Andre Conte-Sponwell

André Comte-Sponville (French: André Comte-Sponville, March 12, 1952-), was born in Paris, France. He studied at the Ecole Normale Supérieure and received a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Paris I. He was an atheist and a materialist, but his ideas took a special form due to his spiritualistic goals. The most important aspect of his work is the overcoming of traditional materialist atheism from a post-materialist perspective, as he demonstrates the spiritualization of atheism. This is particularly prominent in his 2006 essay "The Spirit of Atheism." His book also includes "A Brief Introduction to Philosophy", which introduces Western classic philosophy with explanations of 12 "big questions" in philosophy.