<p><strong>"A supremely enjoyable, intoxicating work." 鈥?lt;em>Nature</em></strong></p><br /><p>How did we come to have minds? For centuries, poets, philosophers, psychologists, and physicists have wondered how the human mind developed its unrivaled abilities. Disciples of Darwin have explained how natural selection produced plants, but what about the human mind?</p><br /><p>In <em>From Bacteria to Bach and Back</em>, Daniel C. Dennett builds on recent discoveries from biology and computer science to show, step by step, how a comprehending mind could in fact have arisen from a mindless process of natural selection. A crucial shift occurred when humans developed the ability to share memes, or ways of doing things not based in genetic instinct. Competition among memes produced thinking tools powerful enough that our minds don鈥檛 just perceive and react, they create and comprehend.</p><br /><p>An agenda-setting book for a new generation of philosophers and scientists, <em>From Bacteria to Bach and Back</em> will delight and entertain all those curious about how the mind works.</p>

<b>Should we believe in God? In this brisk introduction to modern atheism, one of the world鈥檚 greatest science writers tells us why we shouldn鈥檛.</b><br /><i><br />Richard Dawkins was fifteen when he stopped believing in God.聽<br /></i><br /> Deeply impressed by the beauty and complexity of living things, he鈥檇 felt certain they must have had a designer. Learning about evolution changed his mind. Now one of the world鈥檚 best and bestselling science communicators, Dawkins has given readers, young and old, the same opportunity to rethink the big questions.<br /><br /> In twelve fiercely funny, mind-expanding chapters, Dawkins explains how the natural world arose without a designer鈥攖he improbability and beauty of the 鈥渂ottom-up programming鈥?that engineers an embryo or a flock of starlings鈥攁nd challenges head-on some of the most basic assumptions made by the world鈥檚 religions:聽Do you believe in God? Which one? Is the Bible a 鈥淕ood Book鈥? Is adhering to a religion necessary, or even likely, to make people good to one another? Dissecting everything from Abraham鈥檚 abuse of Isaac to the construction of a snowflake, <i>Outgrowing God</i> is a concise, provocative guide to thinking for yourself.<br /><br /><b>Advance praise for <i>Outgrowing God</i></b><br /><br />鈥淢y son came home from his first day in the sixth grade with arms outstretched plaintively demanding to know: 鈥楬ave you ever heard of Jesus?鈥?聽We burst out laughing. Maybe not our finest parenting moment, given that he was genuinely distraught. He felt that he had woken up one day to a world in which his peers were expressing beliefs he found frighteningly unreasonable. He began devouring books like聽<i>The God Delusion</i>, books that helped him formulate his own arguments and helped him stand his ground<i>.聽</i>Dawkins鈥檚 new book is special in the terrain of atheists鈥?pleas for humanism and rationalism precisely since it speaks to those most vulnerable to the coercive tactics of religion.聽As Dawkins himself says in the dedication, this book is for 鈥榓ll young people when they鈥檙e old enough to decide for themselves.鈥?It is also, I must add, for their parents.鈥濃€?lt;b>Janna Levin,聽author of</b>聽<b><i>Black Hole Blues</i></b><br /> 聽<br /> 鈥淲hen someone is considering atheism I tell them to read the Bible first and then Dawkins. <i>Outgrowing God</i>鈥攕econd only to the Bible!鈥濃€?lt;b>Penn Jillette,聽author of</b>聽<b><i>God, No!</i></b>

<b>Do 鈥淚n God We Trust,鈥?the Declaration of Independence, and other historical 鈥渆vidence鈥?prove that America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles? Are the Ten Commandments the basis for American law? A constitutional attorney dives into the debate about religion鈥檚 role in America鈥檚 founding.</b><br /> 聽<br /> In today鈥檚 contentious political climate, understanding religion鈥檚 role in American government is more important than ever. Christian nationalists assert that our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian principles, and advocate an agenda based on this popular historical claim. But is this belief true? <i>The Founding Myth</i> answers the question once and for all. Andrew L. Seidel, a constitutional attorney at the Freedom from Religion Foundation, builds his case point by point, comparing the Ten Commandments to the Constitution and contrasting biblical doctrine with America鈥檚 founding philosophy, showing that the Bible contradicts the Declaration of Independence鈥檚 central tenets. Thoroughly researched, this persuasively argued and fascinating book proves that America was <i>not</i> built on the Bible and that Christian nationalism is, in fact, un-American.

A preeminent scientist鈥攁nd the world's most prominent atheist鈥攁sserts the irrationality of belief in God and the grievous harm religion has inflicted on society, from the Crusades to 9/11.<br /><br /> With rigor and wit, Dawkins examines God in all his forms, from the sex-obsessed tyrant of the Old Testament to the more benign (but still illogical) Celestial Watchmaker favored by some Enlightenment thinkers. He eviscerates the major arguments for religion and demonstrates the supreme improbability of a supreme being. He shows how religion fuels war, foments bigotry, and abuses children, buttressing his points with historical and contemporary evidence. The God Delusion makes a compelling case that belief in God is not just wrong but potentially deadly. It also offers exhilarating insight into the advantages of atheism to the individual and society, not the least of which is a clearer, truer appreciation of the universe's wonders than any faith could ever muster.

<b>Whether you're a lifelong believer, a devout atheist, or someone who remains uncertain about the role of religion in our lives, this insightful manifesto will engage you with its provocative ideas.</b><br /><br />With a close and studied reading of the major religious texts, Christopher Hitchens documents the ways in which religion is a man-made wish, a cause of dangerous sexual repression, and a distortion of our origins in the cosmos. With eloquent clarity, Hitchens frames the argument for a more secular life based on science and reason, in which hell is replaced by the Hubble Telescope's awesome view of the universe, and Moses and the burning bush give way to the beauty and symmetry of the double helix.<br /><br />In the tradition of Bertrand Russell's <i>Why I Am Not a Christian</i> and Sam Harris's <i>The End of Faith</i>, Christopher Hitchens makes the ultimate case against religion.<br /><br />

Without God, how can we have hope or make sense of such a broken world? Skeptics believe we don鈥檛 need God to understand reality, and that science and reason hold the keys to building a better world. Faith is blind, and there is no credible evidence for God鈥檚 existence鈥攅specially the God of the Bible. Science and religious belief are incompatible, and God is no longer relevant to our modern world. <br /><br />By engaging with popular atheists and skeptics, both new and old, as well as many of Christianity鈥檚 most brilliant writers, pastor and author Zachary Broom writes of how God is just as relevant to understanding the world as He鈥檚 ever been. Not only is there powerful evidence for God鈥檚 existence, but without Him, we cannot make sense of human experience. <br /><br />If there is no God, most of what we intuitively believe about reality cannot be trusted, as God is the source of all meaning, rationality, truth, beauty, and goodness. Instead of setting out to 鈥減rove鈥?God鈥檚 existence, Broom carefully and seriously engages skeptic鈥檚 doubts, relying on philosophy, science, literature, reasoning, and real-life conversations, challenging readers to believe the better worldview鈥攖he worldview that best explains reality as we know it.

<h1>Ayaan Hirsi Ali's <em>Infidel</em> meets <em>The Handmaid's Tale</em></h1><p>Since September 11th, 2001, the Western world has been preoccupied with Islam and its role in terrorism. Yet public debate about the faith is polarized鈥攐ne camp praises "the religion of peace" while the other claims all Muslims are terrorists. Canadian human rights activist Yasmine Mohammed believes both sides are dangerously wrong.</p><p>In <em>Unveiled: How Western Liberals Empower Radical Islam</em>, Yasmine speaks her truth as a woman born in the Western world yet raised in a fundamentalist Islamic home. Despite being a first-generation Canadian, she never felt at home in the West. And even though she attended Islamic schools and wore the hijab since age nine, Yasmine never fit in with her Muslim family either. With one foot in each world, Yasmine is far enough removed from both to see them objectively, yet close enough to see them honestly.</p><p>Part Ayaan Hirsi Ali's <em>Infidel</em>, part <em>The Handmaid's Tale</em>, Yasmine's memoir takes readers into a world few Westerners are privy to. As a college educator for over fifteen years, Yasmine's goal is to unveil the truth. Is FGM Islamic or cultural? Is the hijab forced or a choice? Is ISIS a representation of "true" Islam or a radical corruption? And why is there so much conflicting information? Like most insular communities, the Islamic world has both an "outside voice" and an "inside voice." It's all but impossible for bystanders to get a straight answer.</p><p>Without telling anyone what to believe, <em>Unveiled </em>navigates the rhetoric and guides truth-seekers through media narratives, political correctness, and outright lies while encouraging readers to come to their own conclusions.</p>

<b>In 2007, Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett filmed a landmark discussion about modern atheism. The video went viral. Now in print for the first time, the transcript of their conversation is illuminated by new essays from three of the original participants and an introduction by Stephen Fry.</b><br /><br /> At the dawn of the new atheist movement, the thinkers who became known as 鈥渢he four horsemen,鈥?the heralds of religion's unraveling鈥擟hristopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett鈥攕at down together over cocktails. What followed was a rigorous, pathbreaking, and enthralling exchange, which has been viewed millions of times since it was first posted on YouTube. This is intellectual inquiry at its best: exhilarating, funny, and unpredictable, sincere and probing, reminding us just how varied and colorful the threads of modern atheism are.<br /><br /> Here is the transcript of that conversation, in print for the first time, augmented by material from the living participants: Dawkins, Harris, and Dennett. These new essays, introduced by Stephen Fry, mark the evolution of their thinking and highlight particularly resonant aspects of this epic exchange. Each man contends with the most fundamental questions of human existence while challenging the others to articulate their own stance on God and religion, cultural criticism, spirituality, debate with people of faith, and the components of a truly ethical life.<br /><b><br />Praise for <i>The Four Horsemen</i></b><br /><br /> 鈥淭his bracing exchange of ideas crackles with energy. It鈥檚 fascinating to watch four first-class minds explore a rugged intellectual terrain. . . . The text affords a different, more reflective way of processing the truly vital exchange of ideas. . . . I commend the book to those seeking an honest reckoning with their religion鈥攁nd those curious about how the world looks from a rigorously naturalistic and atheistic point of view.鈥?lt;b>鈥?lt;i>Pittsburgh Post-Gazette</i></b><br /><br /> 鈥淭he full, electrifying transcript of the one and only conversation between the quartet of luminaries dubbed the 鈥榝our horsemen鈥?of the New Atheism, which took place in Washington, D.C., in 2007. Among the vast range of ideas and questions they discuss: Is it ever possible to win a war of ideas? Is spirituality the preserve of the religious? And, are there any truths you would rather not know?鈥?lt;b>鈥?lt;i>The Bookseller</i> (UK) (starred review)<br /></b>

"Finally, Wells has published his famous online resource in book form. This volume belongs in every thinking person's library--and in every hotel room in America..." <br />Sam Harris, author of the New York Times bestsellers The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation, The Moral Landscape, and Free Will.<br /><br />Reviews:<br />"A stunning achievement ... I have an entire bookshelf of bibles and biblical commentaries, concordances, appendices, and the like, but the SAB is by far the best tool for biblical research I have ever come across." --- Dr. Michael Shermer, Founding Publisher of Skeptic magazine and Executive Director of the Skeptics Society<br /><br />"I've been waiting for this book for my entire life! Finally, the Bible with organized notes and critique--pointing out the profane, the craziness, the tribalism, the murder, the incestuous episodes, and the beautiful and the sublime. All in one book!" --Julia Sweeney, Writer and performer of "Letting Go of God" and "God Said Ha!" and the book, "If It's Not One Thing, It's Your Mother"<br /><br />"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible offers an invaluable presentation of the bible that doesn't hide the cruelties, contradictions, absurdities, misogyny, and everything else that makes the 'Good Book' bad. It is an indispensable resource and the only book I keep on my desk." --Dr. Peter Boghossian, Dept. of Philosophy, Portland State University. Author of: "A Manual for Creating Atheists"

鈥?"Science can't explain the complexity and order of life; God must have designed it to be this way."<br />鈥?"God's existence is proven by scripture."<br />鈥?"There's no evidence that God doesn't exist."<br />鈥?"God has helped me so much. How could none of it be true?"<br />鈥?"Atheism has killed more people than religion, so it must be wrong!"<br /><br />How many times have you heard arguments like these for why God exists? <i>Why There Is No God</i> provides simple, easy-to-understand counterpoints to the most popular arguments made for the existence of God. Each chapter presents a concise explanation of the argument, followed by a response illustrating the problems and fallacies inherent in it. Whether you're an atheist, a believer or undecided, this book offers a solid foundation for building your own inquiry about the concept of God.