ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on atheism and atheists. It describes the lives and times of twelve atheists, or alleged atheists, from very different times and places: Ajita Kesakambali, Diagoras of Melos, Wang Chong, Abu al-ʿAlaʾ al-Maʿarri, Jean Meslier, Paul Henri d'Holbach, Mary Ann Evans, Emma Goldman, Eric Blair, Margaret Kennedy, Maryam Namazie, and Agomo Atambire. The book considers what the social sciences tell us about atheists. It considers what kinds of things might be said on behalf of atheism. The book examines five types of claims that have been made on behalf of atheism: that atheism is the default position; that stating that there are gods is meaningless or logically inconsistent; that best theistic worldviews are logically inconsistent; that best theistic big pictures are logically inconsistent; and that best theistic big pictures are not as good as best atheistic big pictures.
