Register now for my May course on ancient atheism!
You’ll learn how atheism was argued in antiquity, who the leading atheist thinkers were, what religions and theologies they were fighting against, what differences and similarities there were with modern atheism, and how modern atheism can be informed or transformed by ancient atheism. This course also dispels a number of myths about ancient atheism and ancient religion. And it includes discussion of ancient debates between creationists and the naturalists who argued gods did not make life or the world, which eerily resemble debates today.
Nonbelievers and skeptics, this is your chance to learn about your heritage under the guidance of a published expert in ancient history, who can answer all the questions you’ll have about this part of your history, and help you understand the scholarship and literature.
Believers, this is your chance to study how Western atheism began, and its actual context, of doubt and religion, and of even Christianity itself, which was as much in opposition to ancient skeptics as to believers in other gods.
Required course text: Tim Whitmarsh, Battling the Gods: Atheism in the Ancient World.
We will explore one part of the four-part course text each week: Archaic Greece (Whitmarsh, Chs. 1-4: looking at the earliest records of Western atheism that we have); Classical Athens (Whitmarsh, Chs. 5-9: looking at the earliest detailed philosophical discussions of atheism, in the era of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle); The Hellenistic Era (Whitmarsh, Chs. 10-12: looking at the evolution of godless thought after Aristotle, including Epicurean and Cyrenaic atheism, and beyond); and The Roman Era (Whitmarsh, Chs. 13-16: looking at the last battles over godlessness in the ancient world, including famous Roman Skeptics, and the polemics of Christians against atheism, and whether Christians were really ever called atheists). The story ends with atheism being outlawed by Theodosius in 395 A.D.
Additional readings and materials supplementing Whitmarsh will be provided in the course for free. Including a recommended bibliography of scholarship on ancient atheism besides Whitmarsh.
This is the best chance to learn about this heritage, and a little history of religion and philosophy that often gets ignored, and to ask or challenge a Ph.D. expert in the field with all the questions you ever had about it.
When you register you will be given two options. You can register for the regular tuition or pay a higher tuition toward an Academy Certificate.
And let everyone know you’ve met who’s wanted to explore this issue. (Theists are welcome!)
Sign up! Ancient Atheism: Exploring the Greco-Roman Heritage of the Godless begins May 1 and goes one month, covering four units, one per week. There are no timed events so you can do the readings or post questions or engage in the forum discussions whenever you want, any day and time that suits you. All the course materials, including the discussions, stay available for you to consult or download for an additional month after that.
The only course text you must acquire is Tim Whitmarsh, Battling the Gods: Atheism in the Ancient World. Print or digital. Everything else will be provided.
Note: For a $10 discount on the tuition, enter code 2277437 during registration. A reward for reading all this way through!
