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A Manual For Creating Atheists (2013)

by Peter Boghossian(Favorite Author)

4.02 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1939578094 (ISBN13: 9781939578099)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Pitchstone Publishing

review 1: This will be a very short review. I stopped reading this manual. Not because I found the content particularly contentious. I am, after all, atheist. But because Boghosian was overly repetitive in his prose. The repetition is probably very strong for cementing key ideas about epistemology and philosophy. And being very well-read on epistemology, biases and fallacies, sociology, and the four horsemen, this book is not for me.Furthermore, I suspect that some of Boghosian's arguments will not play well--such as redefining faith to mean "pretending to know things you don't know--when dealing with the religious, unless you have the deft touch of a seasoned debater. So, my concern is that the audience for this book is very, very narrow. But again, for me, I found it very repetiti... moreve and lost my interest. I didn't think it worth my time...but not because I thought the book was bad. You may very well enjoy.
review 2: This was one of the first books I read after leaving religion behind, and I'll admit, I was intimidated a bit by the title. Mostly, I didn't want my very religious friends and family thinking I was trying to "preach" against religion. And then I thought about how many times a day I'm subject to religious evangelizing and proceeded to not give a damn. This book for me gave me something extremely valuable: a simple way to communicate with others about why I choose to be atheist without always being on the defensive. Whether or not you choose to actively pursue conversations with people about why they should be atheist, you'll inevitably have discussions with people about why you are. I found Boghossian's examples and suggestions incredibly helpful, and I feel so much more comfortable in my ability to remain collected and respectful in explaining atheism to interested parties. There are some bold statements and definitions that I found a little questionable, but the information that Peter backs up with evidence on how people may react and why is extremely helpful. One point that he makes is that a spirit of skepticism is extremely important. Going into any conversation, you should always be open to having your own mind changed, which is a refreshing take on atheist dialogue that I find can often be too assuming. After meeting Peter in person I found that he is more than willing to admit when he lacks information or expertise. This is a book I'll definitely refer to often. less

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