The New Encyclopedia of Unbelief by Prometheus Books

	Title: The New Encyclopedia of Unbelief Purchase Item Manufacturer: Prometheus Books List Price: $199.00 Our Price: $79.95
Customer Reviews:
The New Encyclopedia of Unbelief by Prometheus Books Wide-ranging and illuminating
As a contributor (article: Life, Origins of, and Unbelief) I may be biased, but I find this densely packed volume a surprisingly rich resource on topics as diverse as history, literature, science, biography, and even theology. Browsing through this volume, I have discovered among many other things an African-American literature going back to the 1770s, a witty and critical evaluation of David Hume (which I think David Hume himself would have enjoyed), a meticulously evenhanded account of ways in which believers can handle the problem of evil, a history of secular Judaism, and an analysis of the ever-popular myth of "deathbed conversion" that attaches itself to prominent unbelievers. I am in two minds about the decision not to give direct references to web sites (although some are mentioned in the text). Such references may be convenient, but the resources referred to may disappear, or, worse, deteriorate in quality, and the articles themselves are of course a rich source of search terms. At its current price, this impressively produced volume is probably beyond the reach of most readers, but would be a valuable addition to any library, and I look forward to the appearance of a paperback edition directed at the individual purchaser.
The New Encyclopedia of Unbelief by Prometheus Books An Encyclopedia worth of the name
This book will prove highly useful to serious students and researchers as well as just those who want to learn more about the history of freethought. Omitted from the more critical reviews here on Amazon is the very important fact that each entry in this work is accompanied by an informed and very useful bibliography ie. other sources to pursue. While the one or two critics here have some useful points, no single-volume work can ever hope to be either comprehensive or exhaustive, nor does this volume claim to be. However, while intellectual honesty requires that I disclose my own contribution to this book in the form of the entry on Thomas Paine, it is equally important to add that in close to 25 years of research, public history, and writing in the field of freethought history, democratic reform, and (yes) that most glorious agitator, Tom Paine, I know of no single work on its subject that even approaches THE NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA OF UNBELIEF for usefulness and scholarly integrity. Yes, I have a copy at ready hand on the shelf and yes, I use it. And no, I did not, nor will I ever, receive so much as a penny for my contribution to it or for this review. With best wishes to you all.
The New Encyclopedia of Unbelief by Prometheus Books A Freethinker's Feast
The encyclopedia should appeal to any reader who seeks a lucid, authoritative, and comprehensive guide to the history, past and present, of unbelief. The book constitutes a treasure trove of engaging articles on such diverse topics as atheism, agnosticism, biblical criticism, blasphemy, the historicity of Jesus, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Darwinism, intelligent design, ethics, women's suffrage,immortality, the origin of life, the origin of the universe, the demographics of unbelief, speaking in tongues, resurrection, prayer, nihilism, stoicism. Included, too, are numerous entries on notable unbelievers in a wide range of disciplines: philosophy, physics, cosmology, biology, psychology, journalism, theology, history, belles lettres. One can read about unbelief in Aristotle, Lucretius, Epicurus, Freud, Nietzsche, David Hume, Galileo, Edward Gibbon, Clarence Darrow, Shakespeare, Mark Twain, and such women freethinkers as Mary Wollstonecraft, Ernestine L. Rose, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Emma Goldman, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Anne Hutchinson, and Madalyn Murray O'Hair. Having written a few entries on literary figures for the new encyclopedia, I may be vulnerable to the charge of biased reviewing. I, of course, don't see it that way. Having read books on unbelief for a half century, I think I can separate the wheat from the chaff.
The New Encyclopedia of Unbelief by Prometheus Books Inadequate coverage of Agnostic and Agnosticism
I have some specific concerns about the article on AGNOSTICISM. There was no mentiion of the Metaphysical Society planning meeting where Huxley coined the word agnostic, the article implied that Huxley coined the term in regard to the God idea when he made no mention of this idea in connection with coining the term, Huxley's attitude toward "unknowable," was not accurately stated, (Huxley actually said, "I do not very much care to speak of anything as 'unknowable',") no mention of the AGNOSTIC ANNUAL and Huxley's relationship with it, no mention of the Society of Evangelical Agnostics, which for 12 short years starting in 1975, united well over 1000 Agnostics in a loose fellowship around Huxley's understanding of the meaning of agnosticism, which, thankfully, is quoted properly. It would have been good to cite that quotation and note that the article from which it was taken was written toward the end of Huxley's life and that between 1869, when the word was coined, and 1889, when he described his meaning for agnosticism, he seldom used either agnostic or agnosticism in his writings.
The New Encyclopedia of Unbelief by Prometheus Books Great reference
Just received this book and have skimmed over a lot of the history and the biographies of the people cited in the book. It is well put to gather and well thought out, I would recommend this to all atheists, agnostics and free thinkers who would like to catch up on famous and not so famous people who had the brains to think for themselves.
The New Encyclopedia of Unbelief by Prometheus Books Book Description
Successor to the highly acclaimed Encyclopedia of Unbelief (1985), edited by the late Gordon Stein, the New Encyclopedia of Unbelief is a comprehensive reference work on the history, beliefs, and thinking of America’s fastest growing minority: those who live without religion. All-new articles by the field’s foremost scholars describe and explain every aspect of atheism, agnosticism, secular humanism, secularism, and religious skepticism. Topics include morality without religion, unbelief in the historicity of Jesus, critiques of intelligent design theory, unbelief and sexual values, and summaries of the state of unbelief around the world. More than 130 respected scholars and activists worldwide served on the editorial advisory board and over 100 authoritative contributors have written in excess of 500 entries. In addition to covering developments since the publication of the original edition, the New Encyclopedia of Unbelief includes a larger number of biographical entries and much-expanded coverage of the linkages between unbelief and social reform movements of the 19th and 20th centuries, including the labor movement, woman suffrage, anarchism, sex radicalism, and second-wave feminism. The distinguished contributors—philosophers, scientists, scholars, and Nobel Prize laureates—include Robert Alley, Joe Barnhart, David Berman, Sir Hermann Bondi, Vern L. Bullough, Noam Chomsky, Daniel Dennett, Paul Edwards, Barbara Ehrenreich, Antony Flew, Annie Laurie Gaylor, Peter Hare, Van Harvey, Susan Jacoby, Paul Kurtz, Richard Leakey, Gerd Lüdemann, Michael Martin, Martin E. Marty, Kai Nielsen, Steven Pinker, Robert M. Price, Richard Rorty, John R. Searle, Peter Singer, Ibn Warraq, Steven Weinberg, George A. Wells, David Tribe, Sherwin Wine, and many others. With a foreword by evolutionary biologist and best-selling author Richard Dawkins, this unparalleled reference work provides comprehensive knowledge about unbelief in its many varieties and manifestations.