Early Atheism?

Question

What exactly IS the earliest known History of Atheism? Who coined the phrase "Atheist" and how did the entire movement come about?

Answer 1

Atheism was very common in the early Greek philosophies, the Epicureans were almost certainly atheist and they were following earlier traditions.

As for the term itself it has Greek origins but I'm not sure whether they used the term itself.

Answer 2

There has always been atheism as long as there have been people to contemplate the idea of a god. The earliest humans were most likely atheists. The evidence shows that the first ever religious beliefs were held (invented) by Neanderthal man. Anyone before that was most likely atheist.

Answer 3

Atheism always existed since it is the null position.

We are all born atheist, so before religion was invented, we were all atheists.

The earliest religious history is in itself the earliest atheist history, since there was all ways someone smart enough to realize the rest were morons.

Answer 4

ChooseReality says: "The earliest humans were most likely atheists"

Perhaps the "earliest humans" on ChooseReality's family tree.

My ancestral charts show my earliest ancestors, the earliest humans, were Adam and Eve. If they were Atheists, they must have wondered how they just suddenly appeared in that beautiful Garden!! Rather difficult, I'd think, to be Atheists when the Lord God talked with them in the cool of the evenings in the Garden!!

Answer 5

Atheism isn't structured nor organized. No history of it can be had given that. Atheism isn't a 'movement', it's one single idea, nothing more: there are no deities. That's it.

a (not) theos (deity). atheos ---> atheist. Greek in origin.

Answer 6

when ever you put "a" infront of something it means "not" like sexual and asexual. biotic and abiotic (not living), theist (god believing) and atheist (not god believing)