Sunday, September 21, 2014

You know what would be awesome?

If you've been following this blog or any part of the atheosphere lately, you know that famous atheist Richard Dawkins has recently taken to throwing rocks at the hornet's nest he helped build. (In case you've been living in a cave with no wifi, start here and here for some background).

His latest entertaining spectacle was to accuse Adam Lee of lying in his piece in the Gaurdian. The article consists of reprinting a bunch of stuff Dawkins posted, framed by Adam Lee's opinion that Dawkins's behavior is bad for the atheist movement. It's not even necessary debunk the accusation of lying -- it doesn't even make sense. It's like Dawkins has crossed the line from merely displaying a glaring blind spot to seriously giving the impression that he's losing his marbles.

But you know what would be awesome?

Imagine Dawkins posts something even more bizarre tomorrow. Then he posts something even more bizarre the next day. Then he waits a week or two for it to percolate through the community and then announces:

It was all a test. I wanted to see whether my fans really embrace critical thinking. I wanted to see, given a choice between loyalty to me personally and loyalty to the ideals I stand for, who would choose which one.

2 comments:

Just Jill said...

Wow! I had no idea all this was going on. I'm one of the naive ones who thought atheism and progressive thought went hand in hand.

I guess organizations will be organizations. I'll just stay under my rock and occasionally creep out and read 'Letters From A Broad...' to keep in touch with reality. :o)

C. L. Hanson said...

Hey Jill!!

I know, me too! If atheist leaders can't turn the same critical eye on their own biases that they point at religion, then what is the point?

But that's why I'm making a stink about this. We should hold our own movement up to a higher standard than we hold religions, and by doing so, we make it better.

Here's another good article about the problem:

"Here's a great way to make a movement: have your most famous and powerful public figures obsess over Henry Higgins's famous question, "Why can't a woman be more like a man?" Why aren't they more into critical thinking, argument, logic? more rational? Why do they accuse a man of sexual harassment when he's just trying to chat them up in an elevator at 4 in the morning? Why do they get drunk and then accuse men of rape? Then, having alienated a huge number of actual and potential members, to whom you sound arrogant, vain, sexist and clueless, look around and wonder, Gee, where are the women? They must be even less rational than we thought!"