July 15th is Prime Day

Atheism: The Case Against God (The Skeptic's Bookshelf) and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more

List Price: $22.99
Save: $7.80 (34%)

FREE Shipping on orders over $35.

Only 6 left in stock (more on the way).

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Gift-wrap available.

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Buy Used

$6.00

Used: Like New | Details

Sold by W I L K I N S O N - B O O K S

Fulfilled by Amazon

Condition: Used: Like New

Comment: TRUST OUR FEEDBACK RATING. USED LIKE NEW .2. Construction of the book is Like new i.e. Tight spine, perfect binding. Pages are clean and unmarred, No writing, No highlighting, No marks No underlining, No smudges on any of the pages (Only a name, initials, or price inside the front cover). No page discoloration. Fresh, clean front cover with no tears, creases or marks. Only very minimal (if any) shelf wear along the edges and sides of the cover and pages. This is a fantastic looking book. All books are mailed out in a bubble wrap mailer to protect your purchase. Orders are ALWAYS shipped same day or next day with FREE USPS TRACKING emailed to you automatically. (WE TRY HARD TO DESCRIBE OUR BOOKS ACCURATELY SO YOU CAN BUY WITH CONFIDENCE)

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 2 images

Atheism: The Case Against God (The Skeptic's Bookshelf) Paperback – September 1, 1979

by George H. Smith (Author)

289 customer reviews

See all 6 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Amazon Price New from Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$9.59

—

Hardcover

"Please retry"

—

$147.99

$95.37

Paperback

"Please retry"

$15.19

$4.80

$0.01

"Does a god exist? This question has undoubtedly been asked, in one form or another, since man has had the ability to communicate. . . Thousands of volumes have been written on the subject of a god, and the vast majority have answered the questions with a resounding 'Yes!' "

"You are about to read a minority viewpoint."

With this intriguing introduction, George H. Smith sets out to demolish what he considers the most widespread and destructive of all the myths devised by man - the concept of a supreme being. With painstaking scholarship and rigorous arguments, Mr. Smith examines, dissects, and refutes the myriad "proofs" offered by theists - the defenses of sophisticated, professional theologians, as well as the average religious layman. He explores the historical and psychological havoc wrought by religion in general - and concludes that religious belief cannot have any place in the life of modern, rational man.

"It is not my purpose to convert people to atheism . . . (but to) demonstrate that the belief in God is irrational to the point of absurdity. If a person wishes to continue believing in a god, that is his prerogative, but he can no longer excuse his belief in the name of reason and moral necessity."

Frequently Bought Together

Price for all three: $34.06

Some of these items ship sooner than the others. Show details

Buy the selected items together

This item: Atheism: The Case Against God (The Skeptic's Bookshelf) by George H. Smith Paperback $15.19
Why I Am Not a Christian and Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects by Bertrand Russell Paperback $10.33
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens Paperback $8.54

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

Bertrand Russell

216

Paperback
$10.33
Christopher Hitchens

1,799

Paperback
$8.54
David Mills

283

Paperback
$10.91
Sam Harris

1,206

in Rationalist Philosophy
Paperback
$10.51
Daniel C. Dennett

272

Paperback
$12.27
Richard Dawkins

2,951

in Religious Philosophy
Paperback
$11.11

Special Offers and Product Promotions

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

George H. Smith is the author of the world's most popular book on nonbelief -- Atheism: The Case Against God--and Atheism, Ayn Rand, and Other Heresies.

NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE

Start reading Atheism: The Case Against God (The Skeptic's Bookshelf) on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Product Details

Series: The Skeptic's Bookshelf
Paperback: 355 pages
Publisher: Prometheus Books; 1st paperback ed edition (September 1, 1979)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 087975124X
ISBN-13: 978-0879751241
Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.8 x 8.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (289 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #109,522 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #135 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Atheism
- #599 in Books > History > World > Religious > Christianity
- #615 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Churches & Church Leadership > Church History

Would you like to update product info, give feedback on images, or tell us about a lower price?

Customer Reviews

289

4.0 out of 5 stars

5 star		55%
4 star		19%
3 star		9%
2 star		6%
1 star		11%

See all 289 customer reviews

Share your thoughts with other customers

Write a customer review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

694 of 737 people found the following review helpful

Can we talk about the book?

By A Customer on August 6, 1999

Format: Paperback

PLEASE WRITE A REVIEW ONLY IF YOU'VE READ THE BOOK!
It seems many reviewers haven't done their homework. At best I see one or two quotes from Smith's book which are generally secondary arguments and are chronically made out of context.
To defend the standpoint of the atheist, Smith need not answer the question "Is the universe eternal" or any of these other off-topic questions raised in earlier reviews. Please consult your local cosmologist for opinions on that subject matter.
Smith's argument is plain and simple. Forget everything you've learned on the subject of theism (to remove bias and address the issue objectively). Now let the theist propose his theory of God. Evaluate each line of argument posited by the theist. Smith identifies the logical flaws, inconsistencies, and unclear definitions in the theist's arguments. His conclusion is that if the theist can't convince you, using logic and evidence, of the existence of a God, then if you accept the existence of God, you are doing so irrationally. Atheism then stands as the rational alternative, equivalent to saying to the theist "You have not convinced me that 'God' exists." ATHEISM IS NOT A PROOF THAT GOD DOES NOT EXIST. INSTEAD IT IS THE ASSERTION THAT THEISM DOES NOT PROVIDE AN ADEQUATE PROOF OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD.
Many of the reviewers of this book have missed this very critical and highly essential pillar of the book, and have instead chosen to attack less important issues or formulate overly-simplistic proofs of why God HAS to exist. Had they actually read the book, they would have found that many of these arguments are addressed.
This book will do you no good if you thumb through it and pick out a line or two from a page in the middle and then scoff at it.Read more ›

30 Comments Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback. If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

100 of 108 people found the following review helpful

This book is a good introduction to atheism.

By adfuller@uiuc.edu on August 8, 1999

Format: Paperback

In my opinion, this book provides a good introduction to atheism and related philosophical issues. The hostile-sounding title might put some people off, but Smith makes it clear in the first section of his book that the primary focus of the book is whether or not theistic claims should be accepted as true. If one can show that theistic belief if flawed (the case against god), then one supports atheism.
Smith then proceeds to do just that for the remainder of his book. He covers basic and important subjects such as god concepts, faith, morality, and common arguments for god. Smith argues that no rational person can accept theism as true and he discusses the philosophical problems of many theistic arguments. Smith writes in a non-technical style, and this may be why the book is popular. I think Smith's book could serve as a good starting point for approaching more thorough and technical books on atheism.
Smith spends much of the book analyzing Christianity, and I would have preferred it if he spent more time looking at theism in general. Throughout the book, he describes major flaws in Christianity, and after awhile it appears as though he's just whipping a dead horse. Of course, it's a dead horse that many people insist on riding, so I suppose that critiquing it from several perspectives may help to convince some of the riders that they're not going anywhere on that beast.
If you are a philosophical layperson who wants to learn more about atheism, then this is the book you should read.
Now, if I may digress, it appears that some of the reviews posted before mine do not really review the book at all. Instead, they provide theistic arguments that supposedly refute the arguments that Smith makes in his book. It is interesting to note that the theistic arguments offered below are actually covered in Smith's book, where he shows them to be flawed. It makes me wonder if some of those reviewers actually read or understood the book.

2 Comments Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback. If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

351 of 392 people found the following review helpful

Excellent Primer In Religious Apologetics

By Lawrence Louis on September 23, 2003

Format: Paperback

Though I consider myself a Christian, I do not support the Christian apologetic stance that our faith can be verified through reason, and George Smith's "Atheism: The Case Against God" gives ample reasons as to why. Faith should be, as Soren Kierkegaard envisioned it, a purely irrational leap.
The restriction on the length of my review of this book (imposed by
Amazon.com at a 1,000 words) does not allow me to delineate all the positive particulars this book has to offer. Regrettably, I can only emphasize what aspects of this book distinguish it from other works of a similar nature.
One of the most attractive features that I found in Smith's book was his ability to convey complex philosophical dilemmas, that are germane to the realm of theism, without falling into the common practice - which most professional philosophers constantly do - of inundating his arguments with esoteric jargon. Any laymen can peruse through Smith's work without having to open a philosophical dictionary every five minutes. While Smith does put forth his charges against religious belief in a manner that is fairly easy to grasp, he does not sacrifice substantive content, therefore an individual who is more seasoned in the subject of philosophy and theology will not find "Atheism: The Case Against God" lacking by any means. This ability to reach both the philosophical hobbyist and the academician speaks much of Smith's talent as a writer as it does of him as a philosopher.
Outside this book's easily discernable assertions, another noteworthy characteristic of Smith's piece is its originality.Read more ›

16 Comments Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback. If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

See all 289 customer reviews (newest first)

Write a customer review

Most Recent Customer Reviews

atheism etc

ok stuff but a bit to dogmatic for my taste

Published 1 day ago by RICHARD SCHEIBERLE

Must have. Great book.

This is one of the more comprehensive books on atheism and alleged proofs of the existence of a god. Read more

Published 1 month ago by ofriggy

Four Stars

Great read for anyone interested in the philosophy behind atheism!

Published 3 months ago by Doron Regev

Great book

This book is all what you need to start your journey to think about the possibility of the none existence of a god. Read more

Published 3 months ago by Koan

Solid, but tedious

Solid, detailed, logical presentation laying out the frailties of a belief in Gods of any stripe. The downside is the author gets caught up in tedious profundities and repeated,... Read more

Published 3 months ago by L. Morgan

Five Stars

as advertised

Published 5 months ago by Mike Shimkus

Neither original nor entertaining

If your purpose is to understand the standard arguments you'll hear from your average mustache-sporting atheist friend from the coffee shop, grab this book. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Paul Kelly

A must-read to skeptic and atheist alike

This is an academic book, but it is complete. At times it is a bit hard to access for the non-philosophy major, but the arguments are above reproach. Read more

Published 6 months ago by JoeInLA

Great book, could benefit from a flow chart

Could benefit from a synopsis/outline/logic diagram to clarify and pull the whole thing together. It reads as though he has such a chart, and just fleshed out each heading into an... Read more

Published 9 months ago by Dangrenade

Strong anti-religion

One of the hardest hitting books on Atheism, a direct attack on religious practices. For atheists only, not for people sitting on a fence with nothing but questions

Published 10 months ago by Terrell G. Bennett

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more