Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
If you want to see every shopworn criticism of New Atheism rolled up into one splenetic article, then it’s this one (in Salon, of course): “New atheism’s fatal arrogance: The glaring intellectual laziness of Bill Maher & Richard Dawkins.” The writer is Sean Illing, a graduate student in political science at Louisiana State University, who professes … Continue reading Salon pulls out all the stops in dissing New Atheists
There seems to be a penchant these days for some atheists and secularists to tell us how we need to replace religion with secular alternatives. Philip Kitcher wrote a pretty good book about it, Life After Faith: The Case for Secular Humanism, but there are others who argue in a more annoying fashion, viz., Alain de Botton. My … Continue reading Nonbelievers respond to David Brooks: Don’t tell us how to do secularism
Alain de Botton is about to unleash another bout of Religion for Atheists on us—in fact, that’s the title of his last book, and I suppose his principles are summarized in this handy little “Manifesto for Atheists.” Call me a curmudgeon (on second thought, please don’t), but do we really need these bromides, posted yesterday … Continue reading Atheism as self-help
This first book isn’t really new, since it came out in 2012, but it’s new to me since I’ve just finished it. It’s Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship the the End of American Debate by Greg Lukianoff. Lukianoff is president of FIRE (the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education), an estimable organization devoted to preserving freedom … Continue reading Three good new books on secularism and atheism
Paul Troop has a short essay at the University of Oxford’s Practical Ethics site: “What do do with the redundant churches after the demise of religion?” Troop starting thinking about stuff after he heard Dan Dennett lecture at Oxford, where he said that after atheism’s triumph the abandoned places of worship could be used as … Continue reading What’s the harm in believing something false, so long as it makes you happy?
We’ve often discussed a criticism leveled at New Atheists: we try hard to get rid of religion, but do nothing to replace it with anything that would fulfill the needs of those who become atheists. My feeling has always been that those replacements will arise naturally as religion disappears, as they have in Scandinavia. Some, … Continue reading “Can I get a Darwin?”: the eloquence and humor of Jerry DeWitt
Since, according to Alain de Botton, atheists need to replace religion with other spiritual experiences, I present you this Sunday with something to fill that God-shaped hole in your psyche: two lovely photos of my favorite felid, Pallas’s cat (Otocolobus manul, also called the “manul”). This one’s not fat—just fluffy! Look at that face! … Continue reading Atheist “church”: cat worship
I want to give two thumbs up to Anthony Grayling’s new book, The God Argument: the Case Against Religion and for Humanism, which was released this March but is already available in paperback and Kindle. (Note: I haven’t yet read his previous effort, The Good Book, which is apparently a humanist version of the Bible drawing … Continue reading Grayling’s new book: a short but laudatory review
I haven’t paid a lot of attention to Massimo Pigluicci lately, and for several reasons. I’ve been busy writing, and haven’t had time to read many websites. And when I have read Massimo’s site, Rationally Speaking, I’ve been put off by his arrogance, attack-dogishness (if you want a strident atheist, look no further than Massimo), … Continue reading Pigliucci to all New Atheists: we’re doing it wrong
Shades of Alain de Botton! First we’re told, as atheists, that we need churches; now Tanya Luhrmann, in a post today’s New York Times, “Addicted to prayer“, tells us that atheists need prayers, too. And she’s not just talking about the physical and mental benefits of meditation: she suggests invoking an imaginary, non-existent God to … Continue reading Tanya Luhrmann recommends prayer for atheists
