Atheism for Beginners

“The style is clear and approachable, and the reading doesn’t require specific knowledge of the philosophical field. […] The aim is to teach students how to think logically in order to make them able to critically judge various theistic/creationist/fatalistic arguments that religions advance in their support and don’t let them be deceived by logically incoherent and slanted reasoning. […] The last chapter is particularly interesting as it deals with recent developments of disproof Atheism … by contemporary philosophers as Alfred j. Ayer, John N. Findlay, Michael Martin, Nicholas Everitt, etc.“Enrica Rota, L’Ateo, Number 4, July 2013’It is this balanced and careful writing that makes this book so useful. As a repository of much information about philosophers and a very clear statement of their views with careful referencing to their writings it will be of use to teachers of courses in the philosophy of religion at all levels in schools and colleges as well as to students.‘Francis Loftus, REtoday, Vol.31, No.2, Spring 2014”Palmer’s offering is a first and a welcome contribution to both secular and religious education. […] Atheism for Beginners is exactly what it claims to be - a textbook for instructors and students. It is an extremely good one at that. I would also suggest that it is also helpful for clergy, church leaders and lay people interested in learning more about the lives and thinking of friends and neighbours claiming to have no belief.“Michael K. Jones, United Church of Canada, in Theological Book Review (tbr), Vol. 25, No.1, 2013

A former Teaching Fellow at McMaster University and Humboldt Fellow at Marburg University, Dr Palmer has taught at Marlborough College and Bristol University. For many years Founding Head of the Department of Religion and Philosophy at the Manchester Grammar School, Dr Palmer is also the author of the best-selling textbook Moral Problems as well as of the two-volume textbook The Philosophy of Religion. More recently he has written The Atheist’s Creed (2010) and The Atheist’s Primer (2012). His work has been translated into many languages.