Michael Martin (Ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Atheism (Book Review‪)‬

Michael Martin (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Atheism (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007), xix + 331 pp. This timely volume appears in the midst of what many see as a resurgence of interest in and enthusiasm for atheism, a resurgence that may well result from a reaction to resurgent religious fundamentalism at home and abroad. In the words of its editor, this wide-ranging collection of eighteen original essays aims "to provide general readers and advanced students with an introduction to atheism: its history, present social context, legal implications, supporting arguments, implications for morality, and relation to other perspectives" (1). As one might infer from such an ambitious list of topics, the coverage is indeed usually at the introductory level. Nevertheless, the book does contain some resources that scholars will find valuable, and its introductory-level approach is appropriate given the book's aims.