The Twilight Of Atheism
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"'Readable and memorable, this is intellectual history at its best'. Publishers Weekly"
Church Times
A sympathetic and interesting guide to the intellectural and social landscape of the past 200 years or so.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is a clear and structured work, and will keep the reader interested throughout. but there is a fair bit to be critical of in the latter stages of the book, where Mcgrath brings us to mid-late 20th century atheism. Mcgrath only addresses 'hard' or 'affirming' atheism, not the sort of atheism that is just an absence of belief in God, but a firm rejection of God's existence. Also, his understanding of 'postmodern' and post-structuralist challenges to theism is poor, and, in trying to defend theism from its challenges, he claims that atheism is more unsettled by it. But that only applies to 'hard' atheism! Mcgrath also devotes a lot of time to activists such as Madalyn Murray O'Hair, yet influential thinkers such as Russell, Satre and Mackie get no significant attention at all.
So, in conclusion, its interesting, well worth a read, but the last few chapters should have been better.
So, in conclusion, its interesting, well worth a read, but the last few chapters should have been better.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
It is ironic that McGrath's book came out in 2004 shortly before the books by the New Atheists: Sam Harris (2004); Richard Dawkins (2006); Daniel Dennett (2006) and Christopher Hitchins (2007). Since then McGrath has published two books that deal with the New Atheism, 'The Dawkins Delusion' (2007) and 'Why God won't go Away' (2011). In the main 'Twilight of Atheism' covers the history of atheism in the two hundred years between the fall of the Bastille in 1789 and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. As a work on history he does a competent job, understanding the past helps us understand the present, and gives us a hint about the future. It is one of the ironies of history that the early Christians were called atheists (atheistos) because they challenged the validity of the pagan religious system. He should have spent a bit more time discussing the Soviet Union as the world's first atheist state; it would have made a good case study of what happens when atheists have power. It would be interesting to see what comrade Dawkins would do if he had real power, e.g. how would he go about eradicating the 'religion' virus?
The Soviet Union tried power to eradicate religion, but it did not work. This is a lesson from history, but it failed, which is evident to us all. Some have argued that he deals with hard atheism, but why should McGrath soft peddle on this issue? I was particularly intrigued by the biography of Madalyn Murray O'Hair (1919-1995) who was responsible for removing prayer and the bible from state schools in the USA, she was a hard line atheist, but her arguments were not very good, much the same as the New Atheists. If people object that McGrath is dealing with hard atheism, then I suggest that this is nothing when compared with the vitriol of the New Atheism. In some ways this book would have been much better if it was published three years later to take into account the New Atheism, but then I guess that the title would need to be changed.
So, you guys who want an atheist Utopia. It has been tried and tested, and found wanting.
The Soviet Union tried power to eradicate religion, but it did not work. This is a lesson from history, but it failed, which is evident to us all. Some have argued that he deals with hard atheism, but why should McGrath soft peddle on this issue? I was particularly intrigued by the biography of Madalyn Murray O'Hair (1919-1995) who was responsible for removing prayer and the bible from state schools in the USA, she was a hard line atheist, but her arguments were not very good, much the same as the New Atheists. If people object that McGrath is dealing with hard atheism, then I suggest that this is nothing when compared with the vitriol of the New Atheism. In some ways this book would have been much better if it was published three years later to take into account the New Atheism, but then I guess that the title would need to be changed.
So, you guys who want an atheist Utopia. It has been tried and tested, and found wanting.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Another good book from McGrath among his many on this subject. Well researched and written, yet accessible and readable by anyone. An important book to read if you are interested in this subject.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Stimulating and balanced critique of atheism
I thought this book was very stimulating and provided a balanced contribution to understanding the development of atheism as a cultural world-view. Read more
Published 27 days ago by HamzahF
The decline of atheism - fact or fiction?
The Twilight of Atheism: The rise and fall of disbelief in the modern world, by Alister McGrath, Rider (Random House), 2004, 320 ff. Read more
Published on 5 Dec 2009 by Dr. H. A. Jones
A Necessary Critique
As a global overview of the course of atheism as a dominant worldview this book succeeds well. The cluster of assumptions that, in the author's assessment, underlie modern atheism... Read more
Published on 23 Feb 2009 by Dr. J. Garvey
The Fall and Fall...
This book begins with a potted history of the rise of atheism, then falls into a load of atheophobic nonsense. Read more
Published on 18 Nov 2008 by Tufty
Convincing, readable and highly recommended.
This is a splendid book. Drawing effortlessly on McGrath's erudition, it presents, with compelling style, the history of modern intellectual development. Read more
Published on 9 Oct 2008 by Dr. G. Pryce
Very poor scholarship
McGrath takes the prize for expecting his readers to simply take his word for things. He repeatedly asserts that atheism is declining worldwide. Is he right? No way to tell. Read more
Published on 18 April 2008 by C. Bathgate
Religion, atheism and the battle for imagination's soul
This is a bravely-titled `history of an idea', which makes the claim - contra Dawkins, Hitchens, Sam Harris et al - that atheism as an intellectually credible worldview has had its... Read more
Published on 16 Feb 2008 by Jeremy Bevan
Unconvincing
Just as much religion is wishful thinking projected large, so the 'fall of disbelief' is wishful thinking on the part of this convert to superstition. Read more
Published on 10 Jan 2008 by FreeInfidel
Typical McGrath
This is a typical McGrath book - well written, informative and clearly argued. He demonstrates clearly the weaknesses and strengths of the atheist position. Read more
Published on 17 Dec 2007 by David Robertson
Atheism
McGrath attacks atheism as if atheism was the polar opposite of religion. It's not. Atheism in its pure form is an ignoring of religion. This is a subtle but vital consideration. Read more
Published on 19 Aug 2007 by jcmacc
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