A short history of atheism / Gavin Hyman.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction -- The 'appearance' of atheism in modern history -- The development of atheism in modern thought -- The god that modern atheism rejects -- The theological origins of modern atheism -- Atheism and the rise of Biblical criticism -- Atheism and the rise of science -- Atheism, evil and suffering -- The end of modernity -- the end of atheism?

This volume intends to present a clear and well informed presentation of how atheistic ideas originated and developed, in order to illuminate their contemporary relevance and application. Exploring the rise of atheism as an explicit philosophical position, the author traces its development in the later ideas of Descartes, Locke, and Berkeley. Drawing also on the work of contemporary scholars like Amos Funkenstein and Michael J. Buckley, the author shows that, since in recent theology the concept of God which atheists negate is changing, the triumph of its advocates may not be quite as unequivocal as Hitchens and Dawkins would have readers believe.