{"product_id":"battling-the-gods-by-tim-whitmarsh-9780571279319","title":"Battling the Gods","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHow new is atheism?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eBattling the Gods\u003c\/em\u003e, Tim Whitmarsh journeys into the ancient Mediterranean to recover the stories of those who first refused the divinities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLong before the Enlightenment sowed the seeds of disbelief in a deeply Christian Europe, atheism was a matter of serious public debate in the Greek world. But history is written by those who prevail, and the Age of Faith mostly suppressed the lively free-thinking voices of antiquity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTim Whitmarsh brings to life the fascinating ideas of Diagoras of Melos, perhaps the first self-professed atheist; Democritus, the first materialist; and Epicurus and his followers. He shows how the early Christians came to define themselves against atheism, and so suppress the philosophy of disbelief.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBattling the Gods\u003c\/em\u003e is the first book on the origins of the secular values at the heart of the modern state. Authoritative and bold, provocative and humane, it reveals how atheism and doubt, far from being modern phenomena, have intrigued the human imagination for thousands of years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47595775590636,"sku":"9780571279319","price":36.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/674df22fe8fca9e61ee0c80c8d97bebc.jpg?v=1777937338","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/products\/battling-the-gods-by-tim-whitmarsh-9780571279319","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}