Essential Freethought Library

By AMERICAN FREETHOUGHT - AMERICAN FREETHOUGHT
Added: Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:31:10 UTC

Via Michael Shermer Twitter
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We contacted a more or less random sample of notable freethinkers–bloggers, podcasters, authors, and leaders in the freethought/atheist/skeptic communities–and asked them to send us their list of recommended works for the well-read freethinker. (Among those who responded are Sam Harris, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Phil Plait, George Hrab and Massimo Pigliucci.) From this long list of suggestions–over 250 works–we have compiled this Essential Freethought Library. The list takes into account the frequency with which a work was recommended, the frequency with which a particular writer was recommended, and the dates of publication. Free free to send us your suggestions.

THE ESSENTIAL FREETHOUGHT LIBRARY (Updated July 11, 2010)

The Essential Ten

1. Why I Am Not a Christian by Bertrand Russell (1927) – A devastating critique of Christianity by polymath Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) originally presented as a public lecture and eventually published in a famous collection of essays.

2. The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan (1995) – An indispensable resource for modern freethinkers, skeptics and science buffs.

3. The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (2006) – Possibly the most inflammatory work (with the possible exception of Hitchens’ god Is Not Great) by one the so-called Four Horsemen.

4. The End of Faith by Sam Harris (2004) – The book that launched the “New Atheist” movement.

5. The Bible (critically read) – One contributor pointed to Isaac Asimov’s quote: “Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived.” Anyone who is considering entering the fray should know of what he speaks. Since it’s nearly impossible to find an objective study Bible, we recommend reading something by Bart Ehrman or even John Shelby Spong to add some perspective.

6. The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll – After seeing Ingersoll speak in public, Mark Twain wrote, “I doubt if America has ever seen anything quite equal it. I am well satisfied that I shall not live to see its equal again… Bob Ingersoll’s music will sing through my memory always as the divinest that ever enchanted my ears.” Col. Robert G. Ingersoll (1833-1899) was a Civil War veteran, attorney, lecturer, Republican kingmaker–and one of the most famous-but-now-forgotten Americans of the 19th century. Called the “Great Agnostic” by his intellectual admirers and “Royal Bob” by his political followers, Ingersoll delivered such riveting speeches as “On the Gods,” “The Ghosts” and “Some Mistakes of Moses.” Ingersoll wrote no one great single masterpiece, but collections and highlights of his orations are readily available, as his work is now in the public domain. There’s also an excellent podcast featuring dramatic readings of his most famous lectures.

7. god Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens (2007)

8. Collected Writings by Thomas Paine (pub. from 1776 to 1806) – Paine (1736-1809) is credited with coining the term “United States of America” and was one of the most influential of the Founding Fathers. His writings include “Common Sense” “The American Crisis,” “Rights of Man,” and “The Age of Reason.”

9. Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris (2006) – Harris’s one-volley-fits-all response to the firestorm of condemnation he received from religious Americans in the wake of The End of Faith.

10. Why People Believe Weird Things by Michael Shermer (1997) – A book equally useful to traditional skeptics as well as atheists.