Comments on: Interview with Daniel Dennett

By: UAAR Ultimissime » Archivio » Notizie dal mondo

UAAR Ultimissime » Archivio » Notizie dal mondo — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 18:22:12 +0000

[...] Intervista a Daniel Dennett (Friendly Atheist) [...]

By: Daniel Dennett - works speak more loudly than words « The O Project

Daniel Dennett - works speak more loudly than words « The O Project — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 23:20:52 +0000

[...] – works speak more loudly than words Jump to Comments Danniel Dennet offered this gem in a recent interview with Hemant Mehta: “We need to show those who fear us that atheists are not value-challenged, [...]

By: Polly

Polly — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 21:36:08 +0000

Thing that, since atheism is simply a lack of belief, have nothing to do with atheism per se.

Yes…and no. “Atheism” as it’s usually used is actually more like “materialism.” From there you’re locked into some other views:

Evolution (unless you can point to a better natural explanation for diversity)
Reason-based or pragmatic ethical system…or moral relativism.
Politically, unless you enjoy being persecuted, you will naturally support strong separation of church and state.

Is it possible to separate atheism from its ramifications? I dunno. Evolution may not be atheism, but atheism almost definitely locks one into agreement with evolution.

Of course, just disbelieving in a god, doesn’t mean you can’t believe in other supernatural realms or entities or even an afterlife. “Atheist” would still, technically, be an accurate, though horrendously misleading, label for those who reject a god, but believe in such things. That’s why I prefer “materialist.” (but that just makes me sound “greedy”)

By: MerryAtheist Blog » A Friendly Atheist chat with Daniel C. Dennett

MerryAtheist Blog » A Friendly Atheist chat with Daniel C. Dennett — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 20:35:51 +0000

[...] Mehta, aka the Friendly Atheist scores a great interview with the always interesting Daniel C. Dennett, author of Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural [...]

By: llewelly

llewelly — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 18:13:04 +0000

I hope you appologized for your dastardly theft of Danniel Dennet’s seat, and thanked him for the (ab)use you got of it.

By: PrimateInRepose

PrimateInRepose — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 16:41:03 +0000

We need to show those who fear us that atheists are not value-challenged, and works speak more loudly than words.

then later

…it is simply misplaced ‘diplomatic’ insincerity to declare oneself an agnostic.

I’m confused. Does Dennett feel that we should be on a diplomatic mission or not? I agree that its great that many atheists are organizing to do nice things, but I CHOKE on the idea that it should be a performance for others.

All atheists need to do to dispel bigotry is to speak up and identify themselves as atheist. The rest will take care of itself. Its our silence that has been our problem.

By: Aj

Aj — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 16:23:24 +0000

That doesn’t mean atheism can’t have arguments, thinking, and philosophy behind it. It makes sense, but it is untrue, there is no “new atheism”, and people who are identified as such, as far as I know, don’t identify themselves as new atheists. They’re old atheists, the arguments are over one hundred years old, some are ancient.

Dawkins and Dennett do not say evolution and science equal atheism. Evolution blows away the most persuasive argument for theism to theists, the argument from design. It’s a bad argument on its own, but lots of people are fooled by it.

By: Blair

Blair — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:56:28 +0000

If atheism is simply a “lack of belief” in god, then how can there be a “new” atheism?

Isn’t what we are really talking about is things that are promoted IN ADDITION to atheism? Thing that, since atheism is simply a lack of belief, have nothing to do with atheism per se.

After all, I have been told that evolution does not equal atheism, nor does science.