Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities. Most inclusively, atheism is simply the absence of belief that any deities exist. Atheism is contrasted with theism, which in its most general form is the belief that at least one deity exists.
The term atheism originated from the Greek ἄθεος (atheos), meaning "without god", used as a pejorative term applied to those thought to reject the gods worshipped by the larger society. With the spread of freethought, skeptical inquiry, and subsequent increase in criticism of religion, application of the term narrowed in scope. The first individuals to identify themselves using the word "atheist" lived in the 18th century.
Atheists tend to be skeptical of supernatural claims, citing a lack of empirical evidence for deities. Rationales for not believing in any deity include the problem of evil, the argument from inconsistent revelations, and the argument from nonbelief. Other arguments for atheism range from the philosophical to the social to the historical. Although some atheists have adopted secular philosophies, there is no one ideology or set of behaviors to which all atheists adhere. Many atheists hold that atheism is a more parsimonious worldview than theism, and therefore the burden of proof lies not on the atheist to disprove the existence of God, but on the theist to provide a rationale for theism.
Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL (born 26 March 1941), known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author. He is an emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford, and was the University of Oxford's Professor for Public Understanding of Science from 1995 until 2008.
Dawkins came to prominence with his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, which popularised the gene-centered view of evolution and introduced the term meme. In 1982 he introduced an influential concept into evolutionary biology, presented in his book The Extended Phenotype, that the phenotypic effects of a gene are not necessarily limited to an organism's body, but can stretch far into the environment, including the bodies of other organisms.
Dawkins is an atheist, a vice president of the British Humanist Association, and a supporter of the Brights movement. He is well known for his criticism of creationism and intelligent design. In his 1986 book The Blind Watchmaker, he argued against the watchmaker analogy, an argument for the existence of a supernatural creator based upon the complexity of living organisms. Instead, he described evolutionary processes as analogous to a blind watchmaker. He has since written several popular science books, and makes regular television and radio appearances, predominantly discussing these topics. In his 2006 book The God Delusion, Dawkins contends that a supernatural creator almost certainly does not exist and that religious faith is a delusion—"a fixed false belief." As of January 2010 the English-language version has sold more than two million copies and had been translated into 31 languages.
Ricky Dene Gervais (/dʒərˈveɪz/; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, director, producer, musician, writer, and former radio presenter.
Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with frequent collaborator Stephen Merchant. In addition to writing and directing the shows, Gervais played the lead roles of David Brent in The Office and Andy Millman in Extras. Gervais has also starred in a number of Hollywood films, assuming leading roles in Ghost Town and The Invention of Lying. He has performed on four sell-out stand-up comedy tours, written the best-selling Flanimals book series and starred with Merchant and Karl Pilkington in the most downloaded podcast in the world as of March 2009,The Ricky Gervais Show.
He has won multiple awards and honours, including seven BAFTA Awards, five British Comedy Awards, two Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and the 2006 Rose d'Or, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. In 2007 he was voted the 11th greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups and again in the updated 2010 list as the 3rd greatest stand-up comic. In 2010 he was named on the TIME 100 list of the world's most influential people.
An Undeniable Prognosis (Best Atheist Arguments)
Atheists: Inside the World of Non-Believers (2015)
A History of Disbelief: Atheism Documentary Episode 1
Atheism Unleashed Presents.. The Atheist Experience ..Best Bits
Oprah vs Atheism !!!
Richard Dawkins: Militant atheism
Richard Dawkins - Militant Atheism - TED
Atheist Experience #905: Sleep Paralysis
Lawrence Krauss vs Hamza Tzortzis - Islam vs Atheism Debate
Debate: Atheist vs Christian (Richard Dawkins vs Cardinal George Pell)
US Pastor Gets Mind Blown in Atheistic Europe!
Why Is Atheism More Popular Than Ever?
Sam Harris gives a lecture on science and atheism
Dale McGowan: 20 Things I Learned About Atheism While Explaining it to Dummies
An Undeniable Prognosis (Best Atheist Arguments)
Atheists: Inside the World of Non-Believers (2015)
A History of Disbelief: Atheism Documentary Episode 1
Atheism Unleashed Presents.. The Atheist Experience ..Best Bits
Oprah vs Atheism !!!
Richard Dawkins: Militant atheism
Richard Dawkins - Militant Atheism - TED
Atheist Experience #905: Sleep Paralysis
Lawrence Krauss vs Hamza Tzortzis - Islam vs Atheism Debate
Debate: Atheist vs Christian (Richard Dawkins vs Cardinal George Pell)
US Pastor Gets Mind Blown in Atheistic Europe!
Why Is Atheism More Popular Than Ever?
Sam Harris gives a lecture on science and atheism
Dale McGowan: 20 Things I Learned About Atheism While Explaining it to Dummies
A Brief History of Disbelief: Atheism Documentary Episode 2
Atheism Is The Default Position - The Atheist Experience 607
The Four Horseman - Hitchens, Dawkins, Dennet, Harris [2007]
Why is Psychology Silent When it Comes to Atheism? - Melanie Brewster - Skepticon 7
The Reality Debate: Atheism vs. Theism (Dave Silverman vs. Frank Turek)
Ricky Gervais talks Atheism and Religion - Opie and Anthony
Atheism Destroyed With One Hilarious Question
A C Grayling - Atheism, Theism and Proof
'The New Atheism' by Richard Dawkins, AAI 2007