A popular view in contemporary analytic philosophy of religion is that while there are many arguments[1] for theism -- cosmological, ontological, and teleological arguments; moral arguments; arguments from consciousness; etc. (by Plantinga's lights, two dozen or so), there are only two arguments for atheism[2], viz., the problem of evil and (more recently) the problem of divine hiddenness. Indeed, some argue that the problem of divine hiddenness reduces to a version of the problem of evil, and thus that there is only one argument -- or at most, one category of argument -- for atheism.
This is a misconception. Here are over 200 arguments for atheism, spanning 28 categories:
I. Cosmological-Type Arguments
1. Epicurean cosmological arguments for naturalism
2. The argument from metaphysical infinitism/coherentism
2. The argument from metaphysical infinitism/coherentism
6. A Leibnizian-style cosmological argument against theism
7. Smith's Kalam cosmological argument for atheism
7. Smith's Kalam cosmological argument for atheism
9. A grounding-based cosmological argument from one-category ontology
10. The Spinozistic argument from negative PSR to naturalism
10. The Spinozistic argument from negative PSR to naturalism
II. Ontological-Type Arguments
17. Goff's conceivability argument for atheism
18. A minimal modal ontological argument for naturalism
19. Quantum modal realist ontological argument for naturalism
18. A minimal modal ontological argument for naturalism
19. Quantum modal realist ontological argument for naturalism
20. The ontological argument for Spinozism
21. Maitzen’s ontological argument for atheism
22. Inductive arguments against Anselmianism
23. Another ontological disproof of theism
21. Maitzen’s ontological argument for atheism
22. Inductive arguments against Anselmianism
23. Another ontological disproof of theism
26. Another argument from fine-tuning against theism (see also)
27. Atheistic teleological arguments (see also)
27. Atheistic teleological arguments (see also)
42. The problem of natural nonbelief
43. The argument from anti-religious experience and properly basic atheistic belief
43. The argument from anti-religious experience and properly basic atheistic belief
45. The argument from naturalistic explanations of religious practices
46. The argument from the ineffectiveness of prayer (see also)
47. The argument from theistic demographics
48. The common core/diversity dilemma
46. The argument from the ineffectiveness of prayer (see also)
47. The argument from theistic demographics
48. The common core/diversity dilemma
50. Smith's argument from felt meanings of the world
VI. Arguments from Morality and Moral Psychology
51. The argument from the autonomy of normative ethics
52. The argument from the autonomy of metaethics
53. The argument from normative uncertainty
VI. Arguments from Morality and Moral Psychology
51. The argument from the autonomy of normative ethics
52. The argument from the autonomy of metaethics
53. The argument from normative uncertainty
54. The argument from blameless moral ignorance
55. The argument from moral psychology
56. The argument from lack of character
57. The argument from lack of extensive empathy
58. The argument from ordinary morality
59. The argument from moral epistemology
60. The argument from meager moral fruits
55. The argument from moral psychology
56. The argument from lack of character
57. The argument from lack of extensive empathy
58. The argument from ordinary morality
59. The argument from moral epistemology
60. The argument from meager moral fruits
VII. Arguments from the Meaning of Life
63. Sartrean arguments for gravely diminished meaning in a theistic universe
63. Sartrean arguments for gravely diminished meaning in a theistic universe
66. Betenson's argument from futility in a theistic universe
67. The argument from excessive "anti-matter", or anti-meaning, in a theistic universe (see also)
67. The argument from excessive "anti-matter", or anti-meaning, in a theistic universe (see also)
VIII. Arguments from Consciousness and Personhood
73. The argument from substance dualism to non-theism
73. The argument from substance dualism to non-theism
75, 76. The problem(s) of dissociative identity disorder
77. The argument from the mind’s dependence on the brain
78. The argument from quantum mechanics against theistic accounts of personal identity, related issues
77. The argument from the mind’s dependence on the brain
78. The argument from quantum mechanics against theistic accounts of personal identity, related issues
X. Arguments from Reason
XI. Arguments from Logic
XII. Arguments from Abstract Objects
86. The argument from the uncreatability/metaphysical independence of abstracta
87. The argument from abstracta as God’s metaphysical parts
88. The argument from God’s existence as a derivative being that supervenes upon platonic modal space
89. The Benacerraf argument against God’s knowledge of abstracta
90. The argument from one-category ontology
86. The argument from the uncreatability/metaphysical independence of abstracta
87. The argument from abstracta as God’s metaphysical parts
88. The argument from God’s existence as a derivative being that supervenes upon platonic modal space
89. The Benacerraf argument against God’s knowledge of abstracta
90. The argument from one-category ontology
XIII. Arguments from the Nature of Causation
XIV. Nomological Arguments
XV. Arguments from General Ontology, Metaphysics, and Metametaphysics (that Don't Fit Neatly Into other Categories)
98. The argument from strong ontological nihilism
99. The argument from neo-Carnapian metametaphysics
100. The argument from modal normativism
101. The argument from necessitarianism
99. The argument from neo-Carnapian metametaphysics
100. The argument from modal normativism
101. The argument from necessitarianism
XVI. Epistemological Arguments
105. The argument from theism to radical skepticism
105. The argument from theism to radical skepticism
106. The argument from mitigated modal skepticism
107. The argument from epistemic permissivism
108. The argument from pragmatic encroachment
109. The argument from peer religious disagreement
107. The argument from epistemic permissivism
108. The argument from pragmatic encroachment
109. The argument from peer religious disagreement
110, 111. The problem(s) of religious luck
112. The argument from Mandevillian intelligence
113. The argument from secondary qualities against the reliability of perception
114. The argument from Bayesian theories of perception (esp. prediction error minimization theories)
115. The argument from wave function realism against the reliability of perception
116. The problem of theistic evidentialist philosophers
XVII. Arguments from Aesthetics
117. The argument from ugliness
118. The argument from revulsion
XVIII. Normative Arguments (Apart from problems of evil)
119. The argument from the impropriety of worship
120. The argument from autonomy
112. The argument from Mandevillian intelligence
113. The argument from secondary qualities against the reliability of perception
114. The argument from Bayesian theories of perception (esp. prediction error minimization theories)
115. The argument from wave function realism against the reliability of perception
116. The problem of theistic evidentialist philosophers
XVII. Arguments from Aesthetics
117. The argument from ugliness
118. The argument from revulsion
XVIII. Normative Arguments (Apart from problems of evil)
119. The argument from the impropriety of worship
120. The argument from autonomy
122. Cliffordian arguments from the impropriety of belief without sufficient evidence (and the failure of Plantinga's Reformed Epistemology)
XIX. Arguments from Divine Hiddenness and Non-Belief
123. Deductive arguments from divine hiddenness
124. Probabilistic arguments from divine hiddenness
123. Deductive arguments from divine hiddenness
124. Probabilistic arguments from divine hiddenness
126. Drange's argument from non-belief
XX. Arguments from Incoherence Within/Among the Divine Attributes and Related Matters (Incomplete. These just scratch the surface. For more, see e.g. Oppy's Describing Gods)
XX. Arguments from Incoherence Within/Among the Divine Attributes and Related Matters (Incomplete. These just scratch the surface. For more, see e.g. Oppy's Describing Gods)
129. Foreknowledge
132. Divine freedom (See also)
133. Eternity
135. Maximality
136. Perfection
137. Personhood (see also)
138. Creator and Sustainer
139. Divine consciousness
140. A new paradox of omnipotence
141. The aloneness argument
139. Divine consciousness
140. A new paradox of omnipotence
141. The aloneness argument
XXI. Arguments from Lower Comparative Prior Probability
XXII. Arguments from Explanatory Inferiority
XXIII. Arguments from Rival Supernaturalisms and/or Worldviews with Equal or Greater Explanatory Power and Related Matters
162. The problem of classical deism
179. Law's Evil-god challenge (see also)
180. The problem of the inclusive disjunction of rival supernaturalisms/worldviews
XXIV. Arguments from the Success of Naturalistic Explanations
XXV. Arguments from Private Evidence
182. Bartolome's argument from private evidence
XXVI. Arguments from Evil
182. Bartolome's argument from private evidence
XXVI. Arguments from Evil
192. The problem of infant suffering
193. The argument from flourishing/languishing
194. The Darwinian problem of evil
195. Schellenberg's new logical problem of evil
193. The argument from flourishing/languishing
194. The Darwinian problem of evil
195. Schellenberg's new logical problem of evil
198. Monaghan's new logical problem of evil
199. The argument from religious evil
200. The argument from divine evil
201. The argument from hell
202. The argument from the requirement of divine interference (see also)
199. The argument from religious evil
200. The argument from divine evil
201. The argument from hell
202. The argument from the requirement of divine interference (see also)
203. The argument from eternally separated lovers
204. The argument from inhospitable environment
205. The argument from teleological evil
204. The argument from inhospitable environment
205. The argument from teleological evil
206. The argument from evil natural laws
207. The argument from natural inequalities
208. The argument from social evil
209. The argument from insect suffering
210. The argument from tragic moral dilemmas
211. Sterba's new deductive argument from evil
212. The argument from unfairness
213. The problem of the death of most humans before the age of accountability
214. The argument from the harm of coming into existence
215. The argument from physiological horrors
216. The argument from heaven
207. The argument from natural inequalities
208. The argument from social evil
209. The argument from insect suffering
210. The argument from tragic moral dilemmas
211. Sterba's new deductive argument from evil
212. The argument from unfairness
213. The problem of the death of most humans before the age of accountability
214. The argument from the harm of coming into existence
215. The argument from physiological horrors
216. The argument from heaven
224. Morriston's problem of evil divine commands (e.g., genocide)
(See also these collections on problems of evil)
XXVII. Pragmatic/Prudential Arguments
XVIII. Cumulative case/Combinatorial Arguments
235. Oppy’s abductive cumulative case argument for naturalism
235. Oppy’s abductive cumulative case argument for naturalism
236. Leon’s abductive cumulative case argument for liberal naturalism
237. Draper’s Bayesian cumulative case argument against theism
237. Draper’s Bayesian cumulative case argument against theism
239. Various cumulative IBE arguments from large conjunctive disjuncts of 1-231.
Some things worthy of note. First, there are very many more arguments for atheism than commonly supposed. Second, while categorization is inevitably somewhat arbitrary, there are clearly very many more types of atheistic arguments than commonly supposed -- on my reckoning, 27 other types of atheistic argument besides the problem of evil. Third, the list doesn't include arguments specifically against orthodox Christianity. If it did, the list would be considerably longer. Fourth, roughly 75-80% of atheistic arguments have nothing to do with the problem of evil -- problems of evil are in the minority.
Fifth, the evidence against theism appears to be systemic -- it provides non-trivial grounds for thinking the data from virtually every major aspect of reality (e.g.: the origin, existence, and structure of the universe; consciousness; agency; morality and moral psychology; reason; logic; abstract objects; the nature of causation; the laws of nature; epistemology; religions, religious practices, and religious experience; aesthetics; the meaning of life; general ontology, metaphysics, and meta-metaphysics; and yes, suffering and hiddenness, too) points away from theism and towards some form of naturalism. One can cull very large subsets of compatible arguments from the list above to generate a variety of large abductive cumulative case arguments. Prima facie, there is very strong promise that when this is done, naturalism will embody the theoretical virtues (e.g., simplicity, scope, conservatism, etc.) better than orthodox theism. I would argue that this remains so even after throwing in all the viable data points standardly appealed to in the case for theism, in which case the relevant data renders a form of naturalism more probable than orthodox theism. (A similar point applies to taking all these data points to run a comprehensive Bayesian argument for naturalism.)
Sixth, the previous points constitute non-trivial grounds for thinking the case for atheism doesn't essentially depend on the success of the problem of evil and hiddenness, in which case theists have much more work to do besides addressing those arguments.
Finally, most people who care about arguments for and against theism are adherents of some form of orthodox religious monotheism or other. Among such groups, it's typically thought that the case for their faith must be persuasive, such that no (or almost no) mature, rational, properly functioning human being who appraised the relevant evidence could non-culpably fail to believe after assessing it (on the grounds that (i) God holds people morally responsible for their belief, and (ii) God would be less than perfectly good if he held people morally responsible for their belief if the evidence were less than persuasive). Thus, consider some rational, mature, properly functioning adult agnostic, Joe, who has strongly grasped, internalized, and carefully appraised the above arguments, as well as all the arguments for theism on the other side of the ledger. Suppose further that after long and careful reflection, Joe finds the grounds for atheism to be either stronger than those for theism, or at least, counterbalanced with them. Finally, suppose that Joe thereby either disbelieves or suspends judgement about theism. According to the group of theists specified just above, there can be no one like Joe: The evidence for orthodox monotheism is so good that for any person S, if S is a rational, mature, properly functioning agent, and (after careful reflection and deliberation) S fails to find the evidence to support theism over atheism, or if S merely finds the evidence to be counterbalanced -- or indeed, if S finds themself unable to tell, with any confidence, which way the evidence points -- then S is morally culpable for failing to believe in the relevant version of orthodox monotheism. In light of the case for atheism expressed in the arguments listed above, this looks to be implausible, if not ridiculous.
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Notes:
[1] Here and henceforth, I use the notion of an argument broadly, so as to include deductive, inductive, and abductive arguments. I also follow Richard Swinburne in recognizing the distinction between what he calls C-inductive arguments (which are arguments that raise the probabilities of their conclusions at least to some degree, although not necessarily rendering their conclusions more probable than not) and P-inductive arguments (which are arguments that raise the probabilities of their conclusions above 1/2), and include both C-inductive and P-inductive arguments to count as arguments for theism and for atheism.
[2] Here and henceforth, I follow Jeanine Diller and Paul Draper in distinguishing between global atheism (the denial of all gods) and local atheism (denial of a specific god or type of god). I'm taking the arguments in the list below to be arguments for local atheism with respect to the god of orthodox monotheism (although many arguments on the list provide at least some grounds for rejecting at least some other types of gods).