8 Atheist and Agnostic Scientists Who Changed the World

1. Stephen Hawking. What can I say? Dude can think. Dude is revising the entire way we think of the universe. Dude is on the cutting edge of explaining why the universe even exists. And dude doesn't believe in a personal God. He has written an entire book, The Grand Design, explaining that God isn't necessary to explain the origins of the universe. Quote: "Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist. It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going." He has described the most important point of his book as being "that science can explain the universe, and that we don't need God to explain why there is something rather than nothing or why the laws of nature are what they are." He has said that, "The scientific account is complete. Theology is unnecessary." And he can be quite passionate on the subject: he's said that belief in Heaven or an afterlife "is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark." And no, he's not inspiring because he's disabled, and disabled people are here on Earth to overcome adversity and be courageous and give inspiration to the rest of us. Bleep that noise. Yes, of course, overcoming adversity is awesome. But Hawking would be inspiring if he came up with his ideas while doing one-handed push-ups.

2) Alan Turing. He's been called the founder of computer science, and the founder of artificial intelligence. The fact that you're reading these words on a computer -- the fact that you can send email, text your loved ones in an emergency, do your banking in seconds instead of hours, use your phone to look up weird facts at bars, and have access to every other way that computers have radically shaped and improved our lives -- is something you owe, in large part, to Alan Turing. But even more inspiring is the work he did cracking German codes during World War II. The cryptanalysis of the Enigma machines used by the Axis was "decisive to the Allied victory" -- those are the words of Dwight D. Eisenhower. And Turing was one of the most brilliant and most central people responsible for it. Turing's story is actually pretty sad. Despite the years of devoted work he did for his country -- work that arguably saved his country -- Turing was prosecuted for homosexuality (a crime at the time in England). He was given a choice between prison and chemical castration; chose the latter; and committed (probable) suicide two years later. The way he was treated by his country was despicable and tragic. But his story is also inspiring. And it gives the lie to the ridiculous notion that, without belief in God, people would have no meaning to their lives, no basis for ethics, and no reason to care about anyone other than themselves. Turing was an atheist -- he let go of his religion as a teenager, when a close friend died of tuberculosis and he decided materialism made more sense than religion -- and he devoted years of his life to his country, and to halting the spread of fascism.

3. Rosalind Franklin. Rosalind Franklin's story is also a bit sad. A researcher in biophysics, her work was crucial in Watson and Crick's discovery of the DNA double helix structure. In fact, according to Francis Crick, her data was "the data we actually used" to formulate their hypothesis about the structure of DNA. But her data was obtained under less than ideal circumstances, by Watson and Crick without her knowledge, and she died without ever being properly credited for the work she did. But she's an inspiration as well. I mean... DNA. Come on. It's one of the most fundamental ways we have of understanding ourselves and our place in the world. She made understanding it possible. And she did this at a time when it was exceedingly difficult for women to even get into science, much less do groundbreaking, earth-shaking, brain-rearranging work in it. And yes. Big old non-believer. From one of her letters: "I agree that faith is essential to success in life ... but I do not accept your definition of faith, i.e. belief in life after death. In my view, all that is necessary for faith is the belief that by doing our best we shall come nearer to success and that success in our aims (the improvement of the lot of mankind, present and future) is worth attaining ... I maintain that faith in this world is perfectly possible without faith in another world."

4) Neil deGrasse Tyson. I was a little reluctant to include Tyson in this list. Tyson doesn't call himself an atheist, he calls himself an agnostic, since he associates the word "atheist" with "activist atheist," and generally resists being identified with the atheist movement or any other "ism." (For the record: I think his definition of atheism is inaccurate and overly narrow.) But this isn't a list of inspiring atheist scientists. It's a list of inspiring non-believing scientists. Tyson is definitely a non-believer. In fact, his agnosticism, as he describes it, is pretty much indistinguishable from most atheists' atheism. And he's definitely inspiring. The fact that he's director of the Hayden Planetarium -- and that this is among the least well-known of his accomplishments -- is a good sign of just how awesome he is. He may be the best science communicator of our generation. He is extraordinary at explaining science to non-scientists, in a way that isn't patronizing or dumbing-down. He makes science seem exciting, fun, important, moving, joyful. All of which it is. And he communicates this joy to millions.

5) Alfred Kinsey. In the face of vehement hostility and vilification -- including a congressional investigation that resulted in loss of funding for his research -- biologist Alfred Kinsey dedicated his life to a scientific, evidence-based understanding of human sexuality. With its frank discussion of the realities and prevalence of homosexuality, bisexuality, premarital sex, extramarital sex, masturbation and more, his research radically changed the way we understand and experience our sex lives. And it both broke the ground and laid the groundwork for every scientific study of human sexuality since. Kinsey's passionate pursuit of truth, even when it defied convention; his passionate commitment to the advancement of knowledge that could demolish toxic misinformation about sex; his passionate devotion to the promotion of human happiness in some of the most pragmatic, down-to-earth ways imaginable... this can inspire us all.

adoyi8:
Albert Einstein and Alan turing are atheists. The two scientists helped end the second world war while God was peeping into people's bedroom to see who and who are having anal sex.

Stop blatantly spewing ignorant nonsense in a forum of such cachet . Albert Einstein is a deist - he believed in a supernatural creator. Alan Turin was a christian but abjured his belief in God because he could not accept the death of his girlfriend with equanimity .

Many scientists are deists . Read up "Deism " for demystification

6) Eugenie Scott. This woman kicks ass and takes names. Specifically, she kicks the asses and takes the names of people who are trying to teach religious creationism in the public schools. An anthropologist by training and trade, since 1987 she has been executive director of the National Center for Science Education -- the leading organization working to keep evolution and climate science in public school science education, and working to keep creationism and climate change denial out of it. If you have kids in the public schools, she has dedicated her life to ensuring they get an actual, evidence-based science education -- and to ensuring that their religious training is left up to you, and isn't in the hands of the government. Like Neil deGrasse Tyson Eugenie Scott doesn't call herself an atheist. Instead, she calls herself a non-theist and humanist, and has said, "I believe there is nothing beyond matter and energy." That's plenty good enough for this list. Another non-believer who works like crazy to make this world a better place -- and who can inspire anyone to do the same.

7) Andrei Sakharov. Sakharov was a Soviet nuclear physicist, and was one of the developers of the Soviet atomic bomb. I know. Less than inspiring. But he is far better known as a Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights activist, free speech advocate, courageous dissident against Soviet repression, and tireless opponent of human rights violations everywhere. As a result of his writing and activism, he was stripped of his job, publicly denounced by the government, robbed of manuscripts by the KGB, arrested, internally exiled to Gorky, and force-fed during a hunger strike. He continued with his activism nonetheless... literally until the day he died. And... oh, yeah. Atheist. The child of a pious mother and a passionately atheist father, Sakharov became an atheist at age 14, and remained one for the rest of his life. In 1988 he was given the International Humanist Award by the International Humanist and Ethical Union.

Thomas Edison. Betcha didn't know this one was an non-believer! Well, he was. Quote: "I have never seen the slightest scientific proof of the religious ideas of heaven and hell, of future life for individuals, or of a personal God." Quote: "So far as religion of the day is concerned, it is a damned fake... Religion is all bunk." Quote: "I cannot believe in the immortality of the soul....I am an aggregate of cells, as, for instance, New York City is an aggregate of individuals. Will New York City go to heaven?....No; nature made us -- nature did it all -- not the gods of the religions." I assume I don't have to explain why Thomas Edison is inspiring. So the next time someone tells you atheists have no morality... tell them about Andrei Sakharov. The next time someone tells you atheists have no meaning in their lives... tell them about Stephen Hawking. The next time someone tells you atheists don't care about anyone but themselves... tell them about Eugenie Scott. and Alfred Kinsey. The next time someone tells you atheists have no reason to work for the greater good... tell them about Alan Turing and Neil deGrasse Tyson. The next time someone tells you atheists can't change the world for the better... tell them about Rosalind Franklin and Thomas Edison. Atheists aren't just your neighbors and colleagues. We're not just your friends and family. Atheists are your heroes. And whether you're religious or not, atheists can inspire anyone.

mcemmy0z

Please state your sauce next time -> http://www.salon.com/2012/08/21/eight_areligious_scientists_who_changed_the_world/

Lol . All these people were once religious people . What has atheism done for humanity

You certainly has no real idea what atheism is. Atheism is not an entity in competition with religion as to which is better. Atheism is somewhat a part of religion. Atheism is to religion as God is to Satan. Without Satan, God becomes useless, without religion Atheism becomes useless. In other words there wouldn't be any Atheism if there weren't any religion. So the only thing Atheism is concerned with is to point out the lie that is religion. To expose people to the truth which is "Religion is a lie, and God does not exist" that's all. Once everyone has come to the realisation of this, Religion will cease to exist and that will ultimately be the end of Atheism. Or eventually the evidence for the existence of God is found, however unlikely, that would be the end of Atheism.

In a nutshell, Atheism does not offer to do anything other than pointing out the believe in the existence of a God is a lie and we are better off without a lie.

Any good that was done through or as a result of religion/God, can be done without religion/God.

Sylvekzee:
You certainly has no real idea what atheism is. Atheism is not an entity in competition with religion as to which is better. Atheism is somewhat a part of religion. Atheism is to religion as God is to Satan. Without Satan, God becomes useless, without religion Atheism becomes useless. In other words there wouldn't be any Atheism if there weren't any religion. So the only thing Atheism is concerned with is to point out the lie that is religion. To expose people to the truth which is "Religion is a lie, and God does not exist" that's all. Once everyone has come to the realisation of this, Religion will cease to exist and that will ultimately be the end of Atheism. Or eventually the evidence for the existence of God is found, however unlikely, that would be the end of Atheism.

In a nutshell, Atheism does not offer to do anything other than pointing out the believe in the existence of a God is a lie and we are better off without a lie.

Any good that was done through or as a result of religion/God, can be done without religion/God.

If you say believing God is a 'lie',
Exactly, there goes the question.
How are u better of without the lie?
Mind u, atheism has killed more hundreds of millions of people in the last century alone than all religions put together have ever done.
And this is using statistics from russia, china and cambodia alone.

winner01:
A-theism literally means not theist. Very well, then: we know what it is not. But what is it?

Perhaps it’s like an onion: you peel and peel it, and discover that there is no core. Its basis is nothing at all.


People should notice that atheists never discuss how atheism would improve, strengthen, or otherwise change theirs or others’ lives for the better. Instead they spend their whole lives criticizing their Creator and religion.


Why can’t atheists be content in talking about their own worldview, in their own circles; rather than constantly bitching and complaining about what they are not/what they used to be? Do they have problems letting go of their past?


They keep telling us that once you are religious, your brain becomes dormant. But these great scientists proved otherwise.

The repeat it even louder - that freethinking is exclusively meant for atheists, but these ones have shown otherwise.


Do they think these people were crazy or something. Or are they saying this because of their hatred for God or unwarranted bigotry.



Also, according to 100 Years of Nobel Prizes, a review of Nobel prizes award between 1901 and 2000 reveals that (65.4%) of Nobel Prizes Laureates, have identified Christianity in its various forms as their religious preference. Overall, Christians have won a total of 78.3% of all the Nobel Prizes in Peace, 72.5% in Chemistry, 65.3% in Physics, 62% in Medicine, 54% in Economics and 49.5% of all Literature awards. We have also seen the successes of countries such as USA, UK and others, that have unofficially labeled themselves as Christian countries in the past.

Note: I’ve not included the successes of any other religion here, I’m simply emphasizing the products of Christianity.



I'm not sure of the contribution of atheism to the progress of humanity, but one thing i'm sure of is that atheists who found their way to power have tried to impose atheism on innocent people to no reasonable end.
I also know that atheists all over the world could be intolerant of christianity especially. --- even on nairaland.
I also know that terrorism from atheists has ridden-ed almost every atheist country that have ever existed.

So what exactly has atheism done for humanity and why do atheists terribly want people to join them in their irrational unbelief in our supreme Creator?.





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Religion, particularly Christianity, has done so much for the world.

Black Africa would be uneducated were it not for Christian missionaries. Yet you find these same people so hostile, proclaiming to be atheists when in the dark of their hearts they believe it all.

The most intelligent people in the world were all theists. Or at worst agnostics. Any intelligent mind must surely question the purpose of man and his end. The same way intelligent minds questioned matter and discovered it on a subatomic level unimaginable, likewise any intelligent being ought to desire to know more about the untouchable nature of man. Why else has science, in its crude manner, tried to unveil the subconscious? It strives to reach what it cannot, but cannot prove it does not exist.

Anybody who claims to be an atheist is mentally lazy and a loser. Only losers give up on research and sit back, and ask for scientific proof when science is all for research. Especially when science is based on premises.

Winner01 You're just pasting long stories here.
How far has theism taken Nigeria?

KingEbukaNaija:
mcemmy0z

Please state your sauce next time -> http://www.salon.com/2012/08/21/eight_areligious_scientists_who_changed_the_world/

Lol . All these people were once religious people . What has atheism done for humanity

I see you.

You and winner, keep slaying.

An atheist is a person who wants to believe that their lack of belief makes them a better person than a theist. How?

Tellemall:


I see you.

You and winner, keep slaying.

Its all God's grace bro . God is the greatest

An atheist is a person who wants to believe that [b]their lack of belief makes them a better person than a theist. [/b]How?

I don't expect atheists to make rational conclusions , its always conjectures , specious arguments or worse . @ Emboldened text is one of those reason-deficient conclusions .

KingEbukaNaija:


Its all God's grace bro . God is the greatest



I don't expect atheists to make rational conclusions , its always conjectures , specious arguments or worse . @ Emboldened text is one of those reason-deficient conclusions .

Better believe it, they don't think too much. They tend to ask what religion has done, but they fail to realize what atheism has not done.

I think this is a very interesting topic. You won't find the hardcore atheists in here.

What good has atheism done in the world?

Tellemall:


Better believe it, they don't think too much. They tend to ask what religion has done, but they fail to realize what atheism has not done.

I think this is a very interesting topic. You won't find the hardcore atheists in here.

Those "hard core atheists " have some elusive pride they want to protect . Their myrmidons sent here are getting pummeled in any of winner01's thread and they don't want to face the same embarrassment . They only jump into threads created by innocent Christians, write jeremiads about religion in Nigeria and declare themselves as logical thinkers .

KingEbukaNaija:


Those "hard core atheists " have some elusive pride they want to protect . Their myrmidons sent here are getting pummeled in any of winner01's thread and they don't want to face the same embarrassment . They only jump into threads created by innocent Christians, write jeremiads about religion in Nigeria and declare themselves as logical thinkers .

Any post that highlights their half-baked logic is always avoided like a plague.

And any winner01 thread is a no go for them. I'd have loved to mention the ones who think they are a notch above the drudgery of atheists present on nairaland, when they are just old wine under new labels.

That being said, you two are the voice in the wilderness. They will not like it but the truth you two keep giving them is enough to bring souls out of the confines of hell.

Keep it up!

Personally, I don't have time for those pretenders.

Tellemall:


Any post that highlights their half-baked logic is always avoided like a plague.

And any winner01 thread is a no go for them. I'd have loved to mention the ones who think they are a notch above the drudgery of atheists present on nairaland, when they are just old wine under new labels.

That being said, you two are the voice in the wilderness. They will not like it but the truth you two keep giving them is enough to bring souls out of the confines of hell.

Keep it up!

Personally, I don't have time for those pretenders.

Thanks a lot bro . God be with us all forever , Amen

adoyi8:
Seun and Mark zuckerberg are atheists, Bill gates and Alexandra Graham Bell are agnostics. I wrote this without having to think deeply because the list is so much.

Mark Zuckerberg does not go about spreading disbelief. Bill gates is not an atheist and has this quote to his name: "a belief in God makes sense".

Dont drag agnostics into this. Stand on your own

adoyi8:
Albert Einstein and Alan turing are atheists. The two scientists helped end the second world war while God was peeping into people's bedroom to see who and who are having anal sex.

Einstein was no atheist. What is this? Do you think we are idiots

adoyi8:
Abraham Lincoln was irreligious yet he ended slavery in America by going to war against the dominantly Christian Southern Americans who thought it was their God given rights to own slaves.

Irreligion is not equal to atheism.
One can be irreligious and believe in God.

I've been irreligious at a time.

Stop being desperate.

adoyi8:
atheism has helped people understand the world better. for example, rainfall was a mystery to humanity and so many religions attributed it to God (or a god). they believe that if a god is angry, he will cause drought (like in the case of Elijah). sacrifices(sometimes human) were made to appease these gods (Or God). these people have reached their conclusions and will be reluctant to find about wat really cause rain. I know you will like to list names of classical scientists dat are religious but the fact dat d majority of modern scientists are atheists should mean something to you. Wen i was younger so many religious people were happy about HIV/AIDS, they believed that it was Gods way of punishing man for immorality but scientists went to work on it and d problem was controlled. Thats atheism for you

You conveniently ignored the links I posted on my thread.

Majority of the scientists who brought humans out of superstitions were christians. others were from other faiths. I can give you a long list of you want.


Atheism is not equal to science. The greatest minds in the world were religious.

Stop clinging to science, agnosticism or irreligion. Its pathetic.

frank317:


Whatever


There is not atheist body or organisation... there are good atheists and bad atheists, the only thing common about atheists is just the lack of believe if God.
Your question is just a display of ignorance on your path. You assume that since religious bodies gather, atheists do that too.
People are good or bad just because that's what they are... humans help humanity ... not atheists or Christianity.
People who do good becasue of Christianity or atheism are nothing but hypocritic, they are just saying that with out being labeled such, they wouldn't actually do good.

I just love having good people around me, weather they are Christians or not, I don't care. If I can, I help people around me, be they Christians or Muslims.

Dont be ignorant my friend.

There are atheist bodies and organizations. I can name them.
They even have atheist churches.

But wait oo, u don dey chop sense oo, well, except someone hijacked ur account.

Sylvekzee:
You certainly has no real idea what atheism is. Atheism is not an entity in competition with religion as to which is better. Atheism is somewhat a part of religion. Atheism is to religion as God is to Satan. Without Satan, God becomes useless, without religion Atheism becomes useless. In other words there wouldn't be any Atheism if there weren't any religion. So the only thing Atheism is concerned with is to point out the lie that is religion. To expose people to the truth which is "Religion is a lie, and God does not exist" that's all. Once everyone has come to the realisation of this, Religion will cease to exist and that will ultimately be the end of Atheism. Or eventually the evidence for the existence of God is found, however unlikely, that would be the end of Atheism.

In a nutshell, Atheism does not offer to do anything other than pointing out the believe in the existence of a God is a lie and we are better off without a lie.

Any good that was done through or as a result of religion/God, can be done without religion/God.

Point that out to the greatest minds that ever existed.

Winner01 pls if you wouldnt mind I would love for you to do an expose on Jane Fonda. She accepted Christ at 60 after 60yrs of Atheism and being born into an Atheist family.

Its an interesting read.

[quote author=KingEbukaNaija post=47640111]

Thanks a lot bro . God be with us all forever , Amen[/quote

:-)

winner01:
Dont be ignorant my friend.

There are atheist bodies and organizations. I can name them.
They even have atheist churches.

But wait oo, u don dey chop sense oo, well, except someone hijacked ur account.

Lol.

winner01:
Einstein was no atheist. What is this? Do you think we are idiots

Get ready for them to expose their bias.

They don't even know what they are saying. Fools tread where angels fear. The main atheists aren't here for a reason, while the likes of that guy are shining like a dull blade.

winner01:
You conveniently ignored the links I posted on my thread.

Majority of the scientists who brought humans out of superstitions were christians. others were from other faiths. I can give you a long list of you want.
Atheism is not equal to science. The greatest minds in the world were religious.
Stop clinging to science, agnosticism or irreligion. Its pathetic.

I wouldnt argue that many classical scientists were not religious they were religious because of the little ground science covered in their time . you must also agree that majority of modern scientists are atheist because of the ground science was able to cover in the past few years

This question doesn't really make sense to me. Atheism doesn't have an organized institution like religion. You don't see atheists congregate physically to deliberate issues and exhibit rituals in fellowship as theists do. Atheism has no organizational structure like religion and there are no atheist churches. That's why it's almost impossible for anyone to lay claim to having done a deed under the conopy of atheism.

A more sensible question would have been "what have atheists done?"

Besides, theism is more firmly rooted than atheism. There has always been more believers than unbelievers. If not until 21st century, more than 80% of human population was religious. The history of religion is as old as that of human civilisation. So it's only logical there would more good deeds attributable to religion than atheism.

.

naijadeyhia:
Winner01 pls if you wouldnt mind I would love for you to do an expose on Jane Fonda. She accepted Christ at 60 after 60yrs of Atheism and being born into an Atheist family.

Its an interesting read.

Okay bro, ill look her up.

felixomor:


If you say believing God is a 'lie',
Exactly, there goes the question.
How are u better of without the lie?

Same way Adults are better off knowing Santa Claus does not exist.

Mind u, atheism has killed more hundreds of millions of people in the last century alone than all religions put together have ever done.
And this is using statistics from russia, china and cambodia alone.

I won't argue an off topic with you but I will tell you this, look up the meaning of Atheism again. No where in the definition, explanation or context does it imply killing or any form of violence against religious or non religious bodies.

KingEbukaNaija:
Come and show us what Atheism has done for humanity

Seun, Plaetton , Johnydon22 ilovetheline, JackBizzle, Kay17, Weah96 , AgentOfAllah, Ayomikun37 , hahn , sonOfLucifer , frank317 muskeeto , Decker , PastorAIO , ValentineMary , Pyrrho , braithwaite , dragonEmperor , theoneJabulani , cloudgoddess , ifenes , brigance , stephenmorris , thehomer

I seriously doubt if these ones can come up with anything meaningful.

They can attempt to change the argument though.

winner01:
Dont be ignorant my friend.

There are atheist bodies and organizations. I can name them.
They even have atheist churches.

But wait oo, u don dey chop sense oo, well, except someone hijacked ur account.

Ya right, atheists gather in atheists church and plan on his to kill Christians... shouldn't we be talking about how to stop atheists from slaugtheing everyone?