Abstract

We trace the genealogy and tensions of postmodern atheism through a series of encounters: Heidegger's reading of Nietzsche's “God is dead,” Foucault's critique of Sartre's humanism, Jean‐Luc Nancy's rejection of Alain Badiou's atheism, and the questions Derrida raises about Nancy's own position. We argue that there are plural postmodern atheisms, each of which defends its own claim to be following through on the consequences of the death of God more radically than the alternatives.