The new encyclopedia of unbelief /

An update to The Encyclopedia of Unbelief, ed. by Gordon Stein (CH, May'86), this work is an encyclopedia of atheism and its variants. The term unbelief has been chosen as a broader and less contentious term to cover belief systems such as agnosticism, free thought, humanism, rationalism, and secular humanism. The point of view is sympathetic to unbelief. Coverage includes arguments for and against the existence of God, biographical sketches, the status of unbelief in countries and geographic regions, discussions of unbelief within major religions and national literatures, social movements, and entries on philosophical and scientific concepts as they relate to unbelief. This revision has cut the encyclopedia from two volumes to one, but coverage has not suffered. Previous entries have been revised, bibliographies updated, and many completely new entries added, including more on non-Western aspects of unbelief. No comparable encyclopedias exist, although the Encyclopedia of Philosophy, ed. by D. M. Borchert (2nd ed., CH, Oct'06, 44-0663), and Encyclopedia of Religion, ed. by Lindsay Jones (2nd ed., CH, Mar'06, 43-3745), include long entries on atheism. The entries are well written and readable. Contributors include a mix of up-and-coming, established, and emeriti professors along with independent scholars. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers; general readers. M. Meola The College of New Jersey

Over the past months, best-seller lists have included several books that either assert belief in a god is irrational or claim that science and faith can coexist. The god debate, as it were, is on. With this debate serving as a backdrop, The New Encyclopedia of Unbelief makes a timely appearance. Although a precise definition of unbelief may be tricky, unbelievers all share a foundational disbelief in any religious system or supernatural domain and go by the name of agnostics, atheists, freethinkers, and the like. Indeed, entries for Agnosticism, Atheism, Eupraxsophy, Freethought, and Secular humanism describe the many variations of unbelief. Biographical entries for unbelievers abound in this new edition, including a much-enhanced entry for Madalyn Murray O'Hair, one of America's most well-known unbelievers. Survey articles present the history of unbelief in various countries (e.g., France, Unbelief in) with coverage of Africa and Sweden added to this latest edition. Additional new content includes entries for African Americans and unbelief, Biblical criticism, Bioethics and unbelief, Creationism, and Woman suffrage movement and unbelief. What is of concern about this new edition is what hasn't changed from the first, namely, a contempt for religious belief and people of faith. The foreword to the 1985 edition equated religious principles with sick dreams. An introductory essay in this new edition wonders how many medical breakthroughs remain undiscovered because believers waste time devoted to matters of faith, apparently precluding the possibility that religious faith might serve as an inspiration to making those discoveries. The views of unbelievers are important, merit attention, and should be a welcome addition to our conversations about ethics, church-state separation, or stem-cell research. And reference shelves deserve a work that articulates their various positions in a sensitive and dispassionate manner. The New Encyclopedia of Unbelief is not quite that reference work. Reluctantly recommended for research collections.--McConnell, Christopher Copyright 2008 Booklist