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pcaron_de's review against another edition
4.0
This is an approachable book for non-academics which, while I enjoyed the style and readability of the text, do not think it quite lived up to its promise. It is clear that atheists clearly lived and sometimes thrived in the ancient world, "battling" seems far too active a word for the denial of theism and the gods. What was even clearer, was that as important as non-believers were in Greece and Rome, they were marginalised once Catholicism was adopted as the Roman state religion and for the first time, forced people to "believe" in one faith to the exclusion of all others. This, the author demonstrates, was truly revolutionary.
All in all, however, I enjoyed this book and can recommend it to all readers interested in atheism in ancient history.
All in all, however, I enjoyed this book and can recommend it to all readers interested in atheism in ancient history.
sillypunk's review against another edition
5.0
Soooo good: https://blogendorff.com/2017/08/14/book-review-battling-the-gods-atheism-in-the-ancient-world/
davbat's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.75
Requires more knowledge and interest in ancient history than it seems, and focuses narrowly on the ancient Mediterranean. Not bad but not the pop history I was looking for.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Violence, Murder, and War
uderecife's review against another edition
4.0
If you, like me, tended to think atheism as a somewhat more recent phenomenon (a product of the European enlightenment), this book will definitely challenge your views.
The author carries us on a historical journey through ancient Greco-Roman history, providing ample examples on how atheism came to be a defensible philosophical position in late antiquity.
On the whole, the book offers an alternative reading of Ancient Philosophy on the lookout for the atheistic positions throughout the scattered and fragmentary evidence of the extant texts. This will broaden your view on how the many philosophical debates were carried, how the ideas came to be and what were ultimately their consequences to the furthering the debate.
With a solid argumentation, a clear style and a compelling narrative, this book is not only insightful as it is also entertaining, making it very easy to read and understand. Even if you do not agree with the author's speculations and liberties in the way he treats the ancient texts, you can rest assured that you will no longer view the history of philosophy in the same way.
The author carries us on a historical journey through ancient Greco-Roman history, providing ample examples on how atheism came to be a defensible philosophical position in late antiquity.
On the whole, the book offers an alternative reading of Ancient Philosophy on the lookout for the atheistic positions throughout the scattered and fragmentary evidence of the extant texts. This will broaden your view on how the many philosophical debates were carried, how the ideas came to be and what were ultimately their consequences to the furthering the debate.
With a solid argumentation, a clear style and a compelling narrative, this book is not only insightful as it is also entertaining, making it very easy to read and understand. Even if you do not agree with the author's speculations and liberties in the way he treats the ancient texts, you can rest assured that you will no longer view the history of philosophy in the same way.
jdglasgow's review against another edition
3.0
My wife has become as voracious a reader as I am and was recently selecting books to check out from the library. She opted to skip one on her “Want to Read” list because she found out it was nonfiction and she believes she dislikes nonfiction. I told her she likely didn’t, because a lot of nonfiction isn’t what you typically think of—not musty, academic, documentary-style tomes but exciting stories with narratives of their own. I was thinking of the highs of some of the nonfiction I’ve read in the past year: Cheryl Strayed’s WILD, Susan Orlean’s THE LIBRARY BOOK, and Sasha Sagan’s FOR SMALL CREATURES SUCH AS WE, which is what led me to Tim Whitmarsh’s book as Sagan included it in a list of recommendations at the end of her own book.
BATTLING THE GODS *is* what you likely think of when you imagine a nonfiction book. It’s ostensibly written for a lay audience, but it’s incredibly dry; it’s a history lesson first and foremost, reciting a list of facts and names and dates and, yes, making an argument about the role atheism played in the ancient world (specifically Greece). That mode of writing means it’s not exactly a page-turner, but I do appreciate the topic—it satisfies the reason I sought the book out to begin with. Whitmarsh is unquestionably learned, and there is certainly intrigue in the way he extrapolates from incomplete data to show the breadth of atheist leanings even in a culture not inclined to preserve those beliefs.
In fact, there is seemingly a wealth of anti-theistic or explicitly atheist arguments advanced by Greece’s great thinkers but Whitmarsh tells us the majority of scholars tend to interpret these writings as merely rhetorical, whereas he puts forth the bold argument: “What if they’re not?” He also argues that politics—by which I mean the high-profile execution of Socrates for impiety—likely caused others to be circumspect in how forthright they were willing to be about their nonbelief. He tells us that other historians think of the classical philosophers as pure academics, untouched by bias or beholden to public opprobrium, whereas he argues that to see the extent of atheism in Ancient Greece one must sometimes read between the lines at what is implied rather than said outright. It all seems very persuasive, though of course I am not an Ancient Greek scholar and therefore feel inclined to believe Whitmarsh, who presents as an authority.
So there is some interesting theory contained within the book, and I must admit the suggestion that atheism has been around since antiquity—championed by some of history’s greatest scholars and more long-lasting than Christianity (whose adherents often argue for it by pointing to its perseverance, never mind that Christianity gained its foothold largely through imperialism rather than reasoned debate)—is a heartening perspective, as an atheist reader. But the succession of names and dates is frequently hard to follow and seems repetitive at times. In parts of the book, too, the thread seems to get lost a bit as Whitmarsh focuses in on ancient Grecian culture and history more broadly, though this is understandable as it is clearly his specialty (he cites to himself on more than one occasion in the endnotes).
So, in the end I generally liked the book. It was mostly true to its premise and contained some compelling arguments. On the other hand, its educational tone and dry recitation of information made reading the book a bit of a bore in places. I’ve split the difference with three stars. That feels appropriate to me.
BATTLING THE GODS *is* what you likely think of when you imagine a nonfiction book. It’s ostensibly written for a lay audience, but it’s incredibly dry; it’s a history lesson first and foremost, reciting a list of facts and names and dates and, yes, making an argument about the role atheism played in the ancient world (specifically Greece). That mode of writing means it’s not exactly a page-turner, but I do appreciate the topic—it satisfies the reason I sought the book out to begin with. Whitmarsh is unquestionably learned, and there is certainly intrigue in the way he extrapolates from incomplete data to show the breadth of atheist leanings even in a culture not inclined to preserve those beliefs.
In fact, there is seemingly a wealth of anti-theistic or explicitly atheist arguments advanced by Greece’s great thinkers but Whitmarsh tells us the majority of scholars tend to interpret these writings as merely rhetorical, whereas he puts forth the bold argument: “What if they’re not?” He also argues that politics—by which I mean the high-profile execution of Socrates for impiety—likely caused others to be circumspect in how forthright they were willing to be about their nonbelief. He tells us that other historians think of the classical philosophers as pure academics, untouched by bias or beholden to public opprobrium, whereas he argues that to see the extent of atheism in Ancient Greece one must sometimes read between the lines at what is implied rather than said outright. It all seems very persuasive, though of course I am not an Ancient Greek scholar and therefore feel inclined to believe Whitmarsh, who presents as an authority.
So there is some interesting theory contained within the book, and I must admit the suggestion that atheism has been around since antiquity—championed by some of history’s greatest scholars and more long-lasting than Christianity (whose adherents often argue for it by pointing to its perseverance, never mind that Christianity gained its foothold largely through imperialism rather than reasoned debate)—is a heartening perspective, as an atheist reader. But the succession of names and dates is frequently hard to follow and seems repetitive at times. In parts of the book, too, the thread seems to get lost a bit as Whitmarsh focuses in on ancient Grecian culture and history more broadly, though this is understandable as it is clearly his specialty (he cites to himself on more than one occasion in the endnotes).
So, in the end I generally liked the book. It was mostly true to its premise and contained some compelling arguments. On the other hand, its educational tone and dry recitation of information made reading the book a bit of a bore in places. I’ve split the difference with three stars. That feels appropriate to me.
claire_jpg's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
dezukaful's review against another edition
2.0
A very shallow survey of the history of religion and atheism.
Wouldn't recommend to anyone with any sort of in depth knowledge of the topic
Wouldn't recommend to anyone with any sort of in depth knowledge of the topic
readinglikesappho's review against another edition
4.0
I had to read this book for my research paper so I'm counting it cause it took me like 3 days man. I actually really enjoyed it and found it really interesting if this is a topic ur interested in!
spacestationtrustfund's review against another edition
4.0
Absolutely fascinating stuff. Highly recommended.