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{ 44 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Átila GBS August 4, 2011 at 12:48 pm

Matt Dillahunty, of course! He is president of the Atheist Community of Austin, host of the live internet radio show “Non-Prophets Radio” and of the Austin Public-access television cable TV show “The Atheist Experience”.

2 Ashley Gray August 7, 2011 at 4:29 pm

Just thought Virginia Woolf would be a good person to add to your list of famous atheists.

3 Luke Adams August 13, 2011 at 11:21 pm

Donald Sutherland, Seth MacFarlane and Bill Maher would be great additions to your list of famous atheists.

4 Finbarr October 5, 2011 at 12:16 pm

Hi Michael,
just read your article in the irish time and was struck by its almost apologetic tone.

I am a non-militant atheist (so Dawkins is not on my mailing list!). I defend the right of the individual to believe in what they want provided it does not harm or negatively influence.

However I notice that a lot of literature and comments, related to atheism, mention or imply that atheism is a ‘rejection’. To quote your article ‘Why are atheists so certain that gods do not exist? Actually, most of us aren’t. We merely reject the assertion that one or more gods do exist, based on the best currently available evidence.’

But the question is more: why assume a god. in the absence of any evidence, why must the (even the term is misleading) ‘non-believers’ have to defend themselves, surely it should be the ‘believers’.

THis argument runs to the heart of teh true atheist position: I do not reject, I merely do no accept. This leaves the believer as the one who is looking for acceptence (of their views).

The total absence of evidence (to support a god-concept) makes atheism a default position.

keep up the good work

Finbarr

5 ahilan November 18, 2011 at 2:50 pm

stephen hawkings!!

he authored the book the brief history of time and the grand design!! in which he has theoretically proved that god is not necessary!!

6 Stuart Oxley November 22, 2011 at 2:03 pm

Derren Brown. Safe to say he’s an Atheist.

7 Stephanie November 24, 2011 at 11:47 am

I second Derren Brown!

8 Lily Barnes November 27, 2011 at 7:09 am

Woody Allen; Christopher Hitchens; Bill Maher; Richard Dawkins; Billy Connolly; George Carlin; Bill Gates; Noam Chomsky; Janeane Garofalo; Sir Ian McKellen; John Lennon; Henry Rollins… and the list goes on!

9 cedric December 28, 2011 at 11:08 am

you have a wonderful mind! I teach creativity and innovation in goa at the goa institute of management, India.

I also teach raelity and language to the students…loved your thoughts sir.
be well. be loved.
cedric serpes

10 RTHORNE January 10, 2012 at 1:40 am
11 Raymond A Hedley January 15, 2012 at 8:31 am

Mikey –
Just wanted to say Hi and commend you on the excellent job you’re doing for us down here, its so greatly appreciated as its saving us a lot of time and effort. The work you’re doing along with all the others who’s souls I own and who embrace our strong beliefs in socialism – democratic atheism – gay rights – abortion – sexual freedoms with beast and children – destruction of good families – marriage and all moral values – standing up against these fundamentalists – born again, Christians and Jews, and other religions involving phobias of god/s and the supernatural. Also important to mention are the removal of crosses – Jesus statues – the prayer and bible reading – the coinage phrase, ‘In God We Trust’ – of the USA – religious holidays – (Except our day of Halloween) from society as a whole. You with OBAMA – the Clintons – and all other like minded people are really helping our cause worldwide – you’re making my job so much easier – and I can’t wait to shake you hand and reward you and all the others like you –who are working for me – too spent eternity with me! Looking forwarded to meeting you all personally! Keep up the good work!

Signed – LUCIFER ie.. satan the devil — See ya soon!

Ps – Ted Kennedy and his brothers – along with John Paul II and little Michael sent their best – await your arrival.

12 Daniel Andreassen January 18, 2012 at 10:15 am

I think people like Bill Maher and Stephen Hawking would be natural additions to the list.

Seth Macfarlane, creator of Family Guy and the Cleveland show could attract some attention.

Angela Gossow, singer of heavy metal band Arch Enemy is a devoted atheist as well.

I think these additions would cover a large area of people, ranging from intellectuals, comedy fans and metalheads. Like myself.

Thank you.
Daniel Andreassen, Denmark.

13 Padraic Glynn January 31, 2012 at 10:45 am

Hi Michael,

I’d like to see more Irish atheists on the list

regards,

Padraic

14 Thomas Lawson February 20, 2012 at 5:04 am

America’s first militant atheist, Charles Chilton Moore, should be in the Dead Atheist Society. He lived from 1837-1906.

Here’s his Twitter page:

https://twitter.com/#!/search/users/chilltownmoore

Wikipedia page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Chilton_Moore

15 Jake Brunker March 14, 2012 at 1:30 am

Hi, I tried to click on the “see also” links on the “famous atheists by date” page, but unfortunately, all I got were 404 errors. I thought it might be good if you would know that :-)

Jake

16 BankCardUSA March 23, 2012 at 7:20 am

Im running Steamtown too this year. My fourth trip down the Highway to Hell that is the marathon. Best of luck to you!

17 Ryan Fitzpatrick June 6, 2012 at 5:13 pm

Hi Michael,

Congratulations on your ovation from Richard Dawkins’ audience at the National Concert Hall yesterday evening. When Richard Dawkins’ replied to a question from an auditor about how to further progress secularism in Ireland, Richard Dawkins referred to Atheist Ireland and to yourself, by name, which induced a widespread ovation throughout the National Concert Hall. It was an evening of which to be proud: Richard Dawkins received frequent spontaneous ovations and the audience’s questions were overwhelmingly supportive of Richard Dawkins and his ideas. Yesterday evening proved that Ireland has matured and that Atheist Ireland, and you yourself, can take some credit for that progress. It was auspicious to observe that the audience was disproportionately teenage, twenty-something and thirty-something which indicates further progress for Irish secularism throughout the century.

Bravissimo!

Ryan Fitzpatrick

18 Michael Nugent July 9, 2012 at 3:07 am

Thanks, Ryan. It is nice to see the developments of the past few decades. Twenty years ago we would have been trying to change public opinion on a lot of these matters; now we are trying to get the get the government to recognize that public opinion has already changed (in most of the country, anyway – there are still pockets of religious bigotry and misogyny to tackle). It’s an ongoing process, and we can each contribute a bit to it and keep it going.

19 Eimear August 8, 2012 at 10:06 am

Please contact me in relation to a request for an interview.
01 6445129

20 Rae September 8, 2012 at 8:58 pm

V interesting read thanks
How about Dara O’Briain, an excellent
example and someone said they wanted
to see more Irish

21 Alan Thornberry September 21, 2012 at 10:26 am

HETAC are considering the accreditation of the academic programme validation of certain complementary therapies. Something we should all be concern about.
http://www.hetac.ie/publications_other.htm
(see links for Summary, Final Report etc).

22 Maeve Mahon-Ferriter September 24, 2012 at 12:46 am

Really enjoyed your talk at Cork Humanists yesterday. I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself but intend joining Atheist Ireland as a start. Trained in New york I’m a practicing clinical psychiatrist in Co Kerry for the past four years.

Will try to access Atheist Ireland now.
Best,
Maeve

23 MayDup November 16, 2012 at 11:44 pm

‘trific ‘tcle, Myths about atheism ‘scures its ‘cular values, in IrishTimes.
unjumbled, “right on”, and dispelling.
my thanks.

24 audrey November 17, 2012 at 12:05 pm

Hi Michael,
Impressed by your article in IT 16 inst.
I wish you well and would encourage you to keep on
fighting the good fight.
Audrey

25 Sam November 26, 2012 at 3:57 pm

Hi,
I have few questions and I need honest answers.
1) Is really God does not exist?
2) Why God does not exist?
3) Is it the nature that made us?
4) If yes, then the nature is God or the Creator, is it true?
5) If the nature or something else that made me then I think I have to obey its rules not mine is it right?
6) Why I should not believe in God? Is it because you hate religion?
I don’t know, could you please explain to the point and in relation to the questions above.
regards,
Sam

26 Liam Flynn December 4, 2012 at 4:09 pm

Michael how have you been. it’s been a long time.I see you’ve been busy living life.I would appreciate if you could write me a few lines on your life. Still the big bohs man i’m glab to see.I’m currently living in new jersey and have recently retired so have time to spend surfing the net and came across your web site. So write me take care

27 Mick December 6, 2012 at 4:20 am

Your twitthis button does not work.

28 Emmanuel Sanchez January 26, 2013 at 1:29 pm

I would add Carl Sagan, Sigmund Freud, Max Stirner, Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Trotsky, Stan Lee, Keira Knightley, Bruce Lee and obviously there are many more ones.

29 Emmanuel Sanchez January 26, 2013 at 1:53 pm

I would add Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking, Max Stirner, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx, Stan Lee, Bruce Lee and Keira Knightley. Thanks.

30 Michael Jonckheere February 7, 2013 at 2:13 am

I vote for the addition of Michael Shermer! You just gotta love his charming good-old-boy personality and his ability to make complex philosophy sound simple. And he’s an ex-evangelical like me!

31 Jo Peters February 20, 2013 at 11:56 am

Michael,

A lot of people are asking if the debate Monday night (science/faith) was videotaped. I know you had it recorded, and was wondering if I could get a copy please.

Jo Peters

32 Ed Vander Poel February 21, 2013 at 9:23 pm

Just found out about you, your work, and your website and I want to thank you for the work you’re doing. Your website is now on my weekly must-see list and I’ll be sure to tell everyone at Seattle Atheists in case they haven’t seen it. Enjoyed your excellent speech at U College, Cork, also.

33 Padraig McGrath March 2, 2013 at 4:05 pm

There are a few problems with the arguments in your Trinity spiel. For a start, the reason why the Irish Roman Catholic church had such influence in health & education was because the state had abdicated its responsibilities to provide those kinds of services to a reasonable level. So comparing Irish Catholic schools to state-run atheist institutions is based on historical confusion – in Ireland, the ABSENCE of the state was the problem….

Secondly, the western philosophical tradition has never managed to completely conceptually separate concepts such as “the Good,” “the Beautiful” and “the True.” So whether we like it or not, our truth-seeking activity is genealogically grounded in transcendentalist monotheism. It makes very little sense to swear an oath (for example, to tell “the truth”) on the basis of a metaphysical/transcendental vacuum. Atheists have no symbolic use for oaths – their symbolism would be meaningless to an atheist. Cultural non-post-monotheists don’t have a concept of “Truth” which is strictly equivalent to that generally internalized by people from initially monotheistic cultural groups. Write the word “truth” in any university essay for any professor specializing in sinology or east Asian aesthetics, and you’ll get it back with a big red X. Sure, “The Truth” has become a secularized concept, but the point remains that it’s still genealogically inseparable from monotheism. The linguistic philosopher Hilary Putnam has analyzed our conception of “truth” to the positing of a “God’s-eye-view,” and even Nietzsche remarks that we created Gods because we needed somebody who could see in the dark. So whether we like it or not, we still implicitly invoke the metaphysical in our ordinary day-to-day speech, insofar as that speech represents itself as a “truth-seeking” activity…. “God” is just buried so deep in the implicature our occidental day-to-day communicative norms that it’s impossible to remove him completely.

Thirdly, the insistence that only religious practitioners within certain religious denominations should work for certain religious institutions (such as schools) is maintained most stridently by religious minorities in Ireland, not by Catholic institutions. The minority religious groups’ argument (quite understandably) is that, in order for pluralism to be a meaningful political and social concept, different identities must first exist, as opposed to a single ill-formed monolithic non-identity. Anglicans, Presbyterians and Muslims are the people most often insisting that the ethos of their educational institutions should be preserved, not Roman Catholics. This is the aspect of the pluralism issue which atheists don’t really get – it’s not just about literal personal belief – it’s about culture and identity in a much broader sense. Personally, I think that the fact that Ireland was the first nation-state in the EU to publicly fund an Islamic primary school makes indicates a conception of pluralism which is quite sophisticated, far more sophisticated than blatantly assimilationist policies such as those in France, for example. Ultimately, pluralism is about everybody having the opportunity to throw their values into the public arena.

The philosopher Paul Feyerabend once argued that, while the written constitutions of most western nation-states make some passing reference to “cherishing all traditions equally,” or words to that effect, what actually happens in the best possible case scenario is that everybody, regardless of their ethnic, religious or cultural background, is given equal access the same tradition, and that tradition is called scientific post-industrialism. This is the clandestine state-religion of every nation-state in the western world, including Ireland. And before you answer that science is just a matter of fact, please note that phenomenologists and philosophers of natural science (including eminently secular people like Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Thomas Kuhn and Paul Feyerabend) began deconstructing the intellectual naivete of that position a long long long time ago…. You can dismiss religious people’s skepticism about the epistemic foundations of what we call “the scientific method,” but to ignore everybody else’s grounds for skepticism would be a bit obtuse, especially considering that skepticism is one of the intellectual virtues which you claim to prioritize most highly….

34 J March 4, 2013 at 4:10 am

Non-Holy Moly, isn’t or wasn’t this the ‘add an atheist’ or atheiaddendum page? Now I can’t just add a name and be quiet without adding a comment as well. I second many of the additions above and add one or two: most notably the great philosophers like Bertrand Russel, Nietsche, Kant, Hume, Locke, Hobbs,etc. and a few great scientists and mathematicians like Hawking, Godel…to which I add the non-great popularist Carl Sagan.
Thanks for such an interesting and thought-provoking and intelligence-provoking webpage. Too few of the ilk out there. Sorry the comments turn into just hissy fits from the respective bleachers. Those of us down on the field of play don’t appreciate the cheap distraction.
Though definitely definitely no longer an atheist, I find the intelligence, wit, and well-meaning of many if not most on the list to be ‘majorly’ refreshing. (I’m an Americate, not an Irishman)
The “trouble with atheists,” it seems to me, is the arrogance and ill-will that many seem to aim at theists, spawned no doubt, as with other minority populations, from the defensive position they are placed in by the majority population. So I applaud the well-mannered and witty like Hitchens and the ‘without unequivocal proof on either side, I choose non-offensive, non-proselytizing atheism’ [I'm paraphrasing, not really quoting] of James Randi . The other “trouble with atheists” is that they, by and large, lump all theism into Judeo-Christian tradition and criticize on that basis, and with a shallow understanding of any but perhaps standard, non-repentant (a pun) Catholicism. So please start doing unto theists as you would do unto your atheist self: treat strangers with respect, non-judgment, kind humor & kindness void of pity; all the things you have wished from them. Please set a good example, in other words, for the theists you demure. Eschew arrogance & ill-will in them as you. Atheism doesn’t make you anything but you, any more than any religion, creed or philosophy automatically makes you something you were not.

35 Shona Madden March 12, 2013 at 10:35 am

Hi Michael,

I emailed you regarding a talk this Saturday. Can you give me a call on 087 7810037, if you can.

Thanks,
Shona

36 Schrödinger's Therapist March 15, 2013 at 11:08 pm

Mr. Nugent, as a courtesy I am notifying you about this blog post I made which mentions you:

http://schrodingerstherapist.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-slymepit-and-pendulum.html

37 Eu March 18, 2013 at 4:05 am

So I keep trying to post this link as my website with comments sometimes http://slymepitintrom.blogspot.com/2013/03/incredibly-ironic-post-of-century.html & it wont post if I do that. I tried changing .com to .ca, nothing. Did you block it and forget? Do you… *sniffles*… think my blog is BAD?

38 Christiaan April 7, 2013 at 1:04 pm

Steven Pinker would be a good addition. I am a rather ‘lonely’ atheist in South Africa, a beautiful country riddled with superstition. But heard on the news the other day that our society is 19% less religious than it was in previous times. [Radio 702 South Africa.]
Thanks for your list of Atheists and comments. Because we have no support groups down here, I enjoy these websites and the You Tube debates.
Regards,
Christiaan

39 Paddy Crean April 17, 2013 at 12:08 pm

Padraig McGrath stated in post 33
“There are a few problems with the arguments in your Trinity spiel. For a start, the reason why the Irish Roman Catholic church had such influence in health & education was because the state had abdicated its responsibilities to provide those kinds of services to a reasonable level. So comparing Irish Catholic schools to state-run atheist institutions is based on historical confusion – in Ireland, the ABSENCE of the state was the problem….”
Here is a quote from http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/695/Ireland-EDUCATIONAL-SYSTEM-OVERVIEW.html which suggests that, rather than the state abdicating its reponsibilties, religious interests, both Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland elbowed the state out of education.
“Perhaps the most significant time in the establishment of a countrywide, state-aided educational system of elementary schools was in 1831, championed by Lord Edward G.S.M. Stanley. Conflicts immediately arose over the matter of keeping religious influence out of schools because the elementary schools were told that churches had the right to provide pupils with supplementary religious education. Even though, in theory, no aid was to be given to the primary schools and emerging secondary schools, in reality, religious influences permeated all levels of the educational system, particularly the school boards, which were headed by priests or vicars, depending on the district’s religious makeup.

At first, however, Protestants were the main critics against “godless” schools, while Catholic leaders, worried about high illiteracy rates among their people, generally supported the state-run educational system, at least at first. Eventually, Catholics came to despise the system, saying students were exposed to pro-British and anti-Catholic influences. Nonetheless, the formation of national schools was an important step forward in the history of education in Ireland. It was intended to give an equal education to all pupils without meddling from churches. It gave Irish schools a semblance of structure, and it established a policy of local districts to pick up their fair share of costs for teacher salaries, school lots and building costs, and schoolbooks.”

Read more: Ireland – Educational System—overview – Schools, Irish, Students, and School – StateUniversity.com http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/695/Ireland-EDUCATIONAL-SYSTEM-OVERVIEW.html#ixzz2Qijwmdyp

40 Christopher Lowe May 16, 2013 at 3:29 pm

It is inspiring (see..we can use that word too) to note that Ireland is rapidly becoming secularized, a trend across most of Europe, where science and philosophy and a sense of irony push back against the notions of provincial, ignorant, and superstitious writings long ago by provincial, ignorant, superstitious people in a backward corner of civilization. When every discipline of science exposes the holy books of all 3 monotheisms as superstitious man made rubbish that has been perpetuated and enforced by virtually every regime through out Europe and western Asia for 2 millennia. Savour, if you will, the paltry couple of hundred years of our human existence where in at least some small areas of our planet we can question or criticize organized religion without fear for our lives. Feel too the strident and powerful and deadly and serious counter push of the religious. From Canada I cast a baleful eye to the south where there is a concerted attempt to marginalize freethinking, atheism, and even science. The exact opposite direction taken by your country due to the efforts of people like yourself. Although prohibited by law to impose any religious belief upon anyone else(haleighluja!) there is a great deal of lawyering going on to do just that. Laws and policies are trying to be snuck through customs, as it were, imposing religious dogma as the law of the land. This is a frightfully powerful lobby, backed by an overwhelming majority of its citizens. Ways have already be found to skirt around the separation of church and state, the first nation on the planet to adopt this principle. They are capable of voting in a government with a president sympathetic to these causes who would have the power to appoint supreme court judges and judicial appointees. Ammendments to the constitution have been both repealed and added to shape and design desired social outcomes before. This is troubling and this is real. Promulgation of religion has always been backed by government. And we can all hearken back to the days when religion had it all their own way! Indeed we see it now among us. Thank God (heh heh) for people and organizations like yourselves.

41 J May 17, 2013 at 6:23 pm

Michael, I previously submitted for quotation the set and a few of the names of the great/famous philosophers who were atheists. I even threw in the mathematician Kurt Godel, but he is commonly considered a theist; one could find an argument for either side, but then who wants to argue?

42 Emmanuel Sanchez May 22, 2013 at 7:01 am

Hello Michael!

I’ve been posting comments recently and I was surprised that ine of my last ones appeared as “comment awaiting moderation”. Please, I consider it very unfair that some users have really made abuses of expression insulting others and now when I try to answer them in a serious way I’m censored! Please, again, you cannot put yourself on the side of fundamentalists inside your own website.

43 Michael Nugent May 22, 2013 at 12:10 pm

Emmanuel, I’ve approved that comment. I don’t know why the software put it into moderation.

44 Emmanuel Sanchez May 24, 2013 at 12:46 am

Oh c’mmon man, don’t do it again. Comment 315 has been censored. I just wanna have a little bit of fun against that chris, just a little of red hot pepper in the conversation.

By the way, I suggest you to visit a webpage called squidoo.I’ve visited it just a couple of times and at least a part of it is dedicated to atheist famous people and movies. That was amazing!

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