Thinking about thinking

Philosopedia is a fantastic free web resource providing a comprehensive index of the world’s nonbelievers.

The writer and encyclopaedist Warren Allen Smith (left), who describes himself as “a missionary for nonbelievers”, is the mastermind behind the project, and has so far contributed several thousand entries to the project.

Philosopedia (a name coined by Peter Ross) began in October 2005, and was trademarked by Smith in December 2005. The site describes itself thus:

Philosopedia's major purpose is to provide a resource for those whose interest is "thinking about thinking". In addition, Philosopedia proposes being a primary source for finding names not only of the eminent but also of the not-so-well-known individuals whose philosophic viewpoints have been expressed over the centuries as well as to date.

To date – and all since his eightieth birthday! – Smith has published four books: Who’s Who in Hell – 1,237 pages covering freethinkers and freethought, with more than 10,000 terms and names listed; Celebrities in Hell; Gossip from Across the Pond; and Cruising the Deuce.

Take a look at his official website, which has some very interesting biographical information about him, as well as details about his support for the Bangladeshi physician, writer, human-rights activist and secular humanist Taslima Nasrin.

For many years, Smith has written articles for British humanist publications, including his popular "Gossip from Across the Pond" column for G&LH.