Dawkins v God, Woodward v Bush, O'Reilly v common sense
October 13, 2006 8:54 AM Subscribe
Look who's on the NY Times bestseller list. No, not
him or him - this guy. In a Salon interview promoting his new book, he expresses the hope that "...religious readers who open it will be atheists by the time they put it down."
This post was deleted for the following reason: Not another Dawkins post. I don't believe Richard Dawkins actually exists.
This subject is 6000 years old.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 8:58 AM on October 13, 2006
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 8:58 AM on October 13, 2006
He was great on Family Feud and Hogan's Heroes.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 8:59 AM on October 13, 2006
posted by mr_crash_davis at 8:59 AM on October 13, 2006
The trick is getting religious readers to open it in the first place. They sort of don't like their notions being challenged.
posted by Terminal Verbosity at 9:01 AM on October 13, 2006
posted by Terminal Verbosity at 9:01 AM on October 13, 2006
They sort of don't like their notions being challenged.
look who's talking...
posted by quonsar at 9:04 AM on October 13, 2006
look who's talking...
posted by quonsar at 9:04 AM on October 13, 2006
Yay, another Dawkins post! Who wants to start rehashing arguments we've had a million times? I'll go first.
"Atheists are intolerant of my beliefs. Dawkins is a hate mongerer."
Now it's Mr_A's turn.
posted by muddgirl at 9:04 AM on October 13, 2006
"Atheists are intolerant of my beliefs. Dawkins is a hate mongerer."
Now it's Mr_A's turn.
posted by muddgirl at 9:04 AM on October 13, 2006
arguments we've had a million times
How about the argument we had just three weeks ago?
posted by Iridic at 9:06 AM on October 13, 2006
How about the argument we had just three weeks ago?
posted by Iridic at 9:06 AM on October 13, 2006
The trick is getting religious readers to open it in the first place.
No the trick is getting religious readers who enjoy being barracked and who have never previously met anyone who has challenged their beliefs to open it. This thread needs to be sent to heaven.
posted by biffa at 9:07 AM on October 13, 2006
No the trick is getting religious readers who enjoy being barracked and who have never previously met anyone who has challenged their beliefs to open it. This thread needs to be sent to heaven.
posted by biffa at 9:07 AM on October 13, 2006
Dawkins has clearly learned nothing from his own work on mindviruses.
posted by Artw at 9:08 AM on October 13, 2006
posted by Artw at 9:08 AM on October 13, 2006
He was great on Family Feud and Hogan's Heroes.
But he was no Norman Fell.
posted by y2karl at 9:09 AM on October 13, 2006
But he was no Norman Fell.
posted by y2karl at 9:09 AM on October 13, 2006
Hurf durf communion eaters.
(Where's the "new" here? What's the point of this post?)
posted by klangklangston at 9:11 AM on October 13, 2006
(Where's the "new" here? What's the point of this post?)
posted by klangklangston at 9:11 AM on October 13, 2006
"Religion is not the problem. People who use religion as propaganda are the problem"
posted by StarForce5 at 9:11 AM on October 13, 2006
posted by StarForce5 at 9:11 AM on October 13, 2006
Goodie, Goodie! I've been waiting for the time we finally get to talk about this on Metafilter!
I'll go first: "Atheists are more moral and Christians ignore science."
posted by dios at 9:12 AM on October 13, 2006
I'll go first: "Atheists are more moral and Christians ignore science."
posted by dios at 9:12 AM on October 13, 2006
*kicks a christian*
posted by monju_bosatsu at 9:18 AM on October 13, 2006
posted by monju_bosatsu at 9:18 AM on October 13, 2006
I am so sick of the "religion = judaism/christianity/islam" equation.
People like him pontificate about "religion" but often they just mean one or more of those three.
posted by milarepa at 9:18 AM on October 13, 2006
People like him pontificate about "religion" but often they just mean one or more of those three.
posted by milarepa at 9:18 AM on October 13, 2006
milarepa - you are correct; Dawkins is addressing the "Abrahamic God" in this book.
posted by Mister_A at 9:20 AM on October 13, 2006
posted by Mister_A at 9:20 AM on October 13, 2006
Let me just say:
There were only 5 books in the NYT link in the FPP that you could get to without registration. None of them were Dawkins', but one of them was Frank Rich's, and personally, I still can't forgive the guy for what he did to Chess back in 1988. So there.
posted by graymouser at 9:21 AM on October 13, 2006
There were only 5 books in the NYT link in the FPP that you could get to without registration. None of them were Dawkins', but one of them was Frank Rich's, and personally, I still can't forgive the guy for what he did to Chess back in 1988. So there.
posted by graymouser at 9:21 AM on October 13, 2006
Sam Harris is also on that list. Horray for morally outraged secular humanists!
posted by Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson at 9:21 AM on October 13, 2006
posted by Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson at 9:21 AM on October 13, 2006
I know. I read the article. But if that's the case, then he should say "christianity" where he so often says religion. The interviewer too.
posted by milarepa at 9:22 AM on October 13, 2006
posted by milarepa at 9:22 AM on October 13, 2006
This subject is 6000 years old.
And I intend to resolve it for once and for all. Right here, right now. In this MetaFilter thread. Let's get it on!
posted by pardonyou? at 9:22 AM on October 13, 2006
And I intend to resolve it for once and for all. Right here, right now. In this MetaFilter thread. Let's get it on!
posted by pardonyou? at 9:22 AM on October 13, 2006
In a November 2004 Gallup poll on creationism and evolution, 45 percent of respondents chose "God created human beings in their present form within the last 10,000 years or so"; 38 percent selected "Human beings evolved over millions of years, but God guided the processes"; and 13 percent chose "Human beings have developed over millions of years, God had no part in the process." - the American public has not notably changed its opinion on this question since Gallup started asking it in 1982.
In other words, almost half of the US population believed the earth is less than 10,000 years old.
Clearly, we need more books like Dawkin's - America seems to have a thin veneer of educated elites on a mountain of ignorance, not unlike the Classical world of Rome and Greece.
posted by stbalbach at 9:23 AM on October 13, 2006
In other words, almost half of the US population believed the earth is less than 10,000 years old.
Clearly, we need more books like Dawkin's - America seems to have a thin veneer of educated elites on a mountain of ignorance, not unlike the Classical world of Rome and Greece.
posted by stbalbach at 9:23 AM on October 13, 2006
God is going to use the ultimate thread closer here:
"I do this for a living. Back off."
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:26 AM on October 13, 2006
"I do this for a living. Back off."
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:26 AM on October 13, 2006
"Sam Harris is also on that list."
And he was great in The Right Stuff.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:26 AM on October 13, 2006
And he was great in The Right Stuff.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:26 AM on October 13, 2006
Boy he really takes Steve Gould (MASH, Capricorn One, The Muppet Movie) to task over the "non-overlapping magisteria" idea. I agree that this always seemed more of a fig leaf than a deeply-held conviction, but this is a bit heavy-handed...
posted by Mister_A at 9:30 AM on October 13, 2006
posted by Mister_A at 9:30 AM on October 13, 2006
I consider myself a fairly strong atheist, but I'm turned off my Richard Dawkins. In his BBC documentary where he compared religion to child abuse, he went around to various religious figures and basically picked a fight with them, "don't you know what you're teaching them is BS..." He struck me as very snobbish, and for the one picking the fights, very unprepared.
posted by Andrew Brinton at 9:31 AM on October 13, 2006
posted by Andrew Brinton at 9:31 AM on October 13, 2006
Guys, boffins, we need to know if there's a God! It's important!
posted by slimepuppy at 9:36 AM on October 13, 2006
posted by slimepuppy at 9:36 AM on October 13, 2006
I liked him better when he was a scientist. Now that he's become a salesman, he really is kind of hard to tell apart from Richard Dawson circa The Running Man.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 9:36 AM on October 13, 2006
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 9:36 AM on October 13, 2006
@ Andrew Brinton -- nothing sells books like controversy.
posted by milarepa at 9:36 AM on October 13, 2006
posted by milarepa at 9:36 AM on October 13, 2006
Good post, but it could use a little more padding.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:38 AM on October 13, 2006
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:38 AM on October 13, 2006
With Dawkins on the list, and A Letter to a Christian Nation (and, frankly, a little bit of Freakonomics), I felt pretty good about literate America. And then I saw O'Reilly's book is No. 1.
(Am I crystallizing my own biases into a haphazard generalization about the intelligence of the American reading public? Sure. But it feels so good.)
posted by adoarns at 9:40 AM on October 13, 2006
(Am I crystallizing my own biases into a haphazard generalization about the intelligence of the American reading public? Sure. But it feels so good.)
posted by adoarns at 9:40 AM on October 13, 2006
slimepuppy, the more Mitchell and Webb on MeFi the better. The laughter track ruins it, though. I eagerly await a MeFi Numberwang game.
posted by matthewr at 9:40 AM on October 13, 2006
posted by matthewr at 9:40 AM on October 13, 2006
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posted by jeffburdges at 8:57 AM on October 13, 2006