
Atheism | Definition, History, Beliefs, Types, Examples, & Facts ...
Mar 17, 2025 · Atheism, the critique and denial of metaphysical beliefs in God or spiritual beings. As such, it is usually distinguished from theism, which affirms the reality of the divine and often seeks to demonstrate its existence. Learn more about atheism in this article.
Atheism - Beliefs, Arguments, History | Britannica
Mar 17, 2025 · Atheism is a critique and a denial of the central metaphysical beliefs of systems of salvation involving a belief in God or spiritual beings, but a sophisticated atheist does not simply claim that all such cosmological claims are false but takes it that some are so problematic that, while purporting to be factual, they actually do not succeed ...
Beliefs and philosophies of atheism | Britannica
atheism, Critique and denial of metaphysical beliefs in God or divine beings. Unlike agnosticism, which leaves open the question of whether there is a God, atheism is a positive denial. It is rooted in an array of philosophical systems.
Atheism - Naturalism, Secularism, Rationalism | Britannica
Mar 17, 2025 · Atheism - Naturalism, Secularism, Rationalism: Such a form of atheism (the atheism of those pragmatists who are also naturalistic humanists), though less inadequate than the first formation of atheism, is still inadequate.
Atheist Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary
Britannica Dictionary definition of ATHEIST [ count ] : a person who believes that God does not exist — compare agnostic 1
Antony Flew | English Philosopher & Atheist | Britannica
Apr 4, 2025 · Antony Flew (born Feb. 11, 1923, London, Eng.—died April 8, 2010, Reading) was an English philosopher who became a prominent defender of atheism but later declared himself a deist. Flew was the son of a Methodist minister and was educated at a Christian boarding school .
atheism - Students | Britannica Kids | Homework Help
Like agnosticism, atheism takes the stance that definite knowledge of God’s existence is impossible. Instead of remaining neutral on the question, as agnostics do, atheists conclude that God does not exist, or that God’s existence is a speculative hypothesis of extremely low …
Charles Bradlaugh | Victorian Politician, Atheist Activist | Britannica
Charles Bradlaugh (born September 26, 1833, London, England—died January 30, 1891, London) was a British radical and atheist, a freethinker in the tradition of Voltaire and Thomas Paine, prominent throughout most of the second half of the 19th century for his championship of individual liberties.
Atheism - Intuition, Reason, Beliefs | Britannica
Mar 17, 2025 · Atheism - Intuition, Reason, Beliefs: The gnostic may reply that there is a nonempirical way of establishing or making it probable that God exists. The claim is that there are truths about the nature of the cosmos neither capable of verification nor standing in …
Agnosticism | Definition, Beliefs, History, & Facts | Britannica
Feb 13, 2025 · If these two varieties of agnosticism be admitted, then Huxley’s original agnosticism may be marked off from the latter as (not religious but) secular and from the former as (not religious but) atheist—construing “atheist” here as a word as wholly negative and neutral as “atypical” or “asymmetrical.”