 | |
| Author | Stephen LeDrew |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | New Atheism and modern atheism |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
Publication date | 2 November 2015 |
| Pages | 288 |
| ISBN | 9780190225179 |
The Evolution of Atheism: The Politics of a Modern Movement is a 2015 book by Stephen LeDrew, adapted from his PhD dissertation. Though an atheist, LeDrew criticises the movement of New Atheism, which arose in the 2000s with the "Four Horsemen" Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens as prominent figures.
According to LeDrew, modern atheism can be "scientific", "humanist" or "libertarian". He aims to describe how New Atheism, a right-wing branch of scientific atheism, arose in popularity and how it contrasts with other atheist views, particularly those who oppose religion in order to achieve social justice.
The book was praised for adding to the scholarship of New Atheism and including original interviews with New Atheist laypeople. Some reviewers criticised LeDrew's choice of categories to divide modern atheism into or contradictory descriptions of New Atheism.