Abstract
Stephen LeDrew discusses atheism in a refreshingly nuanced and informative way by presenting atheism as a ‘radiating bush’ rather than a simplistic party line. In the first half of the book, LeDrew presents a history of modern atheism, in which he finds two main strands of thought: ‘humanistic’ atheism, which considers religion a coping mechanism for social inequalities, and scientific atheism, which views religion primarily as a means of explaining the natural world. It is within the tradition of scientific atheism that LeDrew believes the New Atheists should be analysed. New Atheism’s goal is ‘the legitimation of scientific authority’ (p. 103) in order to move humankind towards a utopia of technological and intellectual prosperity. This explains not only New Atheism’s attacks on religion, but also its hostility towards pluralistic, postmodern ideologies that risk eroding the hegemony of scientific reasoning as a means of framing reality.
This summary is very helpful for the analysis of atheism’s current social movement(s) that follows. LeDrew utilizes the work of sociologist Alberto Melucci to set up the New Atheism as a ‘cultural’ rather than ‘political’ movement. LeDrew’s definition of ‘political’ is quite narrow, delimited to include only matters of legislative and state authority. Thus LeDrew’s analysis of the similarities between New Atheism’s ‘Coming Out Campaign’ and the LGBTQ rights movement is interesting, although it could use more development. Ironically, LeDrew argues, New Atheism also gives birth to what he terms the ‘Atheist Right’, a hawkish, anti-pluralist and anti-feminist ideology of libertarianism that utilizes discourses of science and rationality to legitimate individualistic capitalism as the ideal socio-economic system (p. 189). In response, a more progressive movement termed Atheism+ emerged to challenge this conservatism. It seems that LeDrew is hopeful that Atheism+ can challenge the newly formed Atheist Right.
LeDrew’s book is smartly written but is not without its flaws. While the book draws on sources such as blogs, podcasts and Twitter feeds, LeDrew does not consider the impact of the existence of the Internet in the radicalization of the atheist community. The Internet connects this dispersed population, especially those living in religiously conservative areas. Platforms such as YouTube create mini-celebrities who serve as evidence that, while the ‘Four Horsemen’ (i.e. Dawkins, Harris, Dennett and Hitchens) play a critical role in the atheist discourse, New Atheism has become a movement quite separate from big names on store bookshelves. Indeed, the role of personal histories and affect in this movement often seems muted. This is especially noticeable in Chapter 6, where LeDrew discusses a set of interviews he performed with self-selected ‘active atheists’. The social position of these individuals goes unanalysed. This becomes most salient when LeDrew reveals that one respondent, Terry, is a 51-year-old gay man (p. 170). Given the affinity for the LGBTQ community among atheists, one would expect LeDrew to consider how Terry lived through the gay rights movement and the AIDS crisis.
Overall, LeDrew’s book is a necessary contribution to our understanding of the secular movement as a whole and the New Atheism in particular. Whatever nits there are to pick here, LeDrew provides readers with a picture of atheism that challenges the monolithic caricature found in many religious ‘responses’ to the New Atheists. He reveals that the tension between differing ideologies within the atheist community has created a situation in which we must seriously consider speaking of ‘atheisms’ in discussions going forward.