Reassesses the term 'atheism' in the context of contemporary French philosophy. Drawing primarily on the work of Alain Badiou, Jean-Luc Nancy and Quentin Meillassoux, Watkin explores post-theological reassessments of atheism through the ideas of the death of God and nihilism in contemporary French philosophy, and probes the limits of any 'atheistic politics'. He argues that rigorous atheism is elusive, and that Continental thought, even in its most stridently atheistic guises, has yet fully come to terms with the death of God.

Alain Badiou, Quentin Meillassoux, Catherine Malabou, Michel Serres and Bruno Latour: this comparative, critical analysis shows the promises and perils of new French philosophy's reformulation of the idea of the human.