Atheism Quote by Keith Parsons
““McGrath briefly notes Bertrand Russell's Why I am not a Christian, and J. J. C. Smart gets a single mention, as does Adolf Grünbaum, but the other major defenders of philosophical atheism of the last half-century do not even merit a nod. His index contains no listings for Antony Flew, Wallace Matson, Kai Nielsen, Richard Gale, William L. Rowe, Michael Martin, J. L. Mackie, Daniel Dennett, Evan Fales, Michael Tooley, Quentin Smith, Jordan Howard Sobel, Robin Le Poidevin, Theodore Drange, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Nicholas Everitt, J. L. Schellenberg, or Graham Oppy.””
About This Quote
The cited work omits many prominent atheistic philosophers, suggesting a selective or incomplete representation of the field.
In simple terms: Key atheists are excluded from the index.
Key Takeaway
Selective citation skews philosophical discourse.
Themes
philosophy
atheism
citation bias
intellectual history
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
academic
critical
When to use this quote
- research literature reviews
- academic debates
Key Concepts
academic rigor
bias
Practical Applications
- scholarly articles
- critical essays
Questions to Reflect On
- What criteria determine inclusion in scholarly indexes?
- How does omission affect the perception of a discipline?
A Different Perspective
One could argue that the omission is intentional to focus on a specific narrative, though it reduces comprehensiveness.
