Archive for the 'new atheism'

During the lengthy and ongoing hiatus that has frustrated NPR fans for months and months, Russell and Lynnea recently recorded their own stop-gap, “renegade” episode to help mark time until the regular show hosted by Denis, Russell and Matt is able to resume. Which they’re saying may be September. Which would be better interpreted as “wait and see.” But as fans were happy with Russell and Lynnea’s effort, there’s no reason not to keep this up, especially as magical internettical computerifical technological magic makes it so easy. Tomorrow afternoon, I will be recording yet another of these renegade shows, and it should be available on the NPR site by Friday. (It won’t be a livecast though, so no simultaneous chat.) One of my guest hosts will be my dear friend, the beautiful and snarktacular Gia Grillo, aka PamAnnJett, whom most of you will recall from the post here not long ago, in which she recounted her little saga about walking boldly up to a pair of squeaky clean sidewalk proselytizers and mercilessly emasculating them in front of everybody! Hey, she may be small, but she packs a wallop. Joining us also, from the misty forests of northern California, will be our mutual friend, Chris Conner. Mostly our topic will involve how the Internet has played such a powerful role, both as a resource for atheists and a way to forge a sense of community among us that atheists never had before. The rise in atheism’s profile globally; the popularity of shows like AETV and blogs like Pharyngula; the ability for there even to be such a thing as million-selling atheist books; and finally, the many connections of simple friendships open to us — the Internet has done more for the spread of reason than anything, and we’ll talk about how it’s impacted our lives. The Young, Godless, and Fabulous today live in a much different world than the one that afflicted Madalyn O’Hair’s generation. But in many...
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I’ve mentioned before that I try to spend time at About.com’s Agnostic/Atheist section hosted by Austin Cline. The site offers a lot of good things, not the least of which is a good atheist community forum and an often-updated blog. Recently I posted a few comments to some of the blog posts there, and thought I’d share. The site, in case anyone is interested is at the following location: http://atheism.about.com/ In response to the post: “Myth: You’re Not Really an Atheist, You Just Want to be Contrary” In response to another comment in the comments section: They are projecting. You’re correct. I had a talk last night about this very thing. Religion is implanted into infants/children. Later, when they “feel god” they don’t understand that it’s an idea that has been artificially implanted. It was drilled in so early on that they think it’s as inherent as “not liking peas” or some such. Even when they’re confronted with a realization that their “arguments” for god’s existence don’t make sense, they can’t shake that “feeling” that god is “there.” So, even if you can reason them out of all sorts of things, that last bit, the existence of god, still holds tenaciously. This is where we get statements like “I just know there is a god.” Or “I just feel it.” Or the disturbing “I know that I know that I know.” These are people who were used as children as meme depositories–used by a viral idea, spread by other infected adult minds/people. When you say you don’t “feel” their god or acknowledge it, it’s impossible for them to believe it. (1) They “feel” it. (2) Everyone they grew up with likely told them they “feel” it–all the adults they trusted, mom/dad/sunday school teacher/preacher, perhaps even friends. And (3) they’ve...
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Since some people may be missing The Atheist Experience this week, I’m posting the video from a recent ACA Lecture Series lecture. Fred Edwords from the United Coalition of Reason on “Sailing the Rising Tide of Reason”. Over the past few years, with the rise of the “New Atheism,” interest in Freethought and humanism is growing. And the more recent billboard and bus campaigns have stoked the fires of enthusiasm. How can Freethought and humanist groups benefit from this secular “coming out”? How can they capture this interest to help their memberships grow? Fred Edwords, a former executive director of the American Humanist Association, is now the national director of the United Coalition of Reason. Over his thirty-year career as a humanist leader he has lectured, debated, and taught on humanist philosophical issues and effective outreach techniques. He has appeared on national and local television in the United States and Canada, has been interviewed on radio and for newspapers around the world, and has lectured in North America, Europe, and India. “Sailing the Rising Tide of Reason” Read more

Basically this post could be a big “What PZ said“: The notion that there is anything “new” about “New Atheism” other than having the boldness to speak out is ridiculous; but the notion that there is a newer, better atheism that doesn’t like to make waves against religion is far more ridiculous. I am occasionally baffled by emails such as this one that we received two days ago (as per an earlier post, this is just an excerpt): I was going to call in to ask what you guys think about the following. Some of my friends have suggested that the “militant atheism” strategy pursued by scientists like Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, etc., may turn out to achieve precisely the opposite of its goal. The strident, aggressive stance taken by these “atheist preachers” can easily be seen by many theists as offensive, and consequently strengthen their faith and encourage the formation of a stereotype which sees the atheist as “the enemy”. How can anyone wonder what we think of those guys? We are those guys. Oh sure, we’re not bestselling authors or anything, the crowds we draw are much smaller, comparatively speaking (although fairly high if we’re allowed to count “every single person who eventually watches each show” as part of a crowd). But really, the entire draw of the Atheist Experience is that we are out there every single week being a walking, televised billboard saying “Hey look, here are some guys who think that it’s irrational to believe in God. Call us and argue. PLEASE.” I mean, sure, we try to do so in a manner that is polite and respectful — most of the time. (Then again, Jeff’s rants are legendary.) But in generally I try to follow a guideline something like “People deserve respect and dignity. Their flawed claims do not.” Are we abrasive? Are we offensive? Sometimes I don’t know how to answer...
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Dr. Victor J. Stenger, author of the New York Times best seller, “God: The Failed Hypothesis” was in Austin at the end of October promoting his new book, “The New Atheism: Taking a Stand for Science and Reason“. He gave a lecture and did an interview with me. For various reasons, we have not publicized these until now. Since the Atheist Experience is on break, it seems like a good time to unveil them. “A Conversation with Vic Stenger” Read more