Antony Flew | English Philosopher & Atheist

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class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <span class="toc-extra-link selected link-gray-900 mt-15"> Introduction </span> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Antony-Flew/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Antony-Flew">Quick Facts & Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="mb-30 tlr-related-quizzes"> <div class="text-gray-900 p-5 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-10 mb-10"> Quizzes </div> <div class="imagelink-with-image-on-the-side card card-horizontal tlr-img-with-side-link ml-15 link-gray-900 mb-10" > <div class="position-relative card-media" style="flex: 0;"> <a class="ilf-image position-relative" href="/quiz/philosophy-101"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/42/163042-131-6AC5D943/greeting-guests-Agathon-canvas-oil-Platos-Symposium-1869.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop" alt="Agathon (centre) greeting guests in 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Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). </div> <div class="type-menu"> <label for="feedback-type" class="label mb-10">Feedback Type</label> <select id="feedback-type" class="form-select mb-30" name="feedbackTypeId" required> <option value="" selected="selected">Select a type (Required)</option> <option value="1">Factual Correction</option> <option value="2">Spelling/Grammar Correction</option> <option value="3">Link Correction</option> <option value="4">Additional Information</option> <option value="5">Other</option> </select> </div> <label for="feedback" class="label mb-10">Your Feedback</label> <textarea id="feedback" class="form-control mb-30" name="feedback" maxlength="3000" rows="7" required></textarea> <button class="btn btn-blue" type="submit">Submit Feedback</button> </form> <div class="success-messaging d-none mt-30"> <div class="title">Thank you for your feedback</div> <p>Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-websites-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom font-weight-bold"> External Websites </div> <div class="pb-20"> <ul class="list-unstyled mt-20 lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/apr/14/anthony-flew-obituary" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">The Guardian - Obituary of Antony Flew</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-antony-flew15-2010apr15-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Los Angeles Times - Antony Flew Dies at 87; Atheist Philosopher who Changed his Mind Late in Life</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="http://www.scotsman.com/news/obituaries/obituary-professor-antony-flew-1-799918" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">The Scotsman - Obituary of Professor Antony Flew</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/17/arts/17flew.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">The New York Times - Antony Flew, Philosopher and Ex-Atheist, Dies at 87</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/books-obituaries/7586929/Professor-Antony-Flew.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">The Telegraph - Professor Antony Flew</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 js-header-ai-ask-button d-none btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="caption alternate-titles">Also known as: Antony Garrard Newton Flew</div> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 qa-editor-popup gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/editor/Matt-Stefon/6763" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">Matt Stefon</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Matt Stefon was a religion editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica. He earned B.A. degrees in English and American studies from the Pennsylvania State University and an M.A. in religion and literature and an...</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Matt Stefon</span></div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 qa-editor-popup font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Antony-Flew/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="qf-title font-weight-bold font-14 mb-10 text-center"> Quick Facts</div> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>In full: </dt> <dd>Antony Garrard Newton Flew</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Born: </dt> <dd>Feb. 11, 1923, <a href="/place/London">London</a>, Eng.</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Died: </dt> <dd>April 8, 2010, <a href="/place/Reading-England">Reading</a> (aged 87)</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Notable Works: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/Atheistic-Humanism">“Atheistic Humanism”</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/God-and-Philosophy">“God and Philosophy”</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/There-Is-a-God-How-the-Worlds-Most-Notorious-Atheist-Changed-His-Mind">“There Is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind”</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Subjects Of Study: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/atheism">atheism</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/philosophy-of-religion">philosophy of religion</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/theology">theology</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Antony-Flew"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref1081456"></span>Antony Flew</strong> (born Feb. 11, 1923, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/London" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">London</a>, Eng.—died April 8, 2010, Reading) was an English philosopher who became a prominent defender of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/atheism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">atheism</a> but later declared himself a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Deism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">deist</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Flew was the son of a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Methodism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Methodist</a> minister and was educated at a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christianity" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Christian</a> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/boarding-school" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">boarding school</a>. As a teenager, he decided that the traditional Christian concept of a good God was inconsistent with the presence of evil in the world (<em>see</em> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/problem-of-evil" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">problem of evil</a>), and thus he adopted atheism. After service in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Royal-Air-Force" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Royal Air Force</a> during <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">World War II</a>, Flew studied <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/philosophy" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">philosophy</a> at <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Saint-Johns-College-Annapolis-Maryland" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">St. John’s College</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/University-of-Oxford" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Oxford</a>, where his teacher was the English linguistic philosopher <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gilbert-Ryle" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Gilbert Ryle</a>. At Oxford Flew was particularly influenced by <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="critiques" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/critiques" data-type="MW">critiques</a> of traditional arguments for the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/existence-of-God" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">existence of God</a> and other religious phenomena by the 18th-century Scottish philosopher <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/David-Hume" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">David Hume</a>. Flew received a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/master-degree" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">master’s degree</a> in 1949 and stayed on at Oxford to teach. He subsequently lectured at the University of Aberdeen, Keele University, and the University of Reading, retiring from the latter in 1982.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In 1950 Flew delivered a short paper, “Theology and Falsification,” before Oxford’s Socratic Club (a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Salon-French-art-exhibition" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">salon</a> then presided over by the Christian apologist <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/C-S-Lewis" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">C.S. Lewis</a>). Flew argued that <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/theology" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">theological</a> utterances about God’s nature, presence, power, or goodness are meaningless because there is no conceivable evidence that would refute them. Flew quickly became a prominent figure in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/philosophy-of-religion" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">philosophy of religion</a> and a popular <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="intellectual" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intellectual" data-type="MW">intellectual</a> spokesperson for atheism. Books by Flew such as <em><span id="ref1083537"></span>God and Philosophy</em> (1966; reissued 2005) and <em><span id="ref1083538"></span>Atheistic Humanism</em> (1993) provided <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="articulate" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/articulate" data-type="MW">articulate</a> expositions of atheistic principles that won a wide popular as well as academic following. Flew’s writings influenced later atheists, such as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Richard-Dawkins" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Richard Dawkins</a> and Sam Harris, who wrote for popular as well as academic audiences. Flew nevertheless maintained an intellectual interest in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/religion" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">religion</a>, reading broadly and holding discussions with philosophers and scientists who were also practicing Christians or Jews—particularly the American evangelical philosopher Gary Habermas and the U.S.-born <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Judaism" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Jewish</a> scientist Gerald Schroeder.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/philosophy-101" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/42/163042-131-6AC5D943/greeting-guests-Agathon-canvas-oil-Platos-Symposium-1869.jpg" alt="Agathon (centre) greeting guests in Plato's Symposium, oil on canvas by Anselm Feuerbach, 1869; in the Staatliche Kunsthalle, Karlsruhe, Germany." class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Philosophy 101</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In 2004 Flew courted controversy with his announcement that, upon reviewing the scientific evidence, he had come to accept a very limited form of deism, a theological perspective based on the concept of a God who created the world but does not make his will known through <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/revelation" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">revelation</a> within it. His announcement drew praise from many Evangelicals and <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="criticism" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/criticism" data-type="MW">criticism</a> from atheists, many of whom suggested that Flew—in his early 80s and suffering from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/aphasia-pathology" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">aphasia</a>—may have been confused or even taken advantage of by individuals with ulterior motives. Flew publicly defended his perspective with the claim that the God he had come to believe in was similar to the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aristotle/The-unmoved-mover#ref254718" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">unmoved mover</a> proposed by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aristotle" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Aristotle</a>. However, Flew never returned to Christianity and continued to deny the survival of the human mind after biological <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/death" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">death</a>. In 2006 he was among the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="signatories" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/signatories" data-type="EB">signatories</a> of a letter urging British Prime Minister <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tony-Blair" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tony Blair</a> to introduce <span id="ref1083539"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/intelligent-design" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">intelligent design</a> (ID) into science classes in state-supported schools. The 2007 book <em><span id="ref1083540"></span>There Is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind</em>, cowritten by Flew and the Christian author Roy Abraham Varghese, further incensed atheist critics, particularly when it was revealed that Varghese and a ghostwriter did most of the writing.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In addition to his works on religion, Flew wrote many books on other topics in philosophy and on education, politics, and society. Among these are <em>Hume’s Philosophy of Belief</em> (1961) and <em>Sociology, Equality and Education</em> (1976).</p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/Matt-Stefon/6763">Matt Stefon</a></span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":1698391,"pageLength":555,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.38"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.38' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"A","adLeg":"A","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"BIO_MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":true} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Antony Flew | English Philosopher & Atheist | Britannica