Atheism : what everyone needs to know /

In this important albeit imperfect account of atheism, Ruse (philosophy, Florida State Univ.) contextualizes the answers atheism offers in terms of the answers Christianity offers. Throughout, the author is careful to adopt a conversational tone in an explicit effort to avoid "being boring"; this, combined with the vast range of arguments and approaches (ranging from sociology to science to theology), leads Ruse to provide more balance than nuance in his discussion of general arguments for and against both Christianity and atheism. He provides a brief but adequate overview of the theoretical underpinnings of both Christian theology and atheistic scientism, although the so-called new atheists receive what seems, in this reviewer's opinion, an undue amount of attention. In biographical interludes, the author realistically personalizes and anchors tensions between competing paradigms but generates problematic moments, especially when examining whether religion, especially Islam, is evil. Ruse takes a more general, free-ranging approach to questions William Lane Craig and Walter Sinnott-Armstrong take up in God?: A Debate between a Christian and an Atheist (CH, Feb'04, 41-3355). In the end, this is a fair, if biased, introductory account of the issues leading to the seemingly intractable struggle between Christians and atheists. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. --Daniel R. Boscaljon, University of Iowa