Flogging a dead horse: Can we make a positive case for atheism today?

A series of three panel debates in early 2008 will interrogate the state of secularism today. Taking inspiration from Bishopsgate Institute’s renowned collection on free-thought and secularism, the debates aim to continue in the long tradition of critical inquiry of religion and of its opponents.

From the Renaissance through to the 20th century, intellectuals have challenged religion and religious privilege. The past few years have seen the ‘New Atheists’, as they have been dubbed, take up the mantle. But why has religion persisted for so long? Are religious believers just wrong, or does religion answer questions that secular society can’t? What do today’s atheists propose, beyond mere unbelief? Can one make a positive case for atheism?