Bibliography

Atheism & Secular Critique

• The God Delusion – Richard Dawkins

  Argues that belief in God is a delusion, using biology, logic, and evidence to dismantle religious claims.

• God Is Not Great – Christopher Hitchens

  Sharp, polemical critique showing how religion has poisoned politics, culture, and morality across history.

• Letters to a Young Contrarian – Christopher Hitchens

  A call to resist conformity and authority, blending wit with arguments against blind faith and orthodoxy.

• The End of Faith – Sam Harris

  Examines how religious faith fuels violence and intolerance, urging secular, rational alternatives.

• Letter to a Christian Nation – Sam Harris

  A short, uncompromising letter to believers, challenging Christian assumptions about morality and society.

• Breaking the Spell – Daniel Dennett

  Looks at religion as a natural phenomenon shaped by evolution, calling for its critical examination.

• Atheism: The Case Against God – George H. Smith

  A systematic philosophical critique dismantling arguments for the existence of God.

• The Portable Atheist – Edited by Christopher Hitchens

  A wide-ranging anthology of atheist thought, from classical writers to modern critics.

• God: The Failed Hypothesis – Victor J. Stenger

  Uses scientific evidence to argue that the universe does not show signs of divine design.

• Atheism Explained – David Ramsay Steele

  Accessible introduction explaining why atheism is a logical and coherent worldview.

• Atheist Manifesto – Michel Onfray

  A French philosopher’s passionate argument against religion and for secular humanism.

• Faith vs. Fact – Jerry A. Coyne

  Demonstrates that science and religion are fundamentally incompatible methods of seeking truth.

• Why There Is No God – Armin Navabi

  Addresses 20 common arguments for God and provides clear, concise atheist rebuttals.

• Atheism: A Very Short Introduction – Julian Baggini

  A brief overview of atheism’s history, reasoning, and ethical implications.

Science & Reason

• The Blind Watchmaker – Richard Dawkins

  Explains evolution as an undirected process, countering arguments for intelligent design.

• Climbing Mount Improbable – Richard Dawkins

  Shows how complex life can evolve gradually through small, cumulative changes.

• The Demon-Haunted World – Carl Sagan

  Promotes scientific scepticism, teaching readers how to detect pseudoscience and superstition.

• Cosmos – Carl Sagan

  A sweeping exploration of the universe and humanity’s place in it, written with poetic clarity.

• Pale Blue Dot – Carl Sagan

  Reflects on the fragility of Earth and the importance of secular, planetary responsibility.

• A Brief History of Time – Stephen Hawking

  Introduces black holes, the Big Bang, and cosmology to a general audience without religious framing.

• The Grand Design – Stephen Hawking & Leonard Mlodinow

  Argues that physics can explain the origin of the universe without invoking a deity.

• Sapiens – Yuval Noah Harari

  Explores human history, showing how shared myths like religion shaped societies.

• Homo Deus – Yuval Noah Harari

  Looks to the future of humanity, questioning the role of technology, science, and post-religious meaning.

• The Greatest Show on Earth – Richard Dawkins

  A comprehensive case for evolution, with evidence and examples that dismantle creationism.

Philosophy & Classic Critiques

• Why I Am Not a Christian – Bertrand Russell

  Critiques Christian doctrines and promotes rationalism over religious dogma.

• The Problems of Philosophy – Bertrand Russell

  Introduces key philosophical questions, written with clarity and sceptical inquiry.

• The Age of Reason – Thomas Paine

  Defends deism while attacking organised religion and Biblical authority.

• The System of Nature – Baron d’Holbach

  A foundational Enlightenment text rejecting the supernatural and promoting materialism.

• The Essence of Christianity – Ludwig Feuerbach

  Argues that God is a human projection, reflecting our own nature and ideals.

• Thus Spoke Zarathustra – Friedrich Nietzsche

  Presents philosophy as poetic narrative, rejecting divine morality and urging self-creation.

• The Antichrist – Friedrich Nietzsche

  A fierce attack on Christianity, portraying it as life-denying and hostile to strength.

• The Myth of Sisyphus – Albert Camus

  Rejects religious answers to life’s absurdity, urging resilience in a meaningless universe.

• The Rebel – Albert Camus

  Explores rebellion against authority and dogma, contrasting it with religious submission.

• Being and Nothingness – Jean-Paul Sartre

  Major existentialist text rejecting divine order, focusing on freedom and responsibility.

• Discourse on Method – René Descartes

  Introduces rational doubt as the path to knowledge, questioning inherited dogmas.

Humanism & Secular Ethics

• Good Without God – Greg Epstein

  Explains how billions of nonreligious people live ethical, meaningful lives without belief in God.

• Living Without God – Ronald Aronson

  Outlines secular alternatives to religion for building community and values.

• Secular Humanism: A Very Short Introduction – Stephen Law

  Concise overview of humanist philosophy, ethics, and its contrast with religion.

• Ethics Without God – Kai Nielsen

  Argues that morality is coherent and meaningful without religious foundations.

• Morality Without God? – Walter Sinnott-Armstrong

  Responds to claims that atheists cannot have morality, presenting secular ethical reasoning.