Atheism in Five Minutes - Teemu Taira
13. Were There Atheists in Ancient Greece and Rome?
Atheism in Five Minutes - Teemu Taira
Ramón Soneira Martínez [+]
University of Erfurt
Description
Historical studies on atheism have opened the debate to analyse atheistic positions in "pre-modern" historical contexts. This chapter continues that path by questioning whether we can observe "atheists" in the Greco-Roman context. This exercise cannot be carried out without questioning the concepts we currently have associated with atheism. Having discussed the differences between modern and ancient terms, we can now venture to analyse atheistic positions in the ancient world. Did the word "atheist" exist in the Greek and Latin language? Were there people who identified themselves as "atheists"? Were there movements that questioned the existence of gods in the Greek philosophical schools? The chapter gives a succinct answer to all these questions.