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Contemporary Atheists
Richard Dawkins
Daniel Dennett
Sam Harris
Christopher Hitchens
Paul Kurtz
Lewis Wolpert
Steven Weinberg
Antony Flew
Richard Dawkins
Photo in public domain
Richard Dawkins (1941-)
Richard Dawkins is a molecular biologist who currently holds the Charles
Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of
Oxford. Dawkins first came to public attention through the publication of
his book The Selfish Gene (1976), which proposed a gene-centred
understanding of evolution. He is also the founder of the field of
'memetics' (for a definition of which, see the website of the Journal of Memetics. Dawkins is a member of
several British secular societies.
» Richard Dawkins' Website.
Daniel Dennett (1942-)
Dennett is University Professor and Austin B. Fletcher Professor of
Philosophy, and Co-Director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts
University, USA. His research interests include philosophy of mind,
philosophy of science and philosophy of biology, especially as they relate
to evolutionary biology and cognitive science. Dennett is an outspoken
atheist and supporter of the Brights movement, which aims to represent
people who have 'a naturalistic worldview' (see their website). He is the author of Breaking the Spell: Religion as a
Natural Phenomenon (2006). Like Dawkins, Dennett is also an advocate of
'memetics'.
» Daniel Dennett's Homepage.
Sam Harris (1967-)
Sam Harris is the author of The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the
Future of Reason (2004) and Letter to a Christian Nation (2006). He is a
graduate in philosophy from Stanford University and is now completing a
doctorate in neuroscience, using functional magnetic resonance imaging to
explore the neural basis of belief. Harris began to write The End of Faith on September 12th 2001, a day after the terrorist attacks on the twin
towers.
» Sam Harris' Website.
Christopher Hitchens (1949-)
Christopher Hitchens is a British-American author, journalist and literary
critic. He has also been a visiting professor at the University of
California, Berkeley, the University of Pittsburgh, and the New School of
Social Research. Hitchens is an outspoken atheist, and has attacked
religion in his God is Not Great: The Case Against Religion (2007).
» Christopher Hitchens' Website.
Paul Kurtz (1925-)
Paul Kurtz is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is also chairman of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), the Council for Secular Humanism, and Prometheus Books, and editor-in-chief of Free Inquiry Magazine. He is also founder and chairman of the Center for Inquiry, Transnational, as well as a former Co-President of the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU). He is additionally a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Humanist Laureate and President of the International Academy of Humanism. Kurtz is an important proponent of secular humanism. He has stressed that secular humanism is more than atheism in the sense that it goes beyond a merely negative position to provide a positive alternative to traditional religious and ethical practices. To this end he has used the term 'eupraxsophy' to denote a scientific, ethical and philosophical worldview which offers 'good practical wisdom based on ethics, science, and philosophy'. A biography of Paul Kurtz is available on the website of the Council for Secular Humanism.
Lewis Wolpert (1929-)
Lewis Wolpert is a developmental biologist and author and Professor of Biology as Applied to Medicine in the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology of University College, London. He is also a Vice- President of the British Humanist Association.
Steven Weinberg (1933-)
Steven Weinberg is an American physicist. In 1979 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics together with colleagues Abdus Salam and Sheldon Glashow. He is a noted critic of religion and outspoken in his atheism.