A fellowship should be consensual


Oh my god.

You know I’ve always wondered why all those Big Name atheist and secularist types signed up to the “Global Secular Institute” now more modestly named the Secular Policy Institute. You know I wondered it very loudly and without muffling or disguise.

Now we know.

Hemant has a post today titled Notable Atheists and Scientists Are Disassociating from the Secular Policy Institute. I did a loud sustained intake of breath – “gasped” is inadequate to describe what I did – when I reached this bit:

Daniel Dennett in particular told me he asked to be removed from their list after learning that Rogers had filed a lawsuit against the Secular Coalition for America(which made some damning allegations about the SCA and several people associated with it).

Not only did Dennett inform many of the other Fellows why he was leaving (prompting them to do the same), here’s the most shocking part of what he told me:

I didn’t know I was a Fellow of SPI until I saw my picture and name on the website.

Oh.my.god.

Comments

  1. yazikus says

    Well, we knew something was up! I’ll be interested to see how it is all followed up. I saw that Rogers commented on Stephanie’s post on it just a week ago or something. Something must be afoot.

  2. says

    Several things are up, but at any rate this one ought to discredit them in the eyes of everyone in their ridiculous organization – the ones who joined voluntarily, that is.

  3. PatrickG says

    @ Tabby Lavalamp:

    HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!!!

    Quoted to indicate identical response here. 🙂

  4. anthrosciguy says

    Wingnuts gotta be wingnuts, I guess, and wingnuts love them a scam.

    In light of your later post on this topic, it also looks a lot like she was planning this scam while she had control of SCA.

  5. johnthedrunkard says

    Rogers….always an eerie atmosphere. But how many people allow themselves to be co-opted by mystery organizations they haven’t vetted at all?

  6. Kevin Kehres says

    Well, it was an honor to be named a Fellow.

    It’s not something one turns down — like a Nobel Prize, only without the fame, the trip to Sweden or the large cash award.

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