Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Palgrave Macmillan
Book cover

Believing in Dawkins

The New Spiritual Atheism

  • Book
  • © 2020

Overview

Authors:
  1. Eric Steinhart

    1. Department of Philosophy, William Paterson University, Wayne, USA

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • Provides a detailed and accessible examination of the spiritual dimensions of Richard Dawkins' writings
  • Expands on Dawkins' work to show how atheists can develop powerful ethical principles and rich systems of symbols and images
  • Systematises and completes Dawkins' 'spiritual naturalism' and reveals how it is rooted in Platonism and Stoicism

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this book

Log in via an institution
eBook USD 19.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 29.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

Licence this eBook for your library

Institutional subscriptions

Table of contents (9 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xx
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Introduction

    • Eric Steinhart
    Pages 1-22

  3. Complexity

    • Eric Steinhart
    Pages 23-62

  4. Reflexivity

    • Eric Steinhart
    Pages 63-117

  5. Actuality

    • Eric Steinhart
    Pages 119-155

  6. Cosmology

    • Eric Steinhart
    Pages 157-188

  7. Ontology

    • Eric Steinhart
    Pages 189-245

  8. Possibility

    • Eric Steinhart
    Pages 247-279

  9. Humanity

    • Eric Steinhart
    Pages 281-316

  10. Spirituality

    • Eric Steinhart
    Pages 317-351

  11. Back Matter

    Pages 353-402
    Download chapter PDF
Back to top

Keywords

About this book

Dawkin's militant atheism is well known; his profound faith less well known

 

In this book, atheist philosopher Eric Steinhart explores the spiritual dimensions of Richard Dawkins’ books, which are shown to encompass:

·       the meaning and purpose of life

·       an appreciation of Platonic beauty and truth

·       a deep belief in the rationality of the universe

·       an aversion to both scientism and nihilism

 

As an atheist, Dawkins strives to develop a scientific alternative to theism, and while he declares that science is not a religion, he also proclaims it to be a spiritual enterprise. His books are filled with fragmentary sketches of this ‘spiritual atheism’, resembling a great unfinished cathedral. This book systematises and completes Dawkins’ arguments and reveals their deep roots in Stoicism and Platonism.

 

Expanding on Dawkins’ ideas, Steinhart shows how atheists can develop powerful ethical principles, compelling systems of symbols and images, and meaningful personal and social practices. Believing in Dawkins is a rigorous and potent entreaty for the use of science and reason to support spiritually rich and optimistic ways of thinking and living.

 



Reviews

“The strength of this book is that it offers a serious, thoughtful, atheistic spiritual naturalism. … this is an excellent, thought-provoking book. It is my hope that this book can contribute to a conversation in philosophy of religion that goes beyond rehearsing arguments about the rationality of theism. … Steinhart does an excellent job of outlining a coherent vision of spiritual naturalism. … There is a lot of material here for discussion on the metaphysics and ethics of spiritual naturalism.” (Helen De Cruz, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, August, 2021)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Philosophy, William Paterson University, Wayne, USA

    Eric Steinhart

About the author

Eric Steinhart received his Ph.D. from the University of Stony Brook, and is Professor of Philosophy at William Paterson University. He obtained his B.Sc. in Computer Science from Penn State. Some of his algorithms have been patented. He is the author of five books, including Your Digital Afterlives and the bestselling textbook More Precisely. He has published over fifty articles in philosophy and in computing, including work on Nietzsche, metaphor, artificial intelligence, transhumanism, metaphysics and religion. 

Bibliographic Information

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Back to top

Search

Navigation