Atheism, << AY thee ihz uhm, >> is the belief that there is no God. Atheism is the opposite of theism, the belief that God exists. Atheism is also distinguished from agnosticism, a belief which states that human beings do not, and cannot, know whether any gods exist.
Atheists argue that God is never encountered in human experience. They believe that nothing in human experience needs to be explained by the existence of a deity. Atheists also reject the arguments that various thinkers have advanced to prove the existence of God.
Atheists point to the presence of serious imperfections in the world, such as widespread suffering and injustice. They argue that such imperfections show that the world could not have been created by a deity who was perfect in power and goodness. Atheism conflicts with most religions.
Some prominent thinkers have been advocates of atheism. They include Baron Paul d’Holbach and Voltaire of France in the 1700’s; Arthur Schopenhauer, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Nietzsche of Germany in the 1800’s; Bertrand Russell of England and Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre of France in the 1900’s; and Richard Dawkins of England in the 2000’s.
