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Secular State Atheism 

Secular State Atheism is a term used to describe a situation where the state is "secular on paper and state atheist in practice", where the laws of the state are still secular but the government uses of state atheist politics and often promote atheism, more specifically, New Atheism, and the state often support atheists and seeks to support atheism, scientism, physicalism, materialism and so on, but the state is still secular but it's on the first steps on becoming state atheist. Secular State Atheism can be used to describe the transition from a secular state to a state atheist state just as on Cultural Atheism or can be used to refer when atheists have so much influence over the state and start use of the state and politics to promote atheism, or even when the state start supporting new atheists and their actions and use of their politics and ideas as their main politics. Besides the "secular on paper and state atheist in practice", secular state atheism often doesn't advocate persecution on religious, spiritual and esoteric people, but it often seeks on criticize and attack them and often use of the state apparatus as a mean to de-legetimize religion and spirituality and often seeks to use of religious and spiritual people to protect the secular state atheism, so it's basically a moderate form of state atheism where it's still secular but it uses of some state atheist politics and some pro-atheist politics as well.
"Secular State Atheism is basically what majority of the spiritual communities online actually support, mainly the "spiritual but not religion" and mindfulness ones. And secular state atheism is just some steps towards become full state atheism."

Social Sciences of Atheism

A multidisciplinary umbrella covering sociology, anthropology, political science, and economics applied to atheism. It studies atheist movements, secularization trends, the political representation of non‑believers, the economic determinants of religious decline, and comparative international attitudes toward atheism. The social sciences of atheism treat atheism as a social fact to be explained, not a philosophical position to be debated.
Example: “Social sciences of atheism research showed that secularization correlated with social safety nets—not because people lost faith, but because existential security reduced the demand for religious consolation.”

Human Sciences of Atheism

The application of humanities disciplines—history, philosophy, literature, cultural studies—to the study of atheism. It examines the intellectual history of atheism, its representation in art and literature, its philosophical underpinnings, and its role in shaping modern subjectivity. The human sciences of atheism treat atheism as a rich cultural and intellectual tradition, not merely a negation.
Example: “Her human sciences of atheism work traced how 19th‑century novels portrayed atheists as either villainous or tragic, shaping the cultural stereotypes that still influence public perception today.”

Cognitive Sciences of Atheism

The study of atheism through cognitive science—investigating the cognitive mechanisms that lead to belief or disbelief in deities, the psychological correlates of atheism, and how cognitive biases influence atheist reasoning. It draws on evolutionary psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and developmental psychology to understand why some individuals become atheists while others retain religious beliefs, and whether atheism is a natural cognitive default or a learned override.
Example: “Cognitive sciences of atheism research found that atheists, like believers, show confirmation bias—they selectively recall evidence that supports their worldview, suggesting that rationality is not simply a matter of group membership.”

Social Sciences of Atheism

An interdisciplinary field that applies sociological, anthropological, and political science methods to the study of atheism as a social phenomenon—not just a personal lack of belief. It examines atheist demographics, identity formation, community building, and the social conditions that correlate with non‑belief. It also studies how atheists are perceived, how atheist movements organize, and how atheism intersects with race, class, gender, and nationality. Unlike philosophy of atheism (which asks whether atheism is true), the social sciences of atheism ask: who becomes an atheist, why, and how does that shape their lives and societies?
Example: “Social sciences of atheism research found that in highly religious countries, atheists often form tight‑knit online communities that function similarly to religious congregations—offering mutual support, rituals, and a shared identity.”

Sociology of Atheism

The study of atheists as a social group—their demographics, identities, community formation, and interactions with broader society. It investigates how atheist communities form (often in reaction to religious dominance), how they create rituals, social networks, and narratives, and how atheism intersects with politics, race, gender, and class. The sociology of atheism treats atheism not as a mere absence but as a positive social identity with its own culture, institutions, and internal conflicts.
Example: “The sociology of atheism research found that while atheists often present themselves as hyper‑rational individuals, they form communities with their own conventions, conferences, and celebrities—functionally similar to religious congregations.”