Grant Brünner: Bassguy

I am an Atheist. There is no god. There is no afterlife.

On November 24th 1859, Charles Darwin’s magnum opus On The Origin of Species was published. This book introduced the world to the concept of evolution by natural selection. From that point on, humanity no longer needed to use the crutch of religion to explain how all modern animals, including humans, came to be. Since then, many people have defended, explained, and expounded on the idea of evolution by natural selection. Two of the most well known proponents of Darwinism are Thomas Huxley and Richard Dawkins.

Combined with the discovery of genetic inheritance by Gregor Mendel, and modern understandings of how DNA works, we now have a very, very solid understanding of how natural selection shapes evolution. It is now, by any sense of the word, a fact. Yes, evolution is labeled a “Theory,” but that is in the context of the meaning of a Scientific Theory. If you accept that gravity is true, you must accept that evolution by natural selection is true. There has never once been a shred of credible evidence to disprove it, and there is a mountain of evidence that it is true. In fact, there are thousands and thousands of intermediate fossils that showcase steps on the road of evolution. Not to mention that we can actively witness evolution over many generations of bacteria in a single human lifespan.

Many, many books have been written about why evolution by natural selection is true. An equally amazing number of books have also been written about how the concept of god and an afterlife are outstandingly unlikely to exist. Frankly, I cannot for the life of me believe that a human of at least average intelligence can read through these well reasoned arguments and still come out on the other side as a believer. At least not a true believer.

Recommended Reading

• The Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin
• On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
• The Descent of Man by Charles Darwin
• The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
• The Blind Watch Maker by Richard Dawkins
• The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins
• The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
• God Is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens
• The Moral Landscape by Sam Harris
• Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris
• The End of Faith by Sam Harris
• God, No! by Penn Jillette

Make a Difference

The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science is a great way to make a tax deductible contribution to the furthering of science and education of skeptical thinking.