Philosophy
The human mind is both beautiful and frustrating. We have minds that can contemplate the meaning of infinity and consciousness, on the one hand, and we can be blind to what's right in front of us, we can lie to ourselves, we can simultaneously embrace mutually exclusive beliefs, and we can be in complete denial about the most obvious of things, especially when those things have something challenging to say about our identity.
There's a clinical condition called anosognosia. Patients with this condition have suffered some sort of disability, but are completely unaware of it (you can watch V.S. Ramachandran to learn more). But it doesn't have to be only a medical condition. Anosognosia, or some variation thereof, affects us all in various ways and to varying degrees. At bottom, it's a question of self-knowledge and whether our beliefs about ourselves are consistent with the available evidence.
So, philosopher Daniel Dennett started to wonder about a possibly related condition: atheism-denial :) Are you one? If you're not sure, here's how you can tell (and learn some philosophy along the way, like the use-mention fallacy, thanks to the funny examples he uses to make various conceptual points). And before you dismiss the idea, just consider that if there's a good chance your own pastor (rabbi, mula, swami, take your pick) might be an atheist, maybe you are too...
You know what I would be surprised to find? A redneck atheist :)
- Atheism, Religiocity, And Spiritualism
A twist today on the old chestnut, what is the difference between being religious and being spiritual. Can an atheist be either? I was best man a few years back for a dear friend who got married by an atheist rabbi. He was a working rabbi, conducted services...
- Vonnegut, Einstein, Dawkins, And The Public Face Of Atheism
There's been a lot of talk around lately about what is termed "radical atheism," "evangelical atheism" or "fundamentalist atheism." Generally associated with Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, but also with atheist bloggers (some of whom play here from...
- Sam Harris On Free Will
The religious instinct is not merely limited to belief in God and supernatural agents. And to varying degrees, even hard-core atheists tend to be religious in this sense, since they still adopt beliefs that may be religious in origin. It's a little...
- Alain De Botton - Atheism 2.0
Traditionally, religion has been associated with a number of different concepts: explanation, revelation, salvation and consolation. The so-called New Atheists have made a strong case that when it comes to explanation, religion is no better than child...
- God And The Void
In the beginning there was nothingness, and out of that nothingness emerged God (also known, evidently, as El?-oh...him). God, or Mr. Deity if you like (he goes by different names), apparently looked like a 70's porn star (with the creepy thin beard...
Philosophy
Daniel Dennett - How to Tell If You're an Atheist
There's a clinical condition called anosognosia. Patients with this condition have suffered some sort of disability, but are completely unaware of it (you can watch V.S. Ramachandran to learn more). But it doesn't have to be only a medical condition. Anosognosia, or some variation thereof, affects us all in various ways and to varying degrees. At bottom, it's a question of self-knowledge and whether our beliefs about ourselves are consistent with the available evidence.
So, philosopher Daniel Dennett started to wonder about a possibly related condition: atheism-denial :) Are you one? If you're not sure, here's how you can tell (and learn some philosophy along the way, like the use-mention fallacy, thanks to the funny examples he uses to make various conceptual points). And before you dismiss the idea, just consider that if there's a good chance your own pastor (rabbi, mula, swami, take your pick) might be an atheist, maybe you are too...
You know what I would be surprised to find? A redneck atheist :)
- Atheism, Religiocity, And Spiritualism
A twist today on the old chestnut, what is the difference between being religious and being spiritual. Can an atheist be either? I was best man a few years back for a dear friend who got married by an atheist rabbi. He was a working rabbi, conducted services...
- Vonnegut, Einstein, Dawkins, And The Public Face Of Atheism
There's been a lot of talk around lately about what is termed "radical atheism," "evangelical atheism" or "fundamentalist atheism." Generally associated with Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, but also with atheist bloggers (some of whom play here from...
- Sam Harris On Free Will
The religious instinct is not merely limited to belief in God and supernatural agents. And to varying degrees, even hard-core atheists tend to be religious in this sense, since they still adopt beliefs that may be religious in origin. It's a little...
- Alain De Botton - Atheism 2.0
Traditionally, religion has been associated with a number of different concepts: explanation, revelation, salvation and consolation. The so-called New Atheists have made a strong case that when it comes to explanation, religion is no better than child...
- God And The Void
In the beginning there was nothingness, and out of that nothingness emerged God (also known, evidently, as El?-oh...him). God, or Mr. Deity if you like (he goes by different names), apparently looked like a 70's porn star (with the creepy thin beard...