The last superstition A refutation of the new atheism

*Starred Review* New Atheists Richards Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennett, and Sam Harris get their comeuppance from philosopher Feser in the spirit with which they abuse believers. Their books stand out for their manifest ignorance of the Western religious tradition, he says, and for the breathtaking shallowness of their philosophical analysis of religious matters. Far better than such no-quarters rhetoric, however, are the review of pre-Aristotelian philosophy and the summary of Aristotelian metaphysics and Thomas Aquinas' refinements of Aristotle that make up the heart, soul, and bulk of the book. Feser chooses to argue from Aristotle because he was not arguing from any religious perspective and because Aristotle's logic, his rationality, hasn't been improved upon or refuted by modern philosophy. Aristotle's proof that there is a prime mover or pure being God remains solid. Ignoramuses like the four horsemen of the apostasy, whose factual errors, half-truths, and mischaracterization Feser highlights with contemptuous glee, refute Aristotle only by changing the playing field from metaphysics to science, from philosophical realism to materialism. With energy and humor as well as transparent exposition, Feser reestablishes the unassailable superiority of classical philosophy.--Olson, Ray Copyright 2008 Booklist