Atheism is, in the broadest sense, the absence of belief in
the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is the rejection of belief that
any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the
position that there are no deities. Atheism is contrasted with theism, which,
in its most general form, is the belief that at least one deity exists.
The term atheism originated from the Greek ἄθεος (atheos),
meaning "without god(s)", used as a pejorative term applied to those
thought to reject the gods worshiped by the larger society.
With the spread of free-thought, skeptical inquiry, and subsequent increase in criticism of religion, application of the term narrowed in scope. The first individuals to identify themselves using the word atheist lived in the 18th century during the Age of Enlightenment. The French Revolution, noted for its "unprecedented atheism," witnessed the first major political movement in history to advocate for the supremacy of human reason.
With the spread of free-thought, skeptical inquiry, and subsequent increase in criticism of religion, application of the term narrowed in scope. The first individuals to identify themselves using the word atheist lived in the 18th century during the Age of Enlightenment. The French Revolution, noted for its "unprecedented atheism," witnessed the first major political movement in history to advocate for the supremacy of human reason.
Arguments for atheism range from the philosophical to social
and historical approaches. Rationales for not believing in deities include
arguments that there is a lack of empirical evidence; the problem of evil; the
argument from inconsistent revelations; the rejection of concepts that cannot
be falsified; and the argument from non-belief. Although some atheists have
adopted secular philosophies (eg. humanism and skepticism), there is no one
ideology or set of behaviors to which all atheists adhere. Many atheists hold
that atheism is a more parsimonious worldview than theism and therefore that
the burden of proof lies not on the atheist to disprove the existence of God
but on the theist to provide a rationale for theism.
Since conceptions of atheism vary, accurate estimations of
current numbers of atheists are difficult. Several comprehensive global polls
on the subject have been conducted by Gallup International: their 2015 poll
featured over 64,000 respondents and indicated that 11% were "convinced atheists"
whereas an earlier 2012 poll found that 13% of respondents were "convinced
atheists. An older survey by the BBC, in 2004, recorded atheists as comprising
8% of the world's population. Other older estimates have indicated that
atheists comprise 2% of the world's population, while the irreligious add a
further 12%. According to these polls, Europe and East Asia are the regions
with the highest rates of atheism. In 2015, 61% of people in China reported
that they were atheists. The figures for a 2010 Euro-barometer survey in the
European Union (EU) reported that 20% of the EU population claimed not to
believe in "any sort of spirit, God or life force".
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