What Is “New” about Contemporary Western New Atheism

New Atheism is a contemporary transmutation of traditional atheism, a cultural phenomenon that emerged in the early 21st century in Britain and the United States but is not confined to them. Compared with traditional atheism (classical atheism, modern atheism), New Atheism is regarded as blind and radical, as “old wine in new bottles,” as a cultural trend driven by powerful economic interests such as the publishing industry, and even as a “fundamentalism” masquerading as science. In the face of fierce attacks and criticism, New Atheists hold firm and radical positions, with clear views on worldview, epistemology, and especially moral issues. Despite their own theoretical and practical limitations, while constructing group identity and political strategy, they also actively highlight their identity and discursive power in the public sphere and the ideological domain.

新无神论是传统无神论的当代嬗变，是21世纪初产生于英美而又不局限于英美的一种文化现象。与传统无神论（经典无神论、现代无神论）相比，新无神论被认为是盲目和激进的、是“旧瓶装新酒”、是一种受出版业等强大经济利益驱使的文化潮流，甚至是假科学之名的“原教旨主义”等等。在来势汹汹地攻击和批判面前，新无神论者立场坚定且激进，在世界观、认识论尤其是道德问题上观点鲜明，尽管有其自身的理论与现实局限性，但在构建群体身份认同和政治战略的同时，也积极凸显其在公共领域和意识形态领域的身份及话语权。

In fact, the adjective “new” in the term “New Atheism” implies a historical dimension. “New” itself encompasses both breakthrough and creation, indicating a break with tradition while also responding to the latest changes of the times.

事实上，“新无神论”一词中的形容词“新”意指一种历史的维度。“新”本身兼具突破和创建，即表明打破传统之意，也回应时代的最新变化。

I. A New Posture: Unprecedented Boldness and Courage

一、新姿态：空前的胆识与勇气

The term “New Atheism” appeared in late summer and early autumn of 2006. When discussing the origin of the term “New Atheism,” Thomas Zenk critically argued that New Atheism was merely a random label adopted by the media, not determined by its intrinsic essence, and that its formation was a disorderly process. He believed that when Harris’s *The End of Faith* was published in 2004 and Dennett’s *Breaking the Spell* in 2006, no critic had yet used the term “New Atheism.” It was only after the publication of Dawkins’s *The God Delusion* in August–September 2006 that the term appeared; that is, two years after *The End of Faith* was published, these books were retrospectively called “New Atheist” works. Amid a chorus of doubt and attack, the term entered public discourse not only in the United States but also in countries such as France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Poland, Finland, and Germany, sparking fierce public debate. It reached its peak between 2007 and 2009, and its influence has continued to the present day.

“新无神论”一词出现在2006年的夏末秋初。托马斯·岑克在谈到“新无神论”术语的由来时批判性地认为新无神论只是媒体报道时采用的随机称呼，不是由其内在的本质决定的，其形成也是一个散乱无章的过程。他认为当2004年哈里斯的《信仰的终结》和2006年丹尼特的《打破魔咒》发表时，还没有评论家运用“新无神论”这一术语。仅仅是在2006年8-9月份道金斯的《上帝的错觉》出版之后这一术语才出现，也即是在《信仰的终结》出版后的两年这些书才被回顾性地称为“新无神论”著作。在一片质疑和攻击声中，该术语不但在美国也在法国、意大利、西班牙、瑞典、波兰、芬兰和德国等国家进入公众话语，并引发激烈的公开辩论，在2007至2009年间达到鼎盛期，其影响一直持续至今。

Many critics of New Atheism, including some theologians, philosophers, and scientists, argue that New Atheism is merely a review and popularization of traditional atheist ideas, with nothing original or groundbreaking. The theologian Haught points out that New Atheism is not new and that its theory is quite weak. Haught believes that New Atheism is rehashing arguments already made by David Hume and his followers in the 18th century, and that the challenges to religion posed by Nietzsche, Sartre, Camus, and other modern existentialist atheists are far more powerful than those of New Atheism. Amid various criticisms and accusations, the critic of New Atheism Ganssle strives to objectively present the internal contradictions of New Atheism in order to provide a way of thinking about God, but in the process of philosophically critiquing it, he has to admit that New Atheists have already shed the sense of loss expressed in Bertrand Russell’s *Why I Am Not a Christian*, arguing that Russell betrayed some of the aspirations of atheists and that something important had been lost to some extent. In Ganssle’s view, this important thing is the boldness and courage of the New Atheists.

很多新无神论的批评者包括一些神学家、哲学家和科学家认为新无神论只是对传统无神论观念的回顾和通俗化，没有什么原创或突破性。神学家霍特指出新无神论并不新，其理论相当薄弱。霍特认为新无神论是在重新讨论18世纪大卫·休谟及其追随者等人已经提出的论点，尼采、萨特、加缪和其他现代存在主义无神论对宗教的挑战比新无神论要强大得多。在各种批判和指控声中，新无神论的批评者甘赛尔则力图客观展示新无神论内在的矛盾以提供思考上帝的方式，但在对其进行哲学批判的过程中又不得不承认新无神论者已然摆脱了波特兰·罗素在《为什么我不是基督徒》著作中所表现出的失落感，认为罗素背叛了无神论者的一些愿望，在某种程度上重要的东西已经丢失。在甘赛尔看来，这种重要的东西就是新无神论者的胆识和勇气。

Harris’s *The End of Faith* (2004) was the most targeted critical work on Islam after the 9/11 attacks. At that time, Christians might have secretly congratulated themselves that Harris’s arguments about the dangers of religious belief did not apply to them at all. However, in 2006, in *Letter to a Christian Nation*, Harris dealt Christianity a merciless blow. That same year, the publication of Dawkins’s *The God Delusion* was seen as a “brilliant” challenge to belief in God and remained on the *New York Times* bestseller list for 51 weeks, regarded as “a landmark text for atheists worldwide.” Subsequently, Dawkins established the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science and created a website named after himself, becoming a core figure in the New Atheist movement. Also in that year, Dennett’s insightful *Breaking the Spell* was published, issuing a call to study religion scientifically. The following year, in 2007, Hitchens’s atheist work *God Is Not Great* sparked even more heated debates on religious issues. The New Atheist Myers even proposed that atheism is not only a positive interpretation of the world based on scientific thought but also urged atheists to “be proud not of what you deny but of what you affirm.” The publication of Hirsi Ali’s memoir *Infidel* brought profound shock to people in English-speaking countries. Ali’s descriptions of female genital mutilation, forced marriage, and the enslavement of women in Islam represent the most profound attention to date on how religious beliefs undermine women’s lives.

2004年哈里斯的《信仰的终结》是9·11 事件之后对伊斯兰教最具针对性的批判性著作。此时，基督徒可能正暗自庆幸哈里斯关于宗教信仰危险的论点根本不适用于他们，然而2006 年，在《给基督教国家的信》中，哈里斯就毫不留情地给了基督教当头一棒。同年，道金斯《上帝的错觉》一书的出版被认为是对上帝信仰的“精彩”挑战，并在《纽约时报》畅销书排行榜上停留了 51 周，被看作是“全球无神论者的标志性文本”。随后，道金斯成立了“理查德·道金斯理性和科学基金会”，还创立了以自己名字命名的网站，一跃成为新无神论运动的核心人物。仍然是这一年，丹尼特富有洞察力的《打破魔咒》问世，发出要科学研究宗教的号召。之后的2007年希钦斯的无神论著作《上帝并不伟大》更是引发了对宗教问题的激烈争论。新无神论者迈尔斯甚至提出无神论不仅是基于科学思想的一种对世界的积极解释，他还规劝无神论者，“不是为你否定的而是要为你所信仰的而骄傲”。希尔西·阿里的回忆录《异教徒》的出版更是给英语国家的人们带来了深深地震撼。阿里对切割女性生殖器、强迫婚姻以及伊斯兰教中受奴役的妇女的描述，是迄今为止对宗教信仰如何破坏女性生活的最深刻关注。

In short, unlike other contemporary freethinkers, New Atheists never pretend to be neutral observers; they try to convince people that not only are “the core assertions of religion false, but Western culture gives religion too much respect.” Unlike traditional atheism, New Atheists do not attempt to encourage compromise with theism but instead adopt a posture of rejecting moderate forms of religion. They argue that moderate believers, while not flying planes into skyscrapers, unwittingly become a protective umbrella for religious extremism, because moderate religion cannot solve real problems and is itself part of the problem. This view is naturally unacceptable to other atheists and secular humanists, which to some extent reflects the combative, uncompromising posture of the New Atheists.

总之，与其他同时代的自由思想者不同的是，新无神论者从来不假装成中立的观察者，他们试图说服人们相信不但“宗教的核心断言是错误的，而且西方文化给予了宗教过多的尊重”。不像传统无神论，新无神论者并不试图鼓励人们与有神论相妥协，而是采取了拒绝温和的宗教形式的姿态，他们认为温和的信徒虽然不会乘飞机撞入摩天大楼，却无形中成了宗教极端主义的保护伞，因为温和的宗教并不能解决现实问题，他们本身恰是问题的一部分。这种观点自然被其他无神论者、世俗人文主义者所不容,这也从某种程度上反映出新无神论者战斗的、不妥协的姿态。

II. A New Form: The Boost of New Media

二、新形式：新媒体的助推

Compared with traditional atheism, the internet provides a more convenient platform for the dissemination of New Atheist ideas. Through this platform, the reach of New Atheism is broader, cultivating a large number of “invisible” atheist communities. From “Humanist African Americans” to “Young Freethinkers,” the link page of Dawkins’s website once listed about 150 secularist websites. In addition, the number of atheist websites, forums, blogs, virtual communities, chat rooms, videos, and print exchange networks has increased, providing a platform for communication and a sense of spiritual belonging for non-religious believers who are scattered and dare not openly identify as atheists, so that they no longer feel isolated. At the same time, new media communication methods have become a new medium for the spread of atheism. Compared with traditional media, the interactivity between atheist groups and individuals has increased, and communication methods have become more direct and convenient. Whether atheists or other non-religious individuals and groups, all can become disseminators of atheist ideas and concepts. These groups and individuals can, through massive copying and reposting, instantly boost the influence of topics they care about, with faster dissemination speed, stronger timeliness, and wider diffusion. Therefore, in the era of new media, the internet is not only a space for interpreting the world but also an active space and “place” of production. In the past decade, many important atheist movements in the United States, especially the Secular Coalition of America, have continuously launched coordinated actions to separate church and state and campaigns against discrimination against atheists through emerging media such as the internet. Research shows that on the issue of presidential elections, secularists are more likely than religious believers to use information networks.

与传统无神论相比，互联网为新无神论思想的传播提供了更为便捷的平台。通过这个平台新无神论的传播范围更广，培育了大量 “隐形”的无神论者共同体。从“人文主义的非裔美国人”到“年轻人自由思想”,道金斯网站的链接页面曾列出了大约150个世俗论者网站。此外，无神论的网站、论坛、博客、虚拟社区、聊天室、视频、印刷品交易网等也数量增多，使零散的、不敢公开承认无神论者身份的非宗教信仰者找到了交流的平台和心灵的归属，不再感到孤独。同时，新媒体交流方式也已成为无神论传播的新介质。与传统媒体相比，无神论者团体和个人之间的互动性增强、交流方式更加直接和便捷，无论是无神论者抑或其他非宗教信仰的个人和团体都能够成为无神论思想和观念的传播者。这些团体和个人可以通过大量的复制、转帖,在瞬间推动其关心的话题的影响力，传播速度更快、时效更强、扩散范围更广。因此，新媒体时代互联网不仅是一种解释世界的空间而且也是一种积极的生产空间和“场所”。在过去十年中，美国有很多重要的无神论者运动，尤其是美国世俗联盟（Secular Coalition of America），都是通过互联网等新兴媒体不断发起协调政教分离的行动和反对歧视无神论者的运动。有研究表明，在总统竞选这一问题上世俗主义者比宗教信徒更可能利用信息网络。

Well-known atheist blogs and websites have become new battlegrounds for atheists. The top five atheist, agnostic, and skeptic blogs on the internet were once Pharyngula, Friendly Atheist, Cynical-C, Debunking Christianity, and Atheist Media Blog. A Google search using the terms “atheism,” “atheist,” “new atheism,” and “secular humanism” yields numerous related websites and blogs; in particular, the blog of New Atheist P.Z. Myers and the YouTube videos of “Thunderf00t” are two of the most popular core secularist sites. These relatively influential websites also feature special sections on atheism versus theism, science forums, the evolution of life, etc., collecting a large number of videos by rationalists and freethinkers on the universe, especially some video materials by New Atheists Dawkins, Hitchens, and Harris. They also include famous quotes from historically renowned atheists and a directory of agnostics, skeptics, freethinkers, etc., and sell atheist works and related materials. In short, online atheist resources have become an important component of secular culture in contemporary Western society, promoting the widespread dissemination of New Atheism.

知名的无神论博客、网站成为了无神论者的新阵地。互联网上曾排名前五的无神论者、不可知论者以及怀疑论者博客分别是Pharyngula、Friendly Atheist、Cynical-C、Debunking Christianity、Atheist Media Blog。如果通过谷歌搜索使用术语“无神论”、“无神论者”、“新无神论”和“世俗人文主义”的链接，可以看到很多相关网站和博客，特别是新无神论者迈尔斯（P.Z.Myers）的博客和“Thunderfoot”的YouTube视频,是两个最受欢迎的关于世俗主义的核心网站。这些具有相对影响力的网站还设有无神论与有神论、科学论坛、生命的进化等专题，搜集了大量关于宇宙的理性主义者和自由思想者的视频，特别是新无神论者道金斯、希钦斯和哈里斯的一些视频资料，还附有历史上著名无神论者的名言警句以及不可知论者、怀疑论者、自由思想者等的名人录，同时还出售无神论著作以及与无神论相关的资料等。总之，网络上的无神论资源已经成为当前西方社会世俗文化的一个重要组成部分，推动了新无神论的广泛传播。

If globalization and the internet have facilitated the transnational flow of religion, then similarly, globalization and the internet have also played a powerful role in the transnational flow of atheism and in online atheism or the online dissemination of atheism. The advent of the new media era has granted atheists enormous choice; they can freely express their positions, views, and demands, find “like-minded” atheist organizations and individuals in virtual space, and leverage the interactive and instantaneous advantages of internet technology to interact without the constraints of time and space. In the process of frequent interaction and exchange, non-believers or those with weak faith will inevitably develop, to a certain extent, a common view of religious theism. As mutual exchanges gradually increase, the sense of mutual identity among participants will further strengthen, thereby laying the necessary ideological and organizational foundation for the eventual formation of new atheist groups and organizations. The widespread application of new media technologies, primarily the internet, provides material support for the realization of genuine atheist freedom of speech [2]2 The Chinese term “YLZY” is a pinyin abbreviation for “言论自由” (yánlùn zìyóu), meaning “freedom of speech.” and boosts the spread and development of New Atheist thought—something traditional atheism could never match.

如果说全球化和互联网助推了宗教的跨国流动，那么同样，全球化和互联网在无神论的跨国流动以及网络无神论或网络传播无神论方面也起到了有力的推动作用。新媒体时代的到来赋予了无神论者巨大的选择权，他们可以自由地说出自己的立场、观点和诉求,在虚拟空间中寻找到“志同道合”的无神论组织和个人,而且还可以利用互联网技术的交互性和即时性优势,不受时空限制地进行互动，而在频繁的互动和交流过程中,不信仰者或信仰不坚定者必然会在一定程度上产生对宗教有神论的共同看法,随着相互交流的逐渐增多,参与者之间在身份上的相互认同感也会进一步增强,从而为新的无神论者群体和组织的最终形成奠定必要的思想和组织基础。以互联网为主的新媒体技术的广泛应用为真正意义上的无神论者YLZY的实现提供了物质支持,并对新无神论思想的传播和发展起到了助推作用，而这都是传统无神论所无法比拟的。

III. New Goal: Identity Construction and Expression of Political Demands

三、新目标：身份建设和政治诉求表达

New Atheists defend secular liberal values in a radical manner, opposing the rising tide of religious fanaticism. New Atheism researcher Stephen Drew argues that New Atheism is not merely about attitudes toward God or the relationship between religion and science; its core is a profound political phenomenon. New Atheism is not simply a reassertion of atheism or a marketing concept, but an effort to deconstruct the close integration of religious theocracy and politics, and to voice opinions on specific social, political, economic, and cultural issues, highlighting the identity status and values of a minority culture.

新无神论者以激进的方式保卫世俗的自由主义价值观，以反对正在兴起的宗教狂热潮流。新无神论的研究者斯蒂芬·德鲁认为，新无神论不仅仅是关于上帝的态度或宗教与科学的关系，其核心是一种深刻的政治现象。新无神论不仅仅是无神论的再主张，也不仅仅是一种营销观念，而是力图解构宗教神权与政治的紧密结合，并在社会、政治、经济、文化等具体问题上发声，凸显其少数派文化的身份地位以及价值观念。

Identity construction is a primary goal of the New Atheist movement. Mary Bernstein has used concepts such as “identity deployment,” “identity strategy,” and “political identity” to describe the ideals and goals of atheists, while gaining recognition from mainstream ideology is the cultural goal of the New Atheist movement. “Identity is not strictly a cultural tool, but the expression of identity can be effectively utilized as a political strategy, aimed at cultural or political goals.”

身份建设是新无神论运动的主要目标。玛丽·伯恩斯坦曾用“身份效用”( identity deployment)、“身份策略”（identity strategy）和“政治身份”（political identity）等概念来形容无神论者的理想和目标，而获得主流意识形态的认可则是新无神论运动的文化目标。“身份不是严格的文化工具，但身份的表达作为一种政治策略可以被有效利用，其目的在于文化或政治目标。”

Research shows that American atheists possess psychological mechanisms that may influence politics. Compared to theists, they are less authoritarian and prejudiced, less dogmatic, less conformist, more tolerant and open on religious issues, and more likely to be politically independent, thereby supporting progressive, liberal values and political activities. Atheists and conservative Christians struggle over issues such as government intervention in social policy and moral issues, each expanding their political influence. This is not because atheists and conservative Christians are inherently political, but because both attempt to draw moral boundaries using their worldviews and vigorously influence cultural and political processes. New Atheists also work to promote the separation of church and state, believing that religious figures taking over government could produce theocracy or even divert government resources to religious groups; therefore, they seek to curb and eliminate religious influence in government and public life. Atheists consider science and reason as the best guide for social and political paths. New Atheists also demonstrate their political progressiveness by supporting abortion rights, same-sex marriage, opposing the death penalty, supporting gun control, stem cell research, and other actions; even politically conservative atheists do not support political conservatism.

研究表明，美国的无神论者有着可能影响政治的心理机制。与有神论者相比，他们更少专制和偏见、不教条、不墨守成规, 在宗教问题上更加宽容和开放，也更有可能在政治上独立，进而支持进步的、自由主义的价值观和政治活动。无神论者和保守基督徒在干预政府的社会政策和道德议题等方面进行斗争，他们不断扩大着各自的政治影响，这并不是因为无神论者和保守的基督徒在本质上都是政治的，而是因为他们都试图用自己的世界观划出道德边界并极力影响文化和政治进程。新无神论者还致力于推动政教分离，因为宗教人士接管政府会产生神权政治甚至可能使得政府资源流入宗教团体，因此要抑制和消除宗教在政府和公共生活中的影响，而无神论者认为以科学和理性为指导才是最好的社会政治路径。新无神论者还通过支持堕胎、同性婚姻、反对死刑、支持枪支控制、干细胞研究等行动表明自身的政治进步，即使是在政治上偏保守的无神论者也不支持政治保守主义。

The political power of religion in the United States has already stirred a wave of resistance in Western society. As one of the opposition groups, New Atheists, though still politically somewhat inert, have gained significant influence. However, due to the deep-rooted social and cultural influence of religion in the United States, atheists remain marginalized in many respects. To a large extent, atheists are still regarded as immoral infidels, and the growing atheist population is seen as a threat to the dignity of the political community. In this situation, it is imperative for New Atheists to change American society through political efforts to safeguard the secular public sphere. As the manifesto of the American Atheists organization states: “Our vision is to change society into one that understands and respects atheists; supports and respects worldviews based on reason, empiricism, and naturalistic values; and respects and protects the separation of church and state, the Constitution, and the basic human rights of atheists.” Therefore, compared to traditional atheism, the New Atheist movement is no longer confined to academia and the intellectual class; it is gaining broader legitimacy and unprecedented group solidarity.

美国宗教的政治势力已经在西方社会激起一股反抗潮流。新无神论者作为反对派之一虽然在政治上仍具有一定的惰性，但也取得了很大的影响力。但由于美国宗教的社会和文化影响根深蒂固,无神论者在很多方面仍被边缘化。在很大程度上，无神论者甚至仍被认为是不道德的异教徒，不断壮大的无神论群体也被视为是对政治共同体尊严的威胁。在这种境况下，对于新无神论者来说，通过政治努力改变美国社会以维护世俗的公共领域势在必行。正如美国无神论者联盟的宣言所说：“我们的愿景是把社会改变成理解和尊重无神论者的社会；支持和尊重基于理性、经验主义和自然主义价值的世界观；尊重和保护政教分离、宪法以及无神论者的基本人权。”因此，与传统无神论相比，新无神论运动不再局限于学术界和知识分子阶层，正在获得更广泛的合法性和前所未有的群体团结。

IV. New Choice: A Possible Way of Life

四、新选择：一种可能的生活方式

Marx pointed out: “The degree to which a theory is realized in a country always depends on the degree to which the theory meets the needs of that country.” Contemporary Western New Atheism and its future development will not be determined by the subjective wishes of any individual or group, but are the result of the continuous interaction between the era’s need for atheism and the internal logic of the development of atheist thought itself. Examined from the perspective of Marxist atheism, New Atheism not only possesses its own unique zeitgeist and theoretical characteristics but also inherits, to some extent, the theory and spirit of traditional atheism, while simultaneously exhibiting a certain degree of “heterogeneity” and rupture. It is an inheritance of the Enlightenment spirit and rational spirit, a new stage in the contemporary development of Western atheism. In terms of its causes and fundamental goals, New Atheism is not merely a theoretical doctrine but also a social consciousness and cultural phenomenon. Consciously or unconsciously standing at the forefront of the new century, it is the result of the needs of the times and the push of various political forces and events. It exerts influence and plays a role in public spheres such as politics and culture, and has a particularly significant impact on the cultural choices of ordinary people. Of course, it also faces its own real-world social dilemmas.

马克思指出：“理论在一个国家实现的程度，总是取决于理论满足这个国家的需要的程度。”当代西方新无神论及其未来的发展不会以某个人或某些人的主观愿望为转移，而是无神论的时代需要以及无神论思想自身发展的逻辑不断相互作用的结果。从马克思主义无神论的视野考察，新无神论除了具有自己独特的时代精神气质以及理论特色以外，它对传统无神论既有理论和精神上的继承性, 又有某种程度上的“异质性”和断裂性，它是对启蒙精神和理性精神的继承，是西方无神论在当代发展的新阶段。而就其生成原因和根本目标来说，新无神论不仅仅是一种理论学说，还是一种社会意识和文化现象。它自觉抑或不自觉地站在新世纪的风口浪尖上，是时代的需要和各种政治力量和事件推动的结果，在政治和文化等公共领域发挥着作用和影响力，对普通民众的文化选择更是有着不一般的影响，当然，它也有其自身的社会现实困境。

From the perspective of the influence of Enlightenment spirit, New Atheism inherits the “combative spirit” of the Enlightenment movement, draws on the latest achievements in natural science and the humanities, and is a contemporary form of the development of atheism. Compared with secular humanism’s reticence toward religion, New Atheism is essentially the reflection, resistance, and challenge of a non-mainstream ideology to the mainstream ideology. Of course, the influence of New Atheism varies from country to country. The popularity of New Atheism in the United States has so disturbed Christian apologists that they have published a large number of anti-atheist books and launched fierce attacks on New Atheists. To some extent, this criticism and attack on New Atheism has actually expanded its influence. Even the liberal theologian Tina Beattie had to admit that “this form of atheism has come to define the liberal spirit of the age,” arguing that this form of thought in New Atheism needs to be taken seriously, and lamenting that scientific materialism and atheist rationalism have already captured the hearts of the intellectual class. Michael Ruse believes that “atheism has undoubtedly become a possible choice.” After the New Atheist movement, figures such as Alain de Botton and Ronald Dworkin emerged as “post-New Atheists” (also called “new new atheists”), along with a group of postmodern theologians who reflect on or deconstruct traditional theology from within theology itself. The influence of New Atheism has combined with the trends of modernization and secularization to continue stirring waves in the depths of people’s minds. In his book *Atheist Way of Life: Life Is Better Without God*, the philosopher Eric Maisel writes: “The atheist way of life is a life without God, religion, or the supernatural. This way of life integrates the traditions of secularists, humanists, scientists, freethinkers, agnostics, rationalists, and existentialists into a complete worldview.”

从启蒙精神的影响来看，新无神论远承启蒙运动的“战斗精神”，借鉴自然科学与人文科学发展的最新成果，是无神论发展的当代形式。与世俗人文主义对宗教态度的讳莫如深相比，新无神论本质上就是非主流意识形态对主流意识形态的反思、抗争和挑战。当然，新无神论在不同国家所产生的影响力也不完全相同。新无神论在美国受追捧的状况已使得基督教护教论者心烦意乱，他们出版了大量反无神论的书籍，并对新无神论者进行大肆攻击，从某种程度上来讲，这种对新无神论的批判和攻击反而扩大了其影响力。连自由派神学家蒂娜·贝蒂都不得不承认“这种无神论的形式已经引领了自由的时代精神”，认为新无神论这种思想形式需要认真对待，并感慨科学的唯物主义和无神论理性主义已然抓住了知识分子阶层的心。迈克尔·鲁斯认为，“无神论无疑成为了一种可能的选择。”新无神论运动之后，出现了像阿兰·德波顿、德沃金这样的“后新无神论者”（又称“新新无神论者”），也出现了一批从神学内部反思或者解构传统神学的后现代神学家。新无神论的影响力与现代化、世俗化潮流形成合力，继续在人们的思想深处掀起波澜。哲学博士埃里克·梅塞尔在《无神论者的生活方式：没有神的生活会更好》一书中写到：“无神论者的生活方式是没有神、宗教和超自然的生活，这种生活方式整合了世俗论者、人文主义者、科学家、自由思想者、不可知论者、理性主义者以及存在主义者的传统，形成了一个完整的世界观”。

In summary, setting aside the debate over whether the content of New Atheism is superficial or its form radical, the inner essence of New Atheism lies in the fact that, after the September 11 attacks, it is an ideological confrontation against the resurgence of religious fundamentalism and religious terrorism. It is the most radical form of contemporary Western atheist thought, representing an ideological choice beyond religious belief. The rise of New Atheism caters to the “centrist” psychology of Europeans and Americans who do not want their governments to deviate from the policy of separation of church and state and veer toward extremism. They prefer to seek a middle path between New Atheism and the religious right. To some extent, this mentality has also helped New Atheism expand its influence, thereby sparking a wave of atheism in Western countries, primarily the United Kingdom and the United States. It signifies that the cultural space and conditions of belief in which the Western social elite live have changed. The so-called “age of the awakening of atheism” is being realized as a way of life, a possible cultural choice.

总之，抛开新无神论内容是否肤浅、形式是否激进之争论，新无神论的内在本质在于，它是“9·11”事件之后，对宗教原教旨主义以及宗教恐怖主义复兴的一种意识形态对抗，是当代西方无神论思潮中最为激进的一种，它代表着一种除宗教信仰以外的意识形态选择。新无神论的兴起迎合了欧美人不希望政府背离政教分离政策走向极端主义的“中庸”心理，他们更希望在新无神论和宗教右翼之间寻求一种中间道路，这种心态某种程度上来讲其实也有利于新无神论扩大影响，并由此在英美为主的西方国家掀起了一股无神论热潮。它意味着西方社会精英阶层所生存的文化空间、信仰条件已经发生了变化，所谓“无神论的觉醒时代”正现实化为一种生活方式，一种可能的文化选择。

Online editor: Rainbow

网络编辑：彩虹