Richard Dawkins: Perhaps the most famous atheist of our times

By Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times

Richard Dawkins writes in his book, the God Delusion: “Being an atheist is nothing to be apologetic about. On the contrary, it is something to be proud of, standing tall to face the far horizon, for atheism nearly always indicates a healthy independence of mind and, indeed, a healthy mind.”

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, cultural critic, composer, poet, philologist, and Latin and Greek scholar whose work has exerted a profound influence on modern intellectual history.^{[11][12][13][14][15]} He began his career as a classical philologist before turning to philosophy. He became the youngest ever to hold the Chair of Classical Philology at the University of Basel in 1869 at the age of 24.^[16] Nietzsche resigned in 1879 due to health problems that plagued him most of his life; he completed much of his core writing in the following decade.^[17] In 1889 at age 44, he suffered a collapse and afterward, a complete loss of his mental faculties.^[18]

Friedrich Nietzsche said about atheism, “When you stare into the abyss the abyss stares back at you.” To me it means that atheism creates a hollow, an empty space that over decades or generations leads to a hollow in our souls, leading to loss of meaning and purpose of life.

Friedrich Nietzsche. The Muslim Times has the best coverage on atheism

Who is right? Could both Dawkins and Nietzsche be right in different dimensions and perspectives?

Read further on page 24 of this publication: Muslim Sunrise Winter 2007 Volume

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