Talk:Heparin and Lists of atheists: Difference between pages
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[[Image:Portrait of Percy Bysshe Shelley by Curran, 1819.jpg|thumb|right|100px|[[Percy Bysshe Shelley]], author of ''[[The Necessity of Atheism]]''.]]
An '''[[Atheism|atheist]]''' is one who disbelieves<ref>Various dictionaries give a range of definitions for ''disbelief'', from "lack of belief" to "doubt" and "withholding of belief" to "rejection of belief", "refusal to believe", and "denial". {{ref harvard|OED-a|Oxford English Dictionary 1989|a}}</ref> in the existence of a deity or [[deity|deities]]. Different definitions identify various levels of disbelief that an atheist may have. An [[atheist]] may be one who asserts that there is no God,<ref>"The average theologian (there are exceptions, of course) uses 'atheist' to mean a person who denies the existence of a God."{{ref harvard|Stein1980|Stein 1980, p. 3|none}}</ref> one who rejects belief in a deity,<ref>"Atheism is fundamentally a '''rejection''' of belief in any God. It is more than a simple lack of belief, as children and some members of tribal societies may not believe out of ignorance." {{ref harvard|Lyngzeidetson|Lyngzeidetson 2003|none}}</ref> or one who simply does not believe in a deity.<ref>"Atheists are people who do not believe in a god or gods (or other immaterial beings), or who believe that these concepts are not meaningful. Some atheists put it more firmly and believe that god or gods do not exist." {{ref harvard|BBC-a|BBC 2006|a}}</ref><ref>"The broader, and more common, understanding of atheism among atheists is quite simply 'not believing in any gods.' No claims or denials are made—an atheist is just a person who does not happen to be a theist." {{ref harvard|Cline1-a|Cline 2006a|a}}</ref><ref>"[Most atheists] would hold that an atheist is a person without a belief in God. The distiniction is small but important. Denying something means that you have knowledge of what it is that you are being asked to affirm, but that you have rejected that particular concept. To be without a belief in God merely means that the term 'god' has no importance or possibly no meaning to you. Belief in God is not a factor in your life. Surely this is quite different from denying the existence of God. Atheism is not a belief as such. It is the lack of belief." {{ref harvard|Stein1980|Stein 1980, p. 3|none}}</ref>
This list does not prefer any particular definition of ''atheist'', but gives precedence to a person's [[self-identification]]. With few exceptions, only those who have '''called themselves''' atheists are listed. Others may be listed if identified as such by informed and impartial sources, or if they fit the narrowest sense of the word ''atheist'' (they have denied the existence of God and other deities).
'''Excluded''' are persons who have merely expressed [[skepticism]] about the existence of God, or who have merely criticized [[religion]]. Such sentiments are insufficient to identify someone as an atheist.
==List==
===Activists and educators===
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[[Image:Holyoake2.JPG|thumb|right|100px|[[George Holyoake|Holyoake]].]]
[[Image:MargaretSanger-Underwood.LOC.jpg|thumb|right|100px|[[Margaret Sanger|Sanger]].]]
* [[Pietro Acciarito]] (1871–1943): Italian [[Anarchism|anarchist]] activist known for attempting to assassinate [[Umberto I of Italy|King Umberto I]].<ref>Vizetelly, Ernest Alfred (1911), [http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/vizetelly/vizetelly9.html Barcelona Outrages - The Empress Elizabeth and Luccheni], ''The Anarchists: Their Faith and Their Record'', Turnbull and Spears Printers, Edingurgh. Retrieved March 19, 2007.</ref>
* [[Ayaan Hirsi Ali]] (1969—): [[Dutch people|Dutch]] [[feminist]] and politician.<ref>{{cite news | author = Ian Buruma | title = Sacred freedom | url = http://www.ft.com/cms/s/73ea88c8-0489-11da-a775-00000e2511c8.html | work = Financial Times | date = [[2005-08-05]] | accessdate = 2006-12-22 | quote = Too much reason can reform a faith away, which would be fine with Hirsi Ali, who regards herself as an atheist.}}</ref>
* [[Natalie Angier]] (1958—): Non-fiction writer and science journalist for the ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]''. She won the [[Pulitzer Prize]] for Beat Reporting in 1991.<ref>My God Problem[http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php?section=library&page=angier_24_5]</ref>
* [[Dan Barker]] (1949—): a prominent [[United States|American]] atheist activist.<ref>Minister Turned Atheist[http://www.ffrf.org/about/bio_dan.php]</ref>
* [[Richard Carrier]] (1969—): a historian, philosopher and atheist activist.<ref>Biography of Richard Carrier[http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/richard_carrier/bio.html]</ref>
* [[Emma Goldman]] (1869–1940): [[Lithuania]]n-born radical, known for her writings and speeches defending [[anarchist communism]], [[feminism]], and [[atheism]].<ref>{{cite web | author = Emma Goldman | url = http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/goldman.htm | title = The Philosophy of Atheism | date = 1916 February | publisher = positiveatheism.org | accessdate = 2006-12-13}}</ref>
* [[George Holyoake]] (1817–1906): [[England|English]] [[Secularism|secularist]], the last person in England to be imprisoned for being an atheist.<ref>{{cite news | last = Meek | first = James | authorlink = James Meek (author) | title = Free fall | work = Religion in the UK: special report | publisher = The Guardian | date = [[2000-02-02]] | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,2763,190660,00.html | accessdate = 2007-04-20 }}</ref>
* [[Ellen Johnson]]: current president of [[American Atheists]].<ref>{{cite web | author = Ellen Johnson | url = http://www.atheists.org/welcome.html | title = Welcome from the president of American Atheists | date = 2006 | publisher = American Atheists | accessdate = 2006-12-13}}</ref>
* [[Taslima Nasrin]] (1962—): Bangladeshi physician, writer, feminist human rights activist and [[Secular humanism|secular humanist]]. <ref>"I was born in a Muslim family, but I became an atheist." [http://www.unesco.org/webworld/points_of_views/nasreen_121199.shtml For freedom of expression], Taslima Nasreen, November 12, 1999 - Taslima Nasreen took the floor during Commission V of UNESCO's General Conference, as a delegate of the NGO [[International Humanist and Ethical Union]] (Accessed 23 December 2006).</ref>
* [[Michael Newdow]] (1953—): American [[physician]] and [[Attorney at law|attorney]], who sued a [[school district]] on the grounds that its requirement that children recite the U.S. [[Pledge of Allegiance]], containing the words "under God," breached the [[separation of church and state|separation-of-church-and-state]] provision in the [[Establishment Clause of the First Amendment|establishment clause]] of the [[United States Constitution]].<ref>{{cite news | author = Tom Curry | title = Atheist pleads with justices to stop recitation of pledge | url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4594537/ | publisher = MSNBC | date = [[2004-03-24]] | accessdate = 2006-12-13}}</ref>
* [[Madalyn Murray O'Hair]] (1919–1995): founder of [[American Atheists]], campaigner for the [[separation of church and state]]; filed the lawsuit that led the US Supreme Court to ban teacher-led prayer and Bible reading in public schools.<ref>{{cite web | author = Conrad F. Goeringer | url = http://www.atheists.org/visitors.center/OHairFamily/ | title = The Murray O’Hair Family | date = 2000 June | publisher = American Atheists | accessdate = 2006-12-13}}</ref>
*[[James Randi]], (1928—) magician, debunker and founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation. <ref> Randi wrote: "...I am a concerned, forthright, declared, atheist." [http://www.randi.org/jr/080505potential.html#14 Our Stance on Atheism], Swift: Online Newsletter of the JREF, August 5, 2005. (Accessed 1 June 2007)</ref>
* [[Margaret Sanger]] (1879–1966): American [[birth control|birth-control]] activist, founder of the [[American Birth Control League]], a forerunner to [[Planned Parenthood]]. The masthead motto of her newsletter, ''The Woman Rebel'', read: "No Gods, No Masters."<ref name="Haught">{{cite book | last = Haught | first = James A. | title = 2,000 Years of Disbelief: Famous People with the Courage to Doubt | year = 1996 | publisher = Prometheus Books | id = ISBN 1-57392-067-3 | pages = pp. 261-262}}</ref>
* [[Vinayak Damodar Savarkar]] (1883–1966): Indian revolutionary freedom fighter, and Hindu nationalist leader.<ref>{{cite news | title = The Rediff Interview: Bipan Chandra | url = http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/mar/03inter.htm | publisher = Rediff India Abroad | date = [[2003-03-03]] | accessdate = 2006-12-13 | quote = Savarkar was an atheist. When he was the Hindu Mahasabha president he used to give lectures on why there is no god.}}</ref>
* [[Bhagat Singh]] (1907–1931): Indian revolutionary freedom fighter.<ref>{{cite web | last=Singh | first=Bhagat | authorlink=Bhagat Singh | title = Why I Am An Atheist | url = http://www.boloji.com/spirituality/051.htm | publisher = Boloji Media Inc | date = [[2002-06-18]] | accessdate = 2007-04-11 | quote = I had become a pronounced atheist.}}</ref>
* [[Barbara Smoker]] (1923—): British humanist activist and freethought advocate. Wrote the book ''Freethoughts: Atheism, Secularism, Humanism – Selected Egotistically from [[The Freethinker (journal)|The Freethinker]]''.<ref>{{cite book | last = Smoker | first = Barbara | title = Freethoughts: Atheism, Humanism, Secularism | year = 2002 | publisher = Foote (G.W.) & Co Ltd | isbn = 0-9508243-5-6 }}</ref>
* [[Polly Toynbee]] (1946—): columnist for [[The Guardian]].<ref>{{cite news | author = Polly Toynbee | title = This is a clash of civilisations - between reason and superstition | url = http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/comment/story/0,,1753745,00.html | work = The Guardian | date = [[2006-04-14]] | accessdate = 2006-12-13 | quote = Even an old atheist like me sees no good in this ignorance of basic Christian myths.}}</ref>
===Authors===
[[Image:Isaac.Asimov02.jpg|thumb|right|100px|[[Isaac Asimov|Asimov]].]]
[[Image:Abierce 1866.jpg|thumb|right|100px|[[Ambrose Bierce|Bierce]].]]
* [[Douglas Adams]] (1952–2001): British radio and television writer, author of ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]''.<ref>"I am a radical Atheist..." Adams in an interview by American Atheists[http://www.americanatheist.org/win98-99/T2/silverman.html].</ref>
* [[Isaac Asimov]] (1920–1992): Russian-born American author of science fiction and popular science books.<ref>"I am an atheist, out and out. It took me a long time to say it... I don't have the evidence to prove that God doesn't exist, but I so strongly suspect he doesn't that I don't want to waste my time." Isaac Asimov in "Free Inquiry", Spring 1982, vol.2 no.2, p. 9 ([http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov#Sourced See Wikiquote].)</ref>
* [[Ambrose Bierce]] (1842–1914?): American writer, author of ''The Devil's Dictionary''.<ref>Multiple quotes from Bierce substantiating his atheist views[http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/bierce.htm].</ref>
* [[Marshall Brain]] (1961–) Author of [http://www.whywontgodhealamputees.com/ WhyWontGodHealAmputees.com] and [http://www.godisimaginary.com/ GodIsImaginary.com]
* [[Arthur C. Clarke|Sir Arthur C. Clarke]] (1917—): British scientist and [[Science Fiction]] author.<ref>"…Stanley [Kubrick] is a Jew and I'm an atheist". Clarke quoted in Jeromy Agel (Ed.) (1970). ''The Making of Kubrick's 2001'': p.306</ref>
* [[Vardis Fisher]] (1895–1968): American writer, scholar. Author of atheistic ''Testament of Man'' series.<ref>American Atheists article on Fisher [http://www.atheists.org/pix/theme/top17.jpg].</ref>
* [[Jan Guillou]] (1944—): Swedish author and Journalist.<ref>{{sv icon}} ''Translation:'' "I am [an] atheist, but Ann-Marie and I light a candle anyway. I have dedicated "Madame Terror" to her. Since she has helped me much with [my] books, not least with this one, the latest. Much talk on and forth, I've had a lot yellings." {{cite web|date=[[2006-12-03]]|url=http://expressen.se/index.jsp?a=777301|title="Det ska mycket till för att reta upp mig"|publisher=[[Expressen]]|accessdate=2007-01-20}}</ref>
* [[Sam Harris (author)|Sam Harris]] (1967—): American author, researcher in neuroscience, author of ''[[The End of Faith]]'' and ''[[Letter to a Christian Nation]]''.<ref>Author of [http://www.truthdig.com/dig/item/200512_an_atheist_manifesto/ ''An Atheist Manifesto'']</ref>
* [[Harry Harrison]] (1925—): American science fiction author, anthologist and artist whose short story "The Streets of Ashkelon" took as its hero an atheist who tries to prevent a Christian missionary from indoctrinating a tribe of irreligious but ingenuous alien beings.<ref>"Harry Harrison is a self-confessed atheist" per official website [http://www.iol.ie/~carrollm/hh/aboutwho.htm#Atheist HarryHarrison.com]</ref>
* [[Christopher Hitchens]] (1949—): Author, journalist and essayist.<ref>"Secularism is not just a smug attitude. It is a possible way of democratic and pluralistic life that only became thinkable after several wars and revolutions had ruthlessly smashed the hold of the clergy on the state. ... I have spent all my life on the atheist side of this argument..." Hitchens in Slate.com article, [http://www.slate.com/id/2109377/ "Bush's Secularist Triumph"].</ref>
* [[Michel Houellebecq]] (1958—): French novelist.<ref>{{cite journal
| last = Masson
| first = Sophie
| authorlink = Sophie Masson
| title = The Strange Case of Michel Houellebecq
| journal = [[Quadrant (magazine)|Quadrant]]
| volume = XLVII
| issue = 6
| year = 2003
| month = June
| url = http://www.quadrant.org.au/php/article_view.php?article_id=242
| accessdate = 2007-04-20 }}</ref>
* [[S. T. Joshi]] (1958—): American editor and [[literary criticism|literary critic]].<ref>Joshi's book: ''[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591020808 God's Defenders: What They Believe and Why They Are Wrong]'' at amazon.com.</ref>
* [[Ludovic Kennedy]] (1919—): British journalist, author, and campaigner for voluntary [[euthanasia]].<ref>Kennedy's book: ''[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0340680644/ All in the Mind: A Farewell to God]'' at amazon.com.</ref>
* [[Rutka Laskier]] (1929–1943): Polish Jew who was killed at [[Auschwitz concentration camp]] at the age of 14. Because of her diary, on display at Israel's Holocaust museum, she has been dubbed the "Polish [[Anne Frank]]." <ref>Laskier wrote "The little faith I used to have has been completely shattered. If God existed, He would have certainly not permitted that human beings be thrown alive into furnaces, and the heads of little toddlers be smashed with gun butts or shoved into sacks and gassed to death." ''New Pages of Past Horror: Writings depict the innocence of a Jewish teen coming of age--and Nazi brutality'', Aron Heller, Associated Press, 6 June 2006.</ref>
* [[Stanislaw Lem]] (1921–2006): Polish science fiction novelist and essayist.<ref name="MisI">[http://missourireview.com/printable.php?genre=Interviews&title=An+Interview+with+Stanislaw+Lem An Interview with Stanislaw Lem] by [[Peter Engel]]. ''The Missouri Review'', Volume 7, Number 2, 1984.</ref>
* [[Primo Levi]] (1919–1987): Italian novelist and chemist, survivor of [[Auschwitz]] concentration camp.<ref>Levi quoted as saying "There is Auschwitz, and so there cannot be God." Interview with Marlboro Press (1989)[http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Langs/italian/holoc/Camon_int_Levi.htm].</ref>
* [[Georg Christoph Lichtenberg]] (1742 - 1799): German scientist, satirist, philosopher and anglophile. Known as one of Europe's best authors of aphorisms. Satirized religion using aphorisms like "I thank the Lord a thousand times for having made me become an atheist."<ref> ''Waste Books'' E 252, 1765-1770</ref>
* [[Pierre Loti]] (1850–1923): French novelist and travel writer.<ref>Repeatedly mentioned in [[Lesley Blanch]]'s biography of him: ''Pierre Loti - Travels with the Legendary Romantic''.</ref>
* [[Joseph McCabe]] (1867–1955): English writer, anti-religion campaigner.<ref>Multiple quotes from McCabe substantiating his atheist view [http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/quote-m1b.htm].</ref>
* [[China Miéville]] (1972—): British Science Fiction author.<ref>"My distaste for Lewis and Tolkien as writers does not stem from the fact that, as an atheist, I disagree with their religious beliefs or think that religious concerns cannot make great literature." — [http://www.bordersstores.com/features/feature.jsp?file=mieville2 ''Reinvigorating the Fantastic''], Accessed [[February 12]], [[2007]].</ref>
* [[Camille Paglia]] (1947—): American [[post-feminism|post-feminist]] literary and cultural critic.<ref>Salon magazine [[28 April]] [[1999]] [http://www.salon.com/people/col/pagl/1999/04/28/camille/index.html]</ref>
* [[Harold Pinter]] (1930—): [[United Kingdom|British]] playwright, screenwriter, poet, actor, director, author, and political activist, best known for his plays ''[[The Birthday Party (play)|The Birthday Party]]'' (1957), ''[[The Caretaker]]'' (1959), ''[[The Homecoming]]'' (1964), and ''[[Betrayal (play)|Betrayal]]'' (1978). Winner of the [[Nobel Prize in Literature]] in 2005.<ref>{{cite news
| title = Pinter 'on road to recovery'
| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/2216504.stm
| publisher = [[BBC News]]
| date = [[2002-08-26]]
| accessdate = 2007-04-20
}}</ref>
* [[Terry Pratchett]] (1948—): English [[Fantasy author]] known for his [[satire|satirical]] ''[[Discworld]]'' series.<ref>"I'm an atheist, at least to the extent that I don't believe in the objective existence of any big beards in the sky." — [http://www.herebedragons.co.uk/gay/pterry.htm ''The Line One Interview with Terry Pratchett''], Gay, Anne, 1999. Accessed [[December 24]], [[2006]].</ref>
* [[Philip Pullman]] (1946—): CBE, British author of ''[[His Dark Materials]]'' fantasy trilogy for young adults, which have atheism as a major theme.<ref>In conversation with Archbishop Rowan Williams [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2004/03/17/bodark17.xml].</ref>
* [[Ayn Rand]] (1905–1982): Russian-born American author and founder of [[Objectivism (Ayn Rand)|Objectivism]].<ref>"I am an intransigent atheist, but not a militant one." Rand quoted in Michael S. Berliner (1995). ''Letters of Ayn Rand'': [[March 20]], [[1965]] [http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=faq_index#obj_q6]</ref>
* [[Ron Reagan]] (1958—): American magazine journalist, board member of the politically activist [[Creative Coalition]], son of former U. S. President [[Ronald Reagan]].<ref>When asked by [[Larry King]] if he would ever run for office, Reagan Jr. responded by saying, "I'm an atheist so... I can't be elected to anything, because polls all say that people won't elect an atheist." Interview on ''[[Larry King Live]]'', [[26 June]] [[2004]]. See [http://www.zippyvideos.com/86205588522205/ronhttp://www.zippyvideos.com/86205588522205/ron clip].</ref>
* [[Salman Rushdie]] (1947—): Indian-born British essayist and author of fiction.<ref>Interview with Rushdie by Gigi Marzullo; Sottovoce, RAIUNO, [[March 31]] [[2006]].</ref>
* [[José Saramago]] (1922—): [[Portugal|Portuguese]] writer, playwright and journalist. He was awarded the [[Nobel Prize in Literature]] in 1998.<ref>CNN reports that: "Among these works are mythical stories through which Saramago, a communist and atheist, weaves his own brand of social and political commentary." [http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1998/nobel/literature/ In praise of Portuguese] (Accessed 30 May 2007)</ref>
* [[George Bernard Shaw]] (1856–1950): Irish playwright, only person to have been awarded both a [[Nobel Prize]] ([[Nobel Prize in Literature]] in 1925) and an [[Academy Award|Oscar]] ([[Academy Award]] for Best Adapted Screenplay in 1939 for ''[[Pygmalion (1938 film)|Pygmalion]]'').<ref>[http://www.adherents.com/people/ps/George_Bernard_Shaw.html The Religious Affiliation of Irish Playwright George Bernard Shaw]</ref><ref>[http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/gbs.htm George Bernard Shaw quotations]</ref>
* [[Percy Bysshe Shelley]] (1792–1822): British [[Romanticism|Romantic]] poet, contemporary and associate of [[John Keats]] and [[George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron|Lord Byron]], and author of ''[[The Necessity of Atheism]]''.<ref>Listing of Shelley's ''The Necessity of Atheism'' at Amazon.com [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0879757744].</ref>
* [[Warren Allen Smith]] (1921—): Author of [http://chelcpress.com ''Who's Who in Hell''].<ref>Listing of Smith as a founder of [http://humanists.net/wasm/fanny.htm Freethinkers New York].</ref>
* [[Kurt Vonnegut]] (1922–2007): American author, writer of ''[[Cat's Cradle]]'', among other books. Vonnegut said "I am an atheist (or at best a Unitarian who winds up in churches quite a lot)."<ref name="Haught"/>
* [[Ibn Warraq]] (1946—): Best-selling author and secularist scholar of Islam currently living in the United States. He is a Muslim apostate and an outspoken critic of Islam who has written extensively on what he views as the oppressive nature of Islam.<ref>"Warraq's book ''Why I Am Not a Muslim'' presents a strident historical, moral, and philosophical indictment of Islam and advocates not just a firm separation of mosque and state but outright atheism." [http://www.prospect.org/print/V12/22/mooney-c.html Holy War], by Chris Mooney at The American Prospect online (Accessed 29 August 2006).</ref>
* [[Gao Xingjian]] (1940—): Chinese émigré [[novelist]], [[dramatist]], critic, translator, stage director and painter. Winner of the [[Nobel Prize in Literature]] in 2000.<ref>[http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/2000/gao-lecture-e.html Nobel Lecture by Gao Xingjian]</ref>
==
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* [[Christer Sturmark]] (1964—): [[Sweden|Swedish]] [[Information technology|IT]] entrepreneur and chairman of [[Humanisterna|The Swedish Humanist Organisation]].<ref>{{sv icon}} ''Translation:'' I am also an atheist. I find that just about everybody are atheists. The religions of the world has created many gods. Hinduism has millions. Most of the people I meet that call themselves Christians are atheists when it comes to all gods, except for one. [http://www.sturmark.se/item.php?item%20id=273 Jag är en sökare!]</ref>
===Comedians===
[[Image:Woody Allen (2006).jpeg|thumb|100px|right|[[Woody Allen|Allen]]]]
* [[Woody Allen]] (1935—): American [[film director]], [[actor]] and [[comedian]]. Allen said that "To you I'm an atheist; to God, I'm the Loyal Opposition."<ref>The BBC found in [http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/movingwords/index.shtml a worldwide poll] that this was the eighth favorite quote among its readers. The BBC reports that "Woody Allen has never been shy about his atheism and often alludes to it in his work." [http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/movingwords/shortlist/woodyallen.shtml BBC Learning English - Moving Words: Woody Allen Quote Feature] (Accessed [[22 May]] [[2007]]).</ref>
* [[George Carlin]] (1937—): American [[comedian]], actor and author. Outspoken atheist, described religion as having "the greatest bullshit story ever told", that "there's an invisible man living in the sky."<ref>Quotes from "There Is No God", ''[[You Are All Diseased]]''. Carlin says on the same track that "there is no God. None, not one, no God, never was."</ref>
* [[David Cross]] (1964—): American actor and comedian.<ref>Appearance on ABC's "Politically Incorrect" ([[March 9]], [[1998]]) "I was born Jewish, but I am an atheist. I don't believe in God."[http://www.ffrf.org/day/?day=4&month=4]</ref>
* [[Janeane Garofalo]] (1964—): American actor and comedian.<ref>"Garofalo said "I am a proud atheist." [http://ffrf.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=219697# Freethought Radio interview with Janeane Garofalo], 26 May 2007 (quote starts at 19:32). (Accessed 9 June 2007)</ref>
* [[Kathy Griffin]] (1963—): American comedian.<ref>Speaking to Sacramento’s ''Outword Magazine'', Griffin said: "...I think I’m getting more atheist because of the way the country is getting more into bible-thumping." See [http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=7086 Quotelines], by Rex Wockner at Windy City Times (Accessed [[29 August]] [[2006]]).</ref>
* [[Patton Oswalt]] (1969—): American actor and comedian. <ref>[http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20061005/ai_n16774459 MySpace must be doing something right], Chicago Sun-Times, Oct 5, 2006 by Andy Ihnatko (Accessed 20 December 2006)</ref>
* [[Julia Sweeney]] (1961—): American actor and comedian. Alumna of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', author/performer of a one-woman autobiographical stage show about finding atheism: ''Letting Go of God''.<ref>Interview with Sweeney discussing her atheism[http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2005/08/15/findrelig.DTL].</ref>
===Film, radio and television===
[[Image:Luis Buñuel.jpg|thumb|right|100px|[[Luis Buñuel|Buñuel (caricature)]].]]
* [[Phillip Adams]] (1939—): Australian broadcaster, writer, film-maker, left-wing radical thinker, iconoclast, Australian Humanist of the Year 1987.<ref>In a letter by Adams dated [[10 August]] [[1993]]: "I've spent a life-time attacking religious beliefs and have not wavered from a view of the universe that many would regard as bleak. Namely, that it is a meaningless place devoid of deity{{sic}}"[http://www.theabsolute.net/minefield/adams.html].</ref>
* [[Brannon Braga]] (1965–): American TV producer and writer, creator of ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]''. <ref>{{cite web
| author =
| url = http://www.sidmennt.is/archives/2006/16/08/every_religion_has_a_mythology.php
| title = Every religion has a mythology
| date = [[16 August]] [[2006]]
| publisher = Sidmennt, the Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association
| accessdate = 2006-12-19
}}</ref>
* [[Marlon Brando]] (1924–2004): American actor, two time [[Academy Award]]-winner. Refused to take a religious oath at his son’s murder trial, citing reasons that he is an atheist. <ref>http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000008/bio</ref>
* [[Luis Buñuel]] (1900–1983): Spanish-born Mexican film-maker, activist of the [[surrealism|surrealist]] movement. Known for his one-liner, "Thank God I'm still an atheist."<ref>"Father Julian... and I often talk about faith and the existence of God, but... he's forever coming up against the stone wall of my atheism..." Luis Bunuel (1982, 1985). ''My Last Breath'': p.254</ref>
* [[Adam Carolla]] (1964—): American comedic radio personality and television personality, best known for co-hosting the radio program ''[[Loveline]]'' and the television series ''[[The Man Show]]''.<ref>[http://adamradio.wordpress.com/2006/02/10/adam-with-jeff-probst-and-louis-ck/ ''The Adam Carolla Show Blog''], February 10, 2006</ref>
* [[Stanley Donen]] (1924—): American film director, best known for his musicals including ''[[Seven Brides for Seven Brothers]]'' and ''[[Singin' in the Rain]]''; awarded honorary [[Academy Award]] for lifetime achievement. <ref>Stephen M. Silverman, ''Dancing on the Ceiling: Stanley Donen and His Movies'', Alfred A. Knopf: New York (1996), page 312.</ref>
* [[Ricky Gervais]] (1961—): British actor, co-creator of the original version of ''[[The Office]]''; appears as the Curator in the 2006 film, ''[[Night at the Museum]]''.<ref>States he is an atheist in his ''Animals'' live DVD. Said, "I'm an atheist," and that [[Homer Simpson]] was the closest thing for him to God, in a [[PBS]] "Fresh Air" interview, December 18, 2006.</ref>
*[[Paul Giamatti]] (1967—): American film and television actor<ref name="Giamatti">{{cite news|last=|first=|coauthors=|title="I never saw Russell lose it on set..."|pages=|publisher=TotalFilm.com|date=[[2006-02-08]]| url=http://www.totalfilm.com/features/paul_giamatti|accessdate =2007-03-03}}</ref>
* [[Katharine Hepburn]] (1907–2003): American actress, who appeared in 53 films from 1932 to 1994; winner of four Academy Awards for Best Actress.<ref>Hepburn stated "I'm an atheist, and that's it. I believe there's nothing we can know except that we should be kind to each other and do what we can for people" in the October 1991 issue of ''[[Ladies' Home Journal]]''[http://atheism.about.com/b/a/2003_06_29.htm]</ref>
* [[John Humphrys]] (1943—): British radio and television presenter who hosted a series of programmes interviewing religious leaders, ''Humphrys in Search of God''.<ref>"A God of mercy, any God, seems out of the question." [http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/misc/insearchofgod.shtml ''In Search of God'']</ref>
* [[Penn Jillette]] (1955—): American [[Magician (illusion)|magician]], co-host of ''[[Bullshit!]]''.<ref name="Penn_teller">[http://www.ronaldbrucemeyer.com/rants/0305almanac.htm Interview with Penn Jillette] in which he mentions his and Teller's atheism.</ref>
* [[Michael Kinsley]] (1951—): American [[Politics|political]] [[journalist]], [[commentator]], and [[television host]].<ref>"Although Hitchens’s title refers to God, his real energy is in the subtitle: “religion poisons everything.” Disproving the existence of God (at least to his own satisfaction and, frankly, to mine) is just the beginning for Hitchens..." — {{cite web | last=Kinsley | first=Michael | authorlink=Michael Kinsley | date= [[May 13]], 2007 | title=In God, Distrust | work=[[New York Times]] | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/13/books/review/Kinsley-t.html?_r=3&pagewanted=2&ref=books&oref=slogin | accesdate=2007-05-17}}</ref>
* [[Skandar Keynes]] (1991—): English actor (''[[The Chronicles of Narnia film series|Chronicles of Narnia]]'' films).<ref>"28.Do you have a religion and if so what is it? I am an Atheist. I know the film's really Christian and everything but it doesn’t really affect me. Oh and you know I’m related to Charles Darwin." [http://www.narniafans.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5386&page=2]</ref>
* [[Tom Leykis]] (1956—): radio talk-show host.<ref>''[[The Seattle Times]]'' article confirming that Leykis hosts a radio segment called ''Ask the Atheist'' [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002015770_leykis26.html].</ref>
*[[Paul Mazursky]] (1930—) American director, producer and actor<ref name="Paul Mazursky">{{cite news | quote=I’ve always felt very Jewish but very ambivalent about being Jewish. I’m an atheist. | last =Farber| first =Stephen| coauthors=| title =A Night in Hollywood, a Day in Ukraine| pages=| publisher =The New York Times| date =[[2006-12-31]] | url =http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/31/movies/31farb.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin| accessdate =2006-12-31 }}</ref>
*[[George Meyer]] (1956—) Producer and writer for ''[[The Simpsons]]''.<ref name="Believer">"As I was saying before, it was so hard for me to be a Catholic. It wound my spring almost to the breaking point. The spring is still uncoiling from those early years. I’m a thoroughly virulent atheist."[http://www.believermag.com/issues/200409/?read=interview_meyer September 2004 Interview in The Believer]</ref>
* [[Cillian Murphy]] (1976—): Irish stage and screen actor. <ref name="Total Film">[http://www.totalfilm.com/features/killing_time_with_cillian_murphy April 2007 interview in Total Film]</ref>
* [[Jack Nicholson]] (1937—): American actor, three time [[Academy Award]]-winner. Told [[Vanity Fair]] magazine that he doesn’t believe in God. <ref>http://www.ronaldbrucemeyer.com/rants/0422b-almanac.htm</ref>
* [[Gene Roddenberry]] (1921—1991): American scriptwriter and producer, creator of ''[[Star Trek]]''.<ref name="Roddenberry">[http://www.philosophysphere.com/humanist.html Interview of Gene Roddenberry by David Alexander]</ref>
* [[Steven Soderbergh]] (1963—): American filmmaker, [[Academy Award]]-winning director of such films as ''[[Traffic (film)|Traffic]]'', ''[[Erin Brockovich (film)|Erin Brockovich]]'', ''[[Ocean's Eleven (2001 film)|Ocean's Eleven]]'', and ''[[sex lies and videotape]]''. <ref name="Soderbergh">Soderbergh siad "I’m a hardcore atheist." [http://www.stevensoderbergh.net/articles/2005/scotland.php State of Independence], by Scotland on Sunday, 23 January 2005, (Accessed 8 June 2007).</ref>
* [[Robert Smith (football)|Robert Smith]] (1972—): former [[Minnesota Vikings]] [[running back]] and [[NFL Network]] [[American football|football]] analyst.<ref>"Former Minnesota Vikings running back Robert Smith, an atheist, says he has no objection to making religious counseling and services available to interested players." [http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/05/10/ministries/ Going long for Jesus], by Tom Krattenmaker at Salon.com (Accessed [[29 August]] [[2006]]).</ref>
* [[J. Michael Straczynski]] (1954—): American writer and producer, creator of ''[[Babylon 5]].<ref name="Straczynski">When asked what book he would choose to memorize, Straczynski said "Despite being an atheist, I would probably choose the Book of Job." [http://www.scifi.com/transcripts/2000/straczynski.html Online chat with Straczynski, hosted by SciFi.com] (Accessed 8 June 2007)</ref>
* [[Teller (magician)]] (1948—): American [[Magician (illusion)|magician]], co-host of ''[[Bullshit!]]''.<ref name="Penn_teller">[http://www.ronaldbrucemeyer.com/rants/0305almanac.htm Interview with Penn Jillette] in which he mentions his and Teller's atheism.</ref>
* [[Joss Whedon]] (1964—): American screenwriter and director, most famous for creating ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''.<ref>Asked if there was a God, Whedon answered, "No." [http://www.avclub.com/content/node/24569 ''Is There a God?''], by Stephen Thompson, [[9 October]] [[2002]], A.V. Club (Accessed [[22 October]] [[2006]].)</ref>
* [[Gene Wilder]] (1933—): American actor best known for his role as [[Willy Wonka]]. <ref name="Wilder">"Well, I'm a Jewish-Buddhist-Atheist, I guess." {{cite book | title=Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish| url=http://www.webcitation.org/5OlTv7URo| last=Pogrebin| first=Abigail| date=2005| pages=91-99| publisher=Broadway| ___location=New York| isbn=978-0-7679-1612-7}}</ref>
===Music===
[[Image:NARK.jpg|thumb|right|100px|[[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov|Rimsky-Korsakov]].]]
* [[David Gilmour]] (1946—) English guitarist and vocalist with [[Pink Floyd]].<ref>From Newsday, published March 30, 2006: "I'm an atheist, and I don't have any belief in an afterlife,"</ref>
* [[Lemmy]] (1945—): English rock [[singer]] and [[bass guitar]]ist, most famous for founding the [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] band [[Motörhead]].<ref> "I'm an atheist and an anarchist" — {{cite web | last = Eddy | first = Chuck | title = Damage Case: Lemmy and Motörhead | work = Motörhead Forever | date = 1997 | url = http://www.motorhead.ru/art11damagecase.htm}}</ref>
*[[Till Lindemann]] (1963—): Lead singer of the German [[heavy metal]] band, [[Rammstein]] <ref>Stated that he is an Atheist[http://rammstein-europe.com/main.php?sekce=till-lindemann&l=en]</ref>
* [[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov]] (1844–1908): Russian Nationalist composer, member of "The Five", best-known for the [[Symphonic poem|tone poem]] ''[[Scheherazade (Rimsky-Korsakov)|Scheherazade]]''.<ref>''[[The Guardian]]'' describes as "a devout atheist - [[Igor Stravinsky|Stravinsky]] later described him rather disapprovingly as having a mind 'closed to any religious or metaphysical idea'" [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/fridayreview/story/0,12102,1416434,00.html]</ref>
*[[Ned Rorem]] (1923—): American composer <ref> quoted as saying "I'm an atheist" in interview for American Music Box[http://www.newmusicbox.org/article.nmbx?id=4621]</ref>
*[[Ralph Vaughan Williams]] (1872—1958): British composer. Despite the number and variety of his works with religious inspiration or connections, Vaughan Williams was decidedly not a believer.<ref>According to his second wife, Ursula.[http://www.wiu.edu/music/articles/vaughanwilliamsnotes.htm]</ref> Williams once said that "there is no reason why an atheist could not write a good mass," and then proved it by writing a superb one. He later became an agnostic. <ref>{{cite web
| url = http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/music/2007/03/building_a_classical_music_lib_2.html
| title = Building a classical music library: Vaughan Williams
| accessdate = 2007-04-20
| author = Stephen Moss
| authorlink = Stephen Moss
| date = [[2007-03-09]]
| work = Guardian arts blog
| publisher = Guardian Unlimited
}}</ref>
==
[[Image:Paul Heinrich Dietrich Baron d'Holbach.jpg|thumb|right|100px|[[Baron d'Holbach|d'Holbach]].]]
[[Image:Karl Marx.jpg|thumb|right|100px|[[Karl Marx|Marx]].]]
[[Image:Nietzsche1882.jpg|thumb|right|100px|[[Friedrich Nietzsche|Nietzsche]].]]
* [[Mikhail Bakunin]] (1814–1876): Russian [[philosopher]], writer and [[anarchism|anarchist]].<ref>Multiple quotes from Bakunin substantiating his atheist views[http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/quote-b.htm#BAKUNIN].</ref>
* [[Albert Camus]] (1913–1960): French philosopher and novelist, a luminary of existentialism. He won the [[Nobel Prize]] in [[Literature]] in 1957.<ref name="Haught"/>
* [[Benedetto Croce]] (1886–1952): Italian philosopher and public figure.<ref>Stated in [[Will Durant]]'s ''Outlines of Philosophy''</ref>
* [[Daniel Dennett]] (1942—): American philosopher, author of [[Breaking the Spell]]<ref>Dennett, Daniel C. (2006), Breaking the Spell, Viking (Penguin), ISBN 0-670-03472-X</ref>
* [[Diagoras]] (5th century BCE): [[Ancient Greece|Ancient Greek]] [[poet]] and [[Sophism|sophist]] known as the Atheist of [[Milos]], who declared that there were no Gods.<ref>A History of Freethought, Ancient and Modern, to the Period of the French Revolution, J.M. Robertson, Fourth Edition, Revised and Expanded, In Two Volumes, Vol. I, Watts, 1936. p173 - 174</ref>
* [[Denis Diderot]] (1713–84): editor-in-chief of the ''[[Encyclopédie]]'', who succeeded in bringing about "a revolution in men's minds."<ref name="Rousseau and Revolution">[[Will Durant|Will and Ariel Durant]], ''Rousseau and Revolution'', p. 183</ref>
* [[Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach]] (1804–1872): German philosopher whose major work, ''The Essence of Christianity'', maintains that religion and divinity are projections of human nature.<ref>[http://positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/quote-f.htm#FREUERBACH positiveatheism.org]</ref>
* [[Claude Adrien Helvétius]] (1715–71): French philosopher whose ethical and social views helped shape the school of [[utilitarianism]] later made famous by [[Jeremy Bentham]].<ref name="Rousseau and Revolution"/>
* [[Siddhartha Gautama]] (also known as the Buddha) (563–483 BC): [[Spiritual]] [[teacher]] from [[Kingdoms of ancient India|ancient India]] and the historical founder of [[Buddhism]]. Gautama denied the existence of a creator God and asserted that the attributes of omnipotence, omniscience and benevolence commonly given to God are incompatible with the existence of [[dukkha|suffering]]. <ref>"The Buddha argues that the three most commonly given attributes of God, viz. omnipotence, omniscience and benevolence towards humanity cannot all be mutually compatible with the existential fact of dukkha." [http://www.buddhistinformation.com/buddhist_attitude_to_god.htm The Buddhist Attitude to God], V. A. Gunasekara (Accessed 9 June 2007).</ref>
* [[Baron d'Holbach]] (1723–89): French philosopher and [[encyclopedist]], most famous as being one of the first outspoken atheists in Europe.<ref>[[Will Durant|Will and Ariel Durant]], ''The Age of Voltaire: a History of Civilization in Western Europe from 1715 to 1756, with Special Emphasis on the Conflict between Religion and Philosophy'', New York, Simon and Schuster, 1965, pp. 695-714</ref>
* [[Paul Kurtz]] (1925–): Professor Emeritus of [[Philosophy]] at the [[University at Buffalo]] ([[SUNY]]).<ref>[http://www.celebatheists.com/index.php?title=Paul_Kurtz celebatheists.com]</ref>
* [[J. L. Mackie|John Leslie Mackie]] (1917-1981): Australian philosopher who specialized on [[meta-ethics]] as a proponent of moral skepticism. Wrote the book ''The Miracle of Theism'' wherein he discusses several arguments for and against theism and comes the conclusion that theism is rationally untenable. <ref> See ''The Miracle of Theism'', 1982 </ref>
* [[Karl Marx]] (1818–83): German-Jewish author of ''[[Das Kapital]]'', known for his assertion that "Religion is... the opium of the people."<ref>''Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right'', 1843</ref>
* [[Jean Meslier]] (1678–1733): French village [[Catholic priest]] who was found, on his death, to have written a book-length philosophical essay, entitled ''Common Sense'' but commonly referred to as ''Meslier's Testament'', promoting atheism.<ref>Extracts from ''Moi Testament'' published as ''[http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/17607 Superstition in All Ages]''</ref><ref>[[Will Durant|Will and Ariel Durant]], ''The Age of Voltaire'', 1965, pp. 611-17</ref>
* [[Julien Offray de La Mettrie]] (1709–51): French [[physician]] and [[philosopher]], earliest [[materialist]] writer of the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]], claimed as a founder of [[cognitive science]].<ref>[[Will Durant|Will and Ariel Durant]], ''The Age of Voltaire'', 1965, pp. 617-22</ref>
* [[Friedrich Nietzsche]] (1844–1900): German [[existentialism|Existentialist]] philosopher and known as the founder of [[Nihilism]] whose ''[[Beyond Good and Evil]]'' sought to refute traditional notions of [[morality]]. Nietzsche penned a memorable [[secular]] statement of the [[Eternal return|Doctrine of Eternal Recurrence]] in ''[[Thus Spake Zarathustra]]'' and is forever associated with the phrase, "[[God is dead]]" (first seen in his book, ''[[The Gay Science]]'').<ref>''Die fröhliche Wissenschaft'', aphorisms 108 and 125 [http://gutenberg.spiegel.de/nietzsch/wissensc/wissen04.htm])</ref>
* [[Piergiorgio Odifreddi]] (1950—): Italian mathematician, philosopher and science writer.<ref>{{cite web|title=Che fine ha fatto Dio?|url=http://www.vialattea.net/odifreddi/religioni.htm|author=Piergiorgio Odifreddi|language=Italian|accessdate=2006-10-09}}</ref>
* [[Bertrand Russell]], (1872–1970): British philosopher and mathematician. He won the [[Nobel Prize]] in [[Literature]] in 1950. Though he considered himself an agnostic in a purely philosophical context, he said that the label ''atheist'' conveyed a more accurate understanding of his views in a popular context.<ref>Russell said: "As a philosopher, if I were speaking to a purely philosophic audience I should say that I ought to describe myself as an Agnostic, because I do not think that there is a conclusive argument by which one prove that there is not a God. On the other hand, if I am to convey the right impression to the ordinary man in the street I think I ought to say that I am an Atheist... None of us would seriously consider the possibility that all the gods of Homer really exist, and yet if you were to set to work to give a logical demonstration that Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, and the rest of them did not exist you would find it an awful job. You could not get such proof. Therefore, in regard to the Olympic gods, speaking to a purely philosophical audience, I would say that I am an Agnostic. But speaking popularly, I think that all of us would say in regard to those gods that we were Atheists. In regard to the Christian God, I should, I think, take exactly the same line." [http://www.luminary.us/russell/atheist_agnostic.html Am I an Agnostic or an Atheist?], from ''Last Philosophical Testament 1943–1968'', (1997) Routledge ISBN 0-415-09409-7.</ref>
* [[Jean-Paul Sartre]] (1905–1980): [[France|French]] [[existentialism|existentialist]] [[philosopher]], [[playwright|dramatist]] and [[novelist]] who declared that he had been an atheist from age twelve. Although he regarded God as a self-contradictory concept, he still thought of it as an ideal toward which people strive.<ref>{{cite web | last = Kimball | first = Roger | title = The World According to Sartre| | publisher = The New Criterion | date = 2000 | url = http://www.newcriterion.com/archive/extras/sartre.htm | accessdate = 2006-11-12 }}</ref> He rejected the [[Nobel Prize]] for [[Literature]] in 1964. According to Sartre, his most-repeated summary of his existentialist philosophy, "[[Existence precedes essence]]," implies that humans must abandon traditional notions of having been designed by a divine creator.<ref>{{cite web | last = Kemerling | first = Garth | title = Sartre: Existential Life | work = Philosophy Pages | publisher = Britannica Internet Guide Selection | date = October 27, 2001 | url = http://www.philosophypages.com/hy/7e.htm | accessdate = 2006-11-12 }}</ref>
*[[Peter Singer]] (1946—): [[Australia]]n [[utilitarianism|utilitarian]] [[philosopher]], proponent of [[animal rights]], and Ira W. DeCamp Professor of [[Bioethics]] at [[Princeton University]].<ref>{{cite news | first = Joyce Howard | last = Price | title = Princeton bioethicist argues Christianity hurts animals | url = http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_go1637/is_200207/ai_n7080814 | work = The Washington Times | date = 4 July 2002| quote =I am an atheist.}}</ref>
===Politics and law===
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[[Image:Charles Bradlaugh.jpg|thumb|right|100px|[[Charles Bradlaugh]].]]
* [[Shulamit Aloni]] (1928—): [[Israeli]] politician and left-wing activist.She served as Israel's minister of education from 1992 to 1993.<ref>[http://www.celebatheists.com/index.php?title=Shulamit_Aloni celebatheists.com]</ref>
* [[Charles Bradlaugh]] (1833–1891): Political activist and one of the most famous [[England|English]] atheists of the [[19th century]].<ref>Bradlaugh professes and defends atheism in his essay ''[http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/charles_bradlaugh/plea_for_atheism.html A Plea For Atheism]''.</ref>
* [[Robin Cook]] (1946–2005): Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs of the [[United Kingdom|UK]] (1997–2001), whose funeral service was held in the [[High Kirk]] of [[Scotland]], where he was described as a "[[Presbyterian]] atheist."<ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1733157,00.html Labour Party at prayer salutes Cook the atheist], by Magnus Linklater, ''The Times'', [[13 August]] [[2005]].</ref>
* [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] (1931—): Former Soviet president and 1991 [[Nobel Laureate]] in Peace. <ref>"I am an atheist. But I... respect the feelings and the religious beliefs of each citizen." Gorbachev interview with Peter Jennings, ''[[ABC News]]'', Sept. 6, 1991, reported in ''[[The New York Times]]'', Sept. 7, 1991.</ref><ref>[http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/emmett_fields/affirmative_atheism.html Atheism: An Affirmative View (1980) by Emmett F. Fields]</ref><ref>[http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/bios/b2gorbachevm.htm hyperhistory.net]</ref>
* [[Enver Hoxha]]: (1908–1985): Communist ruler of Albania noted for implementing [[state atheism]].<ref>Sang M. Lee writes that Albania was "[o]fficially an atheist state under Hoxha..." [http://64.233.179.104/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=active&q=cache:eHDelIDZLBwJ:www.cbs.dk/centres/cees/network/pdf2000/Lee.pdf+%22enver+hoxha%22+atheist+-wikipedia Restructuring Albanian Business Education Infrastructure] August 2000 (Accessed 6 June 2007)</ref>
* [[Hu Jintao]] (1942—): [[President]] of the [[People's Republic of China]].<ref>Hu Jintao Stresses Publicity and Ideological Work[http://english.people.com.cn/english/200001/12/eng20000112A102.html]
</ref><ref>When atheist Hu meets proudly religious Bush[http://www.wwrn.org/article.php?idd=21089&sec=59&con=17]</ref>
* [[Aleksander Kwaśniewski]] (1954—): Former [[President of Poland]] (1995-2005). <ref>"I am an atheist and everybody knows it..." ''[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/06/04/wkwas04.xml Atheist premier attacks lack of Christianity in EU constitution]'', by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, ''The Telegraph'', [[4 June]] [[2003]].</ref>
* [[Alexander Lukashenko]] (1954—): President of [[Belarus]], self-described "Russian Orthodox atheist."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vineyardfederalway.org/pages/missions/persecution/html/Belarus.htm|title=PERSECUTION WATCH: Belarus |work=vineyardfederalway.org|accessdate=2006-09-01}}</ref>
* [[Mo Mowlam]] (1949–2005): Former [[Secretary of State for Northern Ireland]].<ref>"She had always proclaimed herself an atheist..." [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article556574.ece Times obituary: Dr Marjorie Mowlam], 19 August 2005 (Accessed 6 June 2007)</ref>
* [[Culbert Olson]] (1876–1962): American politician and Governor of California (1939–1943). <ref>The Hon. Atheist Governor: Culbert L. Olson[http://www.atheists.org/Atheism/roots/olson]</ref>
* [[Joseph Stalin]] (1879–1953): Soviet head of state.<ref>Stalin is quoted as saying "You know, they are fooling us, there is no God...all this talk about God is sheer nonsense" in E. Yaroslavsky, ''Landmarks in the Life of Stalin'', Foreign Languages Publishing House, Moscow 1940</ref>
* [[Pete Stark]], D.-Calif. (1931—): U.S. Representative. <ref>L.A.Times, March 13, 2007, by Adam Schreck.</ref>
===Science and technology===
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[[Image:Mariecurie.jpg|thumb|right|100px|[[Marie Curie|Curie]].]]
[[Image:PICT01171 crop.jpg|thumb|right|100px|[[Richard Dawkins|Dawkins]].]]
[[Image:Sigmund-Freud-1907.jpg|thumb|right|100px|[[Sigmund Freud|Freud]].]]
[[Image:James Watson.jpg|right|thumbnail|100px|[[James Watson|Watson]].]]
* [[David Baltimore]] (1938—): Professor of [[Biology]] at the [[California Institute of Technology]]. He won the [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine]] in 1975 for his work on the [[genetic]] mechanisms of viruses.<ref>A Defense of Atheism[http://www.americanscientist.org/template/BookReviewTypeDetail/assetid/54417;jsessionid=baa9...]. From this article is quite clear that Dr. David Baltimore is an atheist.</ref>
* [[Paul D. Boyer]] (1918—): [[United States|American]] [[biochemist]] and [[Nobel Laureate]] in [[Chemistry]] in 1997.<ref>Boyer, Paul. "[http://ffrf.org/fttoday/2004/march/?ft=boyer A Path to Atheism]". [[Freedom From Religion Foundation]]. Retrieved on February 3, 2007</ref>
* [[Sean M. Carroll]] (1956—): Theoretical [[cosmologist]] specializing in dark energy and [[general relativity]].<ref>Why (Almost All) Cosmologists are Atheists[http://preposterousuniverse.com/writings/nd-paper/]</ref>
* [[Francis Crick]] (1916–2004): 1962-[[Nobel Laureate|Nobel-laureate]] co-discoverer of the structure of [[DNA]], who described himself as a skeptic and an agnostic with "a strong inclination towards [[atheism]]."<ref>Francis Crick, ''What Mad Pursuit: a Personal View of Scientific Discovery'', Basic Books reprint edition, 1990, ISBN 0-465-09138-5, p. 145.</ref><ref>How I Got Inclined
Towards Atheism[http://www.positiveatheism.org/india/s1990a01.htm]</ref>
* [[Marie Curie]] (1867–1934): [[Nobel Laureate]] in [[Physics]] (1903) and [[Chemistry]] (1911). First woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize, only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different scientific disciplines.<ref>"Marie Curie's family religion was Roman Catholic, but she became an anticlerical atheist on the death of her mother and older sister." {{cite web
| author = Jone Johnson Lewis
| url = http://womenshistory.about.com/od/mariecurie/p/marie_curie.htm
| title = Biography of Marie Curie
| date = 2006
| publisher = [[About.com|About, Inc]]
| accessdate = 2006-12-19
}}</ref>
* [[Richard Dawkins]] (1941—): British [[zoologist]], [[biologist]], creator of the concepts of the [[selfish gene]] and the [[meme]]; outspoken atheist and popularizer of science, author of ''[[The God Delusion]]'' and founder of the [http://www.richarddawkins.net/ Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science].<ref>Dawkins identifies himself as an atheist in his article "A Challenge to Atheists: Come Out of the Closet," ''Free Inquiry'', Summer, 2002. Excerpt reprinted at [http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/dawkins.htm Positiveatheism.org]</ref>
* [[G. H. Hardy]] (1877–1947): a prominent [[England|English]] [[mathematician]], known for his achievements in [[number theory]] and [[mathematical analysis]].<ref>[http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/2003/10-12/60-61_ramanuju_play.shtml Hinduism Today]</ref>
* [[Richard Feynman]] (1918–1988): American [[theoretical physicist]], best known for his work in renormalizing [[Quantum electrodynamics]] and his [[path integral formulation]] of Quantum Mechanics . He won the [[Nobel Prize in Physics]] in 1965.<ref>Feynman was of [[Jewish]] birth, but described himself as "an avowed [[atheist]]" by his early youth in Freethought of the Day, Freedom From Religion Foundation, [[May 11]] [[2006]] [http://ffrf.org/day/?day=11&month=5]</ref>
* [[Paul Dirac]] (1902–1984): British [[theoretical physicist]], founder of the field of [[quantum mechanics]], predicted of the existence of [[antimatter]]. Dirac won the [[Nobel Prize in physics]] in 1933.<ref>Werner Heisenberg recollects a friendly conversation among young participants at the 1927 [[Solvay Conference]] about Einstein and [[Max Planck|Planck]]'s views on religion. Wolfgang Pauli, Heisenberg and Dirac took part in it. Among other things, Dirac said: "I cannot understand why we idle discussing religion. If we are honest - and as scientists honesty is our precise duty - we cannot help but admit that any religion is a pack of false statements, deprived of any real foundation. The very idea of God is a product of human imagination. [...] I do not recognize any religious myth, at least because they contradict one another. [...]" Pauli jokingly said: "Well, I'd say that also our friend Dirac has got a religion and the first commandment of this religion is: God does not exist and Paul Dirac is his prophet." {{cite book | authorlink = | title = Physics and Beyond: Encounters and Conversations | publisher = Harper & Row | ___location = New York | isbn=0061316229}}</ref>
* [[Sigmund Freud]] (1856–1939): Father of psychoanalysis.<ref>"[Freud and Jung] were close for several years, but Jung's ambition, and his growing commitment to religion and mysticism — most unwelcome to Freud, an aggressive atheist — finally drove them apart." ''[http://www.time.com/time/time100/scientist/profile/freud.html Sigmund Freud]'', by Peter Gay, ''The TIME 100: The Most Important People of the Century''</ref>
* [[Christer Fuglesang]] (1957—), [[Sweden|Swedish]] [[astronaut]] and [[physicist]].<ref>[http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=2597&a=593360&previousRenderType=6 ''Atlantseglaren från Bromma vill tänja gränsen mot rymden''], ''[[Dagens Nyheter]]'', December 10, 2006</ref>
* [[Vitaly Ginzburg]] (1916—): 2003 [[Nobel Laureate]] in [[Physics]].<ref>"I am an atheist, that is, I think nothing exists except and beyond nature." [http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2003/ginzburg-autobio.html Ginzburg's autobiography at Nobelprize.org]</ref>
*[[Alfred Kinsey]] (1894–1956): American biologist, sexologist and professor of entomology and zoology.<ref>"Kinsey was also shown to be an atheist who loathed religion and its constraints on sex." [http://www.washingtontimes.com/culture/20040907-113843-7598r.htm 'Kinsey' critics ready], Cheryl Wetzstein, ''The Washington Times''. (Accessed 2 February 2007)</ref>
* [[Frédéric Joliot-Curie]] (1900–1958): [[France|French]] [[physicist]] and [[Nobel Laureate]] in [[Chemistry]] in 1935.<ref>[http://www.makingthemodernworld.org.uk/people/BG.0087/]</ref>
* [[Irène Joliot-Curie]] (1897–1956): French scientist, the daughter of Marie and [[Pierre Curie]] and the wife of Frédéric Joliot-Curie, and [[Nobel laureate]] in [[Chemistry]] in 1935.<ref>[http://www.bookrags.com/Ir%C3%A8ne_Joliot-Curie Irène Joliot-Curie - Summary]. BookRags.com. Accessed February 3, 2007.</ref>
* [[Harold Kroto]] (1939—): 1996 [[Nobel Laureate]] in [[Chemistry]].<ref>Harold Kroto claims to have four "religions": humanism, atheism, amnesty-internationalism and humourism.[http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1996/kroto-autobio.html]</ref>
* [[PZ Myers]] (1957—) American biology professor at the [[University of Minnesota]] and a science blogger via his [[blog]], ''[[Pharyngula (blog)|Pharyngula]]''.<ref>"I was brought up a Lutheran, but I became an atheist" — PZ Meyers (February 14, 2007), [http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007/02/its_the_arrogance_stupid.php It's the arrogance, stupid], ''[[Pharyngula (blog)|Pharyngula]]''. Retrieved [[February 22]], [[2007]].</ref>
* [[Richard Leakey]] (1944—): Kenyan paleontologist, archaeologist and conservationist.<ref>{{cite book|last=Leakey|first=Richard|authorlink=Richard Leakey|coauthor=Virginia Morell|others=design by Kathryn Parise|title=[[Wildlife Wars: My Fight to Save Africa's Natural Treasures]]|pages=p. 257|origyear=2001|origmonth=September|id=ISBN 0-312-20626-7}}</ref>
* [[Ernst Mayr]] (1904–2005): a renowned taxonomist, tropical explorer, [[ornithologist]], historian of science, and naturalist. He was one of the 20th century's leading evolutionary [[biologists]].<ref>An appreciation of biologist Ernst Mayr (1904-2005)
[http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/may2005/mayr-m03.shtml]</ref>
* [[Jonathan Miller]] (1934—): British [[physician]], [[actor]], [[theatre]] and [[opera]] [[Music director|director]], and (latterly) [[television presenter]]. Wrote and presented the 2004 television series, ''[[Atheism: A Rough History of Disbelief]]'', exploring the roots of his own atheism and investigating the history of atheism in the world.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/atheism.shtml ''A Rough History of Disbelief''] Official BBC site describing the series</ref>
* [[Peter D. Mitchell]] (1920–1992): 1978-[[Nobel Laureate|Nobel-laureate]] British biochemist. Atheist mother, and himself atheist from age 15.<ref>Nobel Biography[http://nobelprize.org/chemistry/laureates/1978/mitchell-bio.html].</ref>
* [[Paul Nurse]] (1949—): 2001 [[Nobel Laureate]] in [[Physiology]] or [[Medicine]].<ref>"I gradually slipped away from religion over several years and became an atheist or to be more philosophically correct, a sceptical agnostic." [http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2001/nurse-autobio.html Nurse's autobiography at Nobelprize.org]</ref>
* [[Linus Pauling]] (1901–1994): [[Nobel Laureate]] in [[Chemistry]] (1954) and [[Peace]] (1962). He is also considered by many to be the greatest chemist of the 20th century.<ref>Linus Pauling, in private, was an atheist.[http://www.ulg.ac.be/lcfi/laszlo/Pauling.html]</ref>
* [[Steven Pinker]] (1954—): American psychologist.<ref>"I never outgrew my conversion to atheism at 13, but at various times was a serious cultural Jew." {{cite news | last = The Guardian Profile | title=Steven Pinker: the mind reader | date=[[November 6]], [[1999]] | publisher=[[The Guardian|Guardian News and Media Limited]] | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,3926387,00.html | accessdate = 2006-12-10}}</ref>
* [[Amartya Kumar Sen]] (1933—): 1998 [[Nobel Laureate]] in [[Economics]].<ref>Reported lecture [http://www.facinghistory.org/Campus/reslib.nsf/Campus/reslib.nsf/themeandconceptpublic/872E6F4F8B5E996085256F8900771ED9?opendocument]</ref><ref>Self-proclaimed [http://www.chowk.com/show_article.cgi?aid=00005503&channel=gulberg] </ref><ref>World Bank [http://info.worldbank.org/etools/BSPAN/PresentationView.asp?EID=354&PID=688] </ref><ref>Press meeting [http://www.rediff.com/business/1998/dec/28sen.htm] </ref>
* [[Claude Elwood Shannon|Claude Shannon]] (1916–2001): American electrical engineer and mathematician, has been called "the father of information theory", and was the founder of practical digital circuit design theory. <ref>"Shannon described himself as an atheist and was outwardly apolitical." William Poundstone, ''Fortune's Formula'', Hill and Wang: New York (2005), page 18.</ref>
* [[Michael Smith (chemist)|Michael Smith]] (1932–2000): British-born Canadian [[biochemist]] and [[Nobel Laureate]] in [[Chemistry]] in 1993.<ref>Smith, Michael. [http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1993/smith-autobio.html Michael Smith: Autobiography]. [[Nobel Prize]].org. Retrieved on February 3, 2007.</ref>
* [[Richard Stallman]] (1953—): [[United States|American]] [[software freedom]] [[activist]], [[hacker]], and [[software developer]].<ref>[http://www.stallman.org/extra/personal.html Stallman's former personal ad]</ref>
* [[Leonard Susskind]] (1940—): [[United States|American]] [[theoretical physicist]]. He was one of the founding fathers of [[Superstring theory]] and he is a professor of [[theoretical physics]] at [[Stanford University]].<ref>In a review of Susskind's book ''The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design'', Michael Duff writes that Susskind is "a card-carrying atheist." [http://physicsweb.org/articles/review/18/12/3 Life in a landscape of possibilities], December 2005. (Accessed 30 May 2007)</ref>
* [[Linus Torvalds]] (1969—): [[Finland|Finnish]] [[software engineer]], creator of the [[Linux kernel]]. <ref>"[I am] Hmmm, completely a-religious--atheist. I find that people seem to think religion brings morals and appreciation of nature. I actually think it detracts from both.." [http://www.linuxjournal.com/node/3655/print] - interview of Torvalds performed by the [[Linux Journal]]. Retrieved on [[2007-01-18]].''</ref>
* [[James D. Watson]] (1928—), 1962-[[Nobel laureate|Nobel-laureate]] co-discover of the structure of [[DNA]], identified as an atheist in a ''[[Newsweek]]'' commentary by his acquaintance, Rabbi Marc Gellman.<ref>''[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12498143/site/newsweek/ Trying to Understand Angry Atheists: Why do nonbelievers seem to be threatened by the idea of God?]'', by Rabbi Marc Gellman, Newsweek, 28 April 2006 (Accessed 11 November 2006)</ref>
===Visual Arts===
* [[Mitch Clem]] (1982—): American [[cartoonist]] and [[webcomic]] author.<ref>"The thing is that, as an athiest{{sic}}, I don't BELIEVE in Satan." — {{cite web | last = Clem | first = Mitch | authorlink = Mitch Clem | title = Tour V | work = [[San Antonio Rock City]] | date = [[February 13]], [[2006]] | url = http://www.mitchclem.com/rockcity/index.php?comic=15 | accessdate = 2006-01-03}}</ref>
* [[Alexander McQueen]] (1969—): English fashion designer.<ref>[http://www.celebatheists.com/index.php?title=Alexander_McQueen celebatheists.com]</ref>
* [[Normal Bob Smith|"Normal" Bob Smith]] (1969—): American graphic artist, who prompted controversy with his creation of [[Jesus Dress Up]].<ref> Smith's explanation of his atheism to a hate mailer on his website [http://www.normalbobsmith.com/hatemail202.html]</ref>
==See also==
* [[List of former atheists]]
* [[Lists of people by belief]]
* [[List of agnostics]]
* [[List of humanists]]
* [[List of nontheists]]
==Footnotes, citations and references==
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
<references/>
</div>
<div class="references-small">
*{{note_label|BBC-a|BBC 2006|a}}{{cite web
| author = BBC
| authorlink = BBC
| title = Ethics and Religion - Atheism
| url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/atheism/
| accessdate = 2006-10-22
| publisher = [[bbc.co.uk]]}}
*{{note_label|Cline1-a|Cline 2006a|a}}{{cite web
| last = Cline
| first = Austin
| title = What Is the Definition of Atheism?
| url = http://atheism.about.com/od/definitionofatheism/a/definition.htm
| accessdate = 2006-10-21
| year = 2006
| publisher = [[about.com]]}}
*{{note_label|Lyngzeidetson|Lyngzeidetson 2003|none}}{{cite book
| last = Lyngzeidetson
| first = Albert
| title = [[Comparative religion|Comparative Religions]]: A Guide to World Religions
| publisher = [[QuickStudy]]: BarCharts, Inc
| year = 2003
| id = ISBN 1-57222-744-3}}
*{{note_label|OED-a|Oxford English Dictionary 1989|a}}{{cite book
| title = [[Oxford English Dictionary|The Oxford English Dictionary]]
| edition = Second Edition
| year = 1989
| publisher = Oxford University Press, USA
| id = ISBN 0-19-861186-2}}
*{{note_label|Stein1980-a|Stein 1980, p. 3|a}}{{note_label|Stein1980-b|Stein 1980, p. 3|b}} {{cite book
| editor = Stein, Gordon
| title = An Anthology of Atheism and Rationalism
| publisher = New York: Prometheus
| year = 1980}}
</div>
{{atheism}}
[[Category:Lists of people by belief|Atheists]]
[[Category:Atheists|* ]]
[[Category:Atheism]]
[[Category:People by former religion| ]]
[[es:Lista de ateos]]
[[eo:Listo de ateistoj]]
[[fa:فهرست ناخداباوران]]
[[it:Lista di personalità importanti per l'ateismo]]
[[hu:Ateista gondolkodók listája]]
[[nl:Lijst van prominente atheïsten]]
[[pt:Lista de ateus]]
[[fi:Luettelo ateisteista]]
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