Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities.
Most inclusively, atheism is simply the absence of belief that any deities exist. 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“, used as a pejorative term applied to those thought to reject the gods worshipped by the larger society.
With the spread of freethought, 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.
Atheists tend to be skeptical of supernatural claims, citing a lack
of empirical evidence for deities. Rationales for not believing in any
deity include the problem of evil, the argument from inconsistent
revelations, and the argument from nonbelief.
Other arguments for atheism range from the philosophical to the social to the historical.
Although some atheists have adopted secular philosophies, 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 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.
Atheism is accepted within some religious
and spiritual belief systems, including Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism,
Neopagan movements such as Wicca, and nontheistic religions.
Jainism and some forms of Buddhism do not advocate belief in gods, whereas Hinduism holds atheism to be valid, but difficult to follow spiritually.
Since conceptions of atheism vary,
determining how many atheists exist in the world today is difficult.
According to one estimate, about 2.3% of the world’s population are atheists, while a further 11.9% are nonreligious.
According to another, rates of
self-reported atheism are among the highest in Western nations, again to
varying degrees: United States (4%), Italy (7%), Spain (11%), Great
Britain (17%), Germany (20%), and France (32%).
