and the role of mythology. It also extends in the peak of the Roman empire. Unfortunately, there is little about the existence or role of atheism during this period. The author does an admirable job of trying to tease out references to and insi...

from Devil_llama

The author looks at the history of atheism in the ancient world, in an effort to demonstrate that it isn't just a "fad" that arose with the Enlightenment. He traces atheism back to the early period of Judaism, and evaluates the role of atheists and other non-conformists in the classical world, wi...

from Devil_llama

The author looks at the history of atheism in the ancient world, in an effort to demonstrate that it isn't just a "fad" that arose with the Enlightenment. He traces atheism back to the early period of Judaism, and evaluates the role of atheists and other non-conformists in the classical world, wi...