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atheism
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Søren Kierkegaard Engraved portrait of Blaise Pascal by H. Meyer, showing Pascal with shoulder-length curly hair, a white collar, and a dark robe, looking toward the viewer. David Hume Reinhold Niebuhr
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Søren Kierkegaard
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Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Kierkegaard Søren Kierkegaard, drawing by Christian Kierkegaard, c. 1840; in a private collection.

atheism

religion
Written by
Kai E. Nielsen
Adjunct Professor of Philosophy, Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. Author of Scepticism.
Kai E. Nielsen
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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atheism, in general, the critique and denial of metaphysical beliefs in God or spiritual beings. As such, it is usually distinguished from theism, which affirms the reality of the divine and often seeks to demonstrate its existence. Atheism is also distinguished from agnosticism, which leaves open the question whether there is a god or not, professing to find the questions unanswered or unanswerable. The dialectic of the argument between forms of belief and unbelief raises...

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