Top Ten Atheists

1. Richard Dawkins

   

   Clinton Richard Dawkins is an English ethologist, evolutionary biologist, and author. He is best known for his books The Selfish Gene, The Extended Phenotype, and The God Delusion. Dawkins also coined the term "meme" in his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, though today the term is more commonly associated... read more

   One just has to admire his patience when he is arguing with all those believers. Pretty much everyone else would just give up.

   A truly brilliant man whose advocacy of reason, skepticism, and investigation over faith and complacency are inspiring and beautiful.

   One of the greatest minds in the world today, which is to be expected from an atheist and a Darwinist.

2. Christopher Hitchens

   

   Christopher Eric Hitchens was a British-American author, columnist, essayist, orator, journalist, and social critic. He was known for his wit, sharp criticism of religion, and outspoken views on politics and culture. Hitchens authored numerous books, including God Is Not Great and Hitch-22: A Memoir... read more

   I'm actually a very religious person, but I respect Christopher Hitchens. While I disagree with him, he is an incredible orator. He's quick, witty, funny, and just plain likable.

   And his arguments tend to be a little more creative. A teenage YouTube atheist could fill in Dawkins's shoes in a debate and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference because he has nothing interesting to say.

   His command of the English language was unmatched in our time, with no contemporary able to match his power of speech before or since his death. Even after his passing, his wisdom continues to resonate and change minds.

3. Friedrich Nietzsche

   

   Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a German philosopher, cultural critic, poet, and Latin and Greek scholar whose work has exerted a profound influence on Western philosophy and modern intellectual history. He is best known for his concepts such as the will to power, the Übermensch, and the declaration... read more

   The one guy who told us the truth that "God is dead".

4. Stephen Hawking

   

   Stephen William Hawking (January 8, 1942 - March 14, 2018) was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author. He served as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge from 1979 to 2009 and is best known for his work on black hole radiation, often called Hawking radiation... read more

   I read somewhere that he was an inspiration to so many atheists. Great job and RIP Stephen Hawking. He was such a great scientist, and we need more minds like him.

   The smartest man alive, definitely an atheist. Religion would kill too many brain cells.

   He recently stated publicly that he is indeed an atheist.

5. Sam Harris

   

   The man is a genius. He is rational. Laconic as he is, he can run circles in any theist debate. He should tie with Dawkins.

   A very well-spoken man with arguments to challenge even the most fervent believer.

   The best rational debater, his backyard diamond analogy is fantastic.

6. Matt Dillahunty

   His knowledge of the Bible, of philosophy, and of logic are unparalleled in our time. He rivals Hitchens in his ability to speak.

   Dillahunty could convince God not to believe in God.

7. DarkMatter2525

   

   DarkMatter2525 is an atheist YouTuber known for creating animated videos that satirize and critique fundamentalist religious viewpoints. His content often explores philosophical arguments and logical fallacies in religious doctrines. He has developed a following for his distinctive style and thoughtful... read more

   He is a wise man with the ability to not only articulate brilliantly how religion is bad news but also to show it with his animations. These are sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always thought-provoking. He is a huge inspiration.

   His animations are not just hilarious, they are intelligent and thought-provoking.

8. George Carlin

   

   George Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian, actor, author, and social critic. Carlin was noted for his black comedy and reflections on politics, the English language, psychology, religion, and various taboo subjects. His Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television routine played... read more

9. Carl Sagan

   

   Carl Edward Sagan (1934-1996) was an American astronomer, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and science communicator. He co-founded the Planetary Society and helped popularize science through his television series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage and books like The Demon-Haunted World. Sagan... read more

   In my opinion, Carl is the smartest person ever to live.

10. Daniel Dennett

The Newcomers
11. ?

    Christopher Marlowe

    
12. ?

    Jaclyn Glenn

    
The Contenders

13. Ayaan Hirsi Ali

    

    She gets forgotten way too often. Her well-spoken first-hand accounts of the damage Islam does to the world, from the immersive perspective of a former Muslim, is what makes her arguments against a religion we're trained not to criticize so powerful.

14. Bertrand Russell

    

    Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, writer, social critic, political activist, and Nobel laureate. He was one of the founders of analytic philosophy and is considered one of the 20th century's most important logicians. Russell... read more

15. Epicurus

    

16. Jean Meslier

17. Bill Maher

    

    William "Bill" Maher is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, media critic, and television host. He is best known for his HBO talk show Real Time with Bill Maher, which began in 2003. Prior to that, he hosted Politically Incorrect on Comedy Central and ABC.

    I don't agree with some of his political views, but he is pretty funny and smart.

18. Ricky Gervais

    

    Ricky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, producer, writer, and former singer and music manager, born in 1961. He co-created and starred in the original UK series The Office before going on to create Extras and After Life. Gervais has hosted the Golden Globe Awards five times and is... read more

19. Lawrence Krauss

    

    Simply the most intelligent human being on this planet.

20. Frank Zappa

    

    Frank Vincent Zappa was an American musician, songwriter, composer, record producer, actor, and filmmaker. He was known for his innovative work across multiple genres including rock, jazz, and classical music. Zappa passed away in 1993 but remains an influential figure in music history.

21. Baron d'Holbach

    

22. Bill Nye

    

    William Sanford "Bill" Nye, popularly known as Bill Nye the Science Guy, is an American science educator, television presenter, and mechanical engineer. He gained fame in the 1990s through his educational television program "Bill Nye the Science Guy." Nye continues to advocate for science literacy and... read more

    As a knowledgeable scientist, he can silence any creationist in 5 minutes (Ken Ham).

23. Ludwig Feuerbach

    

24. Bruce Lee

    

    Bruce Lee (November 27, 1940 - July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist, instructor, actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and philosopher. He founded Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy that influenced modern mixed martial arts (MMA). Lee is widely considered one of the... read more

25. Brad Pitt

    

    William Bradley "Brad" Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and three Academy Award nominations for acting, in addition to three more nominations and one win as a producer under his company, Plan B Entertainment.... read more

26. Adam Savage

27. George Orwell

    

    Eric Arthur Blair (June 25, 1903 - January 21, 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. He is best known for his novels Animal Farm and 1984, which critique totalitarian regimes and explore themes of truth and freedom. Orwell's work... read more