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Sunday, March 2, 2014

“If God exists, why is anybody unhappy?”

An interview with the author of The Age of Atheists:

Q: "I’ve attended numerous so-called “Atheist Church” services over the last year, and I notice words like “awe,” “mystery,” and “transcendence” floating around a lot. They make me cringe. Does it seem to you that a new wave of “Atheists” is trying to reclaim an awe or mystery that is actually rooted in early monotheism? 
A: I’m very much against the concept of transcendence. One problem we have is that many religious words, like “salvation” and”transcendence,” are firmly embedded in our vocabulary. Some people try to make secular equivalents, which I think is a mistake. Rather than going back to the old religious vocabulary, we should go to a new one..."
The age of atheism: “If God exists, why is anybody unhappy?” - Salon.com

"For anybody who has wondered about the meaning of life, Peter Watson's 'Age of Atheists'"


  1.  9h
    Sagan was much like William James, attracting and responding kindly to "FCs"-both so open to "varieties of experience"
     View conversation

  3.  Retweeted by 
  4.  17h
    Why Carl Sagan is Truly Irreplaceable - Smithsonian
     View summary
  5.  22h
    "Divinity (for Plato) is that which is primary, self-sufficient, mobile, and alive." , "Doubt: A History"
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  6.  Retweeted by 
     22h
    A man grows most tired while standing still. -Chinese Proverbs
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  7.  Retweeted by 
     Jan 29
    Cannot we let people be themselves & enjoy life in their own way? You are trying to make that man another you. One's enough.
    Expand
  8.  Retweeted by 
     23h
    Transcendental Arguments and Their Discontents: by Scott F. Aikin and Robert B. Talisse Consider the nihilist...
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  9.  Mar 2
    "Perhaps our best friends will be tweaked copies of ourselves." Or perhaps Emerson was right: one's enough.
     View summary
  10.  Mar 1
    When May I Shoot a Student?
     View summary
  11.  Mar 1
    "In the 21st century 'The Meaning of Life' is “no longer an embarrassing subject.”
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1 comment:

  1. BluesmanMarch 4, 2014 at 9:47 AM

    Thanks for the Links! I missed the 3QD piece and therefore a new word.

    otiose |ˈōSHēˌōs, ˈōtēˌōs|
    adjective
    serving no practical purpose or result: he did fuss, uttering otiose explanations.
    • archaic indolent; idle.

    Also, the NYT piece on "When May I Shoot a Student?" was brilliant. I first read about it in Huff Po. Here's a quote not in the original:

    Hampikian, who teaches biology and criminal justice, told The Huffington Post he wrote the op-ed in a satirical tone “because comedy is really at the heart of intelligent discourse to me."

    ReplyDelete

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