Introduction

This chapter focuses on the politics of new atheism. New atheism is to a large extent a political phenomenon, not least because of the challenge it poses to the impact of religion on public life. Atheism tends to refer to a basic lack of belief in God, or to a belief that there is no God. Atheism has frequently featured within the worldviews of political reformers and revolutionaries, as well as within many kinds of modern political thought. It can be found within the philosophies of key authors from both the political left and right. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book. The book emphasises the political character of new atheism by examining the wide range of responses to it from a range of influential political traditions and also focuses on an issue of ongoing tension between new atheism and its critics: morality.