Difference between revisions of "New Atheism"
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Social science research indicates that antitheists score the highest among [[Atheism|atheists]] when it comes to personality traits such as [[narcissism]], dogmatism, and anger.<ref>[https://shadowtolight.wordpress.com/2013/07/18/science-shows-new-atheists-to-be-mean-and-closed-minded/ Science Shows New Atheists to be Mean and Closed-Minded]</ref><ref>[http://www.thisviewoflife.com/index.php/magazine/articles/why-sam-harris-is-unlikely-to-change-his-mind10 Why Sam Harris is Unlikely to Change his Mind] by JONATHAN HAIDT, February 3, 2014 8:36 pm</ref> Furthermore, they scored lowest when it comes to agreeableness and positive relations with others.<ref>[https://shadowtolight.wordpress.com/2013/07/18/science-shows-new-atheists-to-be-mean-and-closed-minded/ Science Shows New Atheists to be Mean and Closed-Minded]</ref> | Social science research indicates that antitheists score the highest among [[Atheism|atheists]] when it comes to personality traits such as [[narcissism]], dogmatism, and anger.<ref>[https://shadowtolight.wordpress.com/2013/07/18/science-shows-new-atheists-to-be-mean-and-closed-minded/ Science Shows New Atheists to be Mean and Closed-Minded]</ref><ref>[http://www.thisviewoflife.com/index.php/magazine/articles/why-sam-harris-is-unlikely-to-change-his-mind10 Why Sam Harris is Unlikely to Change his Mind] by JONATHAN HAIDT, February 3, 2014 8:36 pm</ref> Furthermore, they scored lowest when it comes to agreeableness and positive relations with others.<ref>[https://shadowtolight.wordpress.com/2013/07/18/science-shows-new-atheists-to-be-mean-and-closed-minded/ Science Shows New Atheists to be Mean and Closed-Minded]</ref> | ||
− | Using special text analysis software, the social psychologist Jonathan Haidt found that new atheists very often wrote in dogmatic terms in their major works using words such as “always,” “never,” “certainly,” “every,” and “undeniable.”<ref>[http://www.thisviewoflife.com/index.php/magazine/articles/why-sam-harris-is-unlikely-to-change-his-mind10 Why Sam Harris is Unlikely to Change his Mind] by JONATHAN HAIDT, February 3, 2014 8:36 pm</ref> Of the 75,000 words in [[Sam Harris]]'s ''The End of Faith'', 2.24% of them connote or are associated with certainty.<ref>[http://www.thisviewoflife.com/index.php/magazine/articles/why-sam-harris-is-unlikely-to-change-his-mind10 Why Sam Harris is Unlikely to Change his Mind] by JONATHAN HAIDT, February 3, 2014 8:36 pm</ref> | + | Using special text analysis software, the social psychologist Jonathan Haidt found that new atheists very often wrote in dogmatic terms in their major works using words such as “always,” “never,” “certainly,” “every,” and “undeniable.”<ref>[http://www.thisviewoflife.com/index.php/magazine/articles/why-sam-harris-is-unlikely-to-change-his-mind10 Why Sam Harris is Unlikely to Change his Mind] by JONATHAN HAIDT, February 3, 2014 8:36 pm</ref> Of the 75,000 words in [[Sam Harris]]'s ''The End of Faith'', 2.24% of them connote or are associated with certainty.<ref>[http://www.thisviewoflife.com/index.php/magazine/articles/why-sam-harris-is-unlikely-to-change-his-mind10 Why Sam Harris is Unlikely to Change his Mind] by JONATHAN HAIDT, February 3, 2014 8:36 pm</ref> |
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== New Atheism movement and contention between atheist men and women == | == New Atheism movement and contention between atheist men and women == |
Revision as of 12:38, July 25, 2016
The term New Atheism, which first appeared in the November 2006 edition of Wired magazine, is frequently applied to a movement spawned by a series of six best-selling books by five authors that appeared in the period between 2004–2008. These authors include Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett and Victor J. Stenger.[3]
The four most prominent writers of the New Atheist movement are Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens and Daniel Dennett and they have commonly been called "the four horsemen" of New Atheism. PZ Myers dubbed himself the fifth horseman of the New Atheism movement, but the term never caught on and he was mocked by some fellow atheists such as Michael Nugent.[4]
A. C. Grayling, Jerry Coyne, Lawrence Krauss, David Silverman, Bill Maher, Matt Dillahunty and Kyle Kulinski are also widely seen as being part of the New Atheism school of atheist thought.
An irony of the New Atheist movement is that New Atheism is a militant form of atheism and Richard Dawkins has flip-flopped concerning whether he is an atheist or an agnostic (see: Richard Dawkins and agnosticism).
Dissent Magazine declared concerning the New Atheism:
“ | A number of prominent authors and scientists have published books in the past year that advocate a "New Atheism." The books, which include Daniel Dennett's Breaking the Spell, Richard Dawkins's The God Delusion, and Christopher Hitchens's God is Not Great, have sparked considerable public controversy across the political spectrum.[5] | ” |
Contents
- 1 New Atheism and the media
- 2 Social science examination of the new atheists and other examinations
- 3 New Atheism movement and contention between atheist men and women
- 4 New Atheism and charges of Islamophobia
- 5 New Atheism as a reaction to the failure of the secularization thesis
- 6 New Atheism seen as a narrow and dogmatic religion
- 7 Decline of New Atheism
- 8 Impact of the New Atheism
- 9 Dr. Albert Mohler Jr. commentary on the New Atheism
- 10 New Atheism leaders and unhealthy lifestyles
- 11 Recommended books
- 12 See also
- 13 External links
- 14 Notes
New Atheism and the media
See also: New Atheism and the media and Atheism and the media
The new atheists Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins had prior experience dealing with the media and used the media to promote their best-selling new atheist books and to create a high level of media interest in the New Atheism movement.[6]
On the other hand, due to their reporting of the Elevatorgate scandal and the events subsequent to Elevatorgate, the media helped cause a marked decline in the New Atheism movement (see: Decline of New Atheism and the media).
Social science examination of the new atheists and other examinations
See also: Antitheism and antisocial behavior
New Atheism is a contemporary form of antitheism.
Social science research indicates that antitheists score the highest among atheists when it comes to personality traits such as narcissism, dogmatism, and anger.[8][9] Furthermore, they scored lowest when it comes to agreeableness and positive relations with others.[10]
Using special text analysis software, the social psychologist Jonathan Haidt found that new atheists very often wrote in dogmatic terms in their major works using words such as “always,” “never,” “certainly,” “every,” and “undeniable.”[11] Of the 75,000 words in Sam Harris's The End of Faith, 2.24% of them connote or are associated with certainty.[12]
New Atheism movement and contention between atheist men and women
See also: Abrasiveness of Richard Dawkins and Atheism and arrogance and New Atheism and women
Founders of the New Atheism movement Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, have elevated the amount of contention between men and women within the atheist population and there are now frequently complaints from women that there is a significant amount of misogny within the atheist community and that its leadership is too heavily populated with men.[13][14][15]
Richard Dawkins and Elevatorgate
Elevatorgate is a term commonly used to describe a scandal involving new atheist Richard Dawkins' 2011 comments made to atheist Rebecca Watson which are perceived to have been inappropriate by a sizable portion of the atheist community and to the public at large.[17]
Subsequently, Richard Dawkins was widely criticized within the atheist community and in various press outlets for his insensitive comments made to atheist Rebecca Watson about the incident which occurred in an elevator (see: Richard Dawkins initial Elevatorgate comments).[18]
According to Rebecca Watson atheist women are often punished for being outspoken - particularly when they speak about feminism.[19] In August 2013, Watson said the harassment she received from male atheists skyrocketed after Elevatorgate.[20]
Furthermore, she said she still receives harassment from male fans of Richard Dawkins.[21] The atheist feminist Sikivu Hutchinson concurs with Watson and says that sexual harassment has been institutionalized within the atheist movement and that atheist men have an investment in censoring, controlling and policing women and also have an investment in "male privilege".[22]
Elevatorgate and negative press
The New Statesman reporter and fellow skeptic David Allen Green said he believed Dawkins was a misogynist and a racist.[23] In addition, Green wrote: "Can Richard Dawkins still credibly pose as a champion of rational thinking and an evidence-based approach? In my opinion, he certainly cannot, at least not in the way he did before."[24]
Elevatorgate created negative press for Richard Dawkins in a number of major news outlets (see: Elevatorgate news stories) and within the atheist movement/atheist population (see: Atheist movement). As a result of Elevatorgate, Dawkins popularity among atheists and the public at large plunged (see: Richard Dawkins' loss of influence).
See also: Decline of internet atheism and Google trends - Atheism and agnosticism terms
Sam Harris and charges of misogny
See also: Atheism and women and Atheism and sexism
Like his fellow new atheist Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris has raised the ire of feminists.[25][26][27] See also: Elevatorgate
In 2014, Harris said that atheist activism lacks an “estrogen vibe” and was “to some degree intrinsically male”.[28]
On October 3, 2014, Salon magazine published an online article titled, Atheism’s shocking woman problem: What’s behind the misogyny of Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris?[29] On September 20, 2014, the feminist blogger Libby Anne wrote an article entitled Is Sam Harris Sexist?[30] Atheist Sam Fincke wrote a piece entitled On Sam Harris’s Reply to Feminist Critics.[31]
In his defense, Harris published an article on his website titled, “I’m Not the Sexist Pig You’re Looking For”[32]
New Atheism and charges of Islamophobia
See also: Richard Dawkins and Islamophobia accusations and Atheism vs. Islam and New Atheism and Islamophobia
The new atheists Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins and the late Christopher Hitchens have received multiple accusations of engaging in Islamophobic behavior.[34] Dawkins is dismissive of the concept of Islamophobia and declared: "I’m always being accused of Islamophobia, that’s a non-word."[35]
On December 28, 2015, the Daily Express reported about Dawkins:
“ | The furious academic walked out of an interview when a Muslim journalist confirmed he personally believed the prophet Muhammad flew to heaven on a winged horse.
Dawkins, 74, author of best-seller The God Delusion, told the New Statesmen's Emad Ahmed that his belief was "pathetic" before angrily storming off.[36] |
” |
On the other hand, defenders of atheist criticisms of Islam/Muslims indicated that New Atheists should be able to criticize Islam without being accused of Islamophobia.[37]
Christopher Hitchens displayed provocative rhetoric and bloodlust towards radical Islamacists.[38] At the opening of the David Horowitz Freedom Center, Hitchens said of radical Islamacists, "It is a pleasure and a duty to kill these people".[39] Hitchens said of Iran, "As for that benighted country, I wouldn't shed a tear if it was wiped off the face of this earth”.[40]
On June 21, 2014 Harris published an article on his website entitled Response to Critics which was a response to his critics who accuse him of Islamophobia.[41]
New Atheism as a reaction to the failure of the secularization thesis
See also: Causes of the New Atheism movement and Secularization thesis and Atheism and politics and Atheist movement
Richard Osling wrote about the book The Evolution of Atheism: The Politics of a Modern Movement published by the Oxford University Press:
“ | The tables are turned in a new book, “The Evolution of Atheism: The Politics of a Modern Movement” (Oxford University Press). Journalists: It’s heady stuff to be a hook for news treatment, but worth the effort.
The book analyzes atheistic causes in North America over the past century, including its internal schisms and contradictions. The work is based on Canadian author Stephen LeDrew’s doctoral dissertation at York University in Ontario and post-doctoral study in Sweden at Uppsala University’s Center for the Study of Religion and Society. Religion newswriters are well aware that those aggressive “New Atheists” sometimes suggest faith is not just stupid but morally evil or a sort of mental illness, such that parents should be forbidden to infect their own children with it. Journalists may be surprised to learn that for LeDrew and others, this sort of anti-religion thinking is outdated and “utterly out of sync with contemporary social science.” Social scientists long embraced the “secularization thesis,” according to which religion will inevitably decline as modern science advances. But now, says LeDrew, many acknowledge that scenario was “a product of ideology” rather than empirical fact. Thus, the New Atheism could be seen as a promotional effort to defend against “a perceived failure of secularism in practice in late modern society.”... When examined closely, he sees the New Atheism as “secular fundamentalism, a modern utopian ideology” that’s “essentially political.”... To LeDrew, current atheism is much more than a mere critique of religious faith or absence of belief. It “ignores the reservoirs of knowledge offered by the social sciences, which add complexities to our understanding of religion that the New Atheists prefer to ignore, indulging in the kind of willful ignorance that they disparage religion for promoting.” Therefore, it’s “an ideology,” defined as “a schematic or rigid framework of preconceived ideas that shape, and thus distort, understanding.” It must exclude social scientists’ thinking about religion and obscure “social reality.”[43] |
” |
New Atheism as a reaction to the religious right in the United States
Elizabeth Bruenig wrote in her New Republic article Is the New Atheism Dead?:
“ | New Atheists were especially incensed by the dominance of the Christian right in America, with sociologists George Yancey and David Williamson arguing in a 2013 book that GOP-centric Christian conservatism had helped shape its own antagonist through its prominent place in American politics. For a time at least, it seemed that tensions between the stridently non-religious and the ardently faithful would only continue to rise.
Which makes today’s relative placidity between the non-religious and religious so remarkable. [44] |
” |
New Atheism as a reaction to creationism
See: New Atheism as a reaction to creationism
New Atheism seen as a narrow and dogmatic religion
See also: Atheism is a religion and Atheism and arrogance and Militant atheism and Atheism and anger
Using special text analysis software, the social psychologist Jonathan Haidt found that New Atheists very often wrote in dogmatic terms in their major works using words such as “always,” “never,” “certainly,” “every,” and “undeniable.”[45] Of the 75,000 words in Sam Harris's The End of Faith, 2.24% of them connote or are associated with certainty.[46] In a 2014 New Republic article entitled The Closed Mind of Richard Dawkins: His atheism is its own kind of narrow religion, the atheist philosopher John Gray wrote:
“ | One might wager a decent sum of money that it has never occurred to Dawkins that to many people he appears as a comic figure. His default mode is one of rational indignation—a stance of withering patrician disdain for the untutored mind of a kind one might expect in a schoolmaster in a minor public school sometime in the 1930s. He seems to have no suspicion that any of those he despises could find his stilted pose of indignant rationality merely laughable. “I am not a good observer,” he writes modestly. He is referring to his observations of animals and plants, but his weakness applies more obviously in the case of humans. Transfixed in wonderment at the workings of his own mind, Dawkins misses much that is of importance in human beings—himself and others.[47] | ” |
For more information, please see:
Cultish characteristics
See also: Atheist cults and Richard Dawkins' cult of personality
The New Atheism movement, which has waned in recent years, was called a cult by the agnostic, journalist Bryan Appleyard in a 2012 article in the New Statesman in which he describes the abusive behavior of New Atheists.[48] Although the New Atheism movement does not perfectly fit the various characteristics of a cult, it does fit some of the characteristics.[49]
Most of the allegations around New Atheism being a cult have been due to the behavior of Richard Dawkins and his fans (see: Richard Dawkins' cult of personality).
Sociologist Stephen LeDrew on New Atheism and intolerance
The sociologist Stephen LeDrew declared about the new atheists:
“ | As I got to know these thinkers better, I began to see some of their ideas as quite dangerous—such as the intolerance they have for cultural diversity and some seeds of social Darwinism. So part of the motivation for it was that I think atheism can do much better than people like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris.[50] | ” |
Decline of New Atheism
See also: Decline of militant atheism in the West and Decline of New Atheism and the media and Atheist movement
On November 6, 2015, the New Republic published an article entitled, Is the New Atheism dead?[51]
In 2015, the atheist author Joshua Kelly wrote:
“ | ...since the death of Hitchens: angry atheism lost its most charismatic champion. Call it what you like: New Atheism, fire-brand atheism, etc., had a surge with the Four Horsemen in the middle of the last decade and in the last four years has generally peetered out to a kind that is more docile, politically correct, and even apologetic.[52] | ” |
YouTube's atheist Thunderfoot said about the atheist movement after Reason Rally 2016 had a very low turnout:
“ | I'm not sure there is anything in this movement worth saving. Hitchens is dead. Dawkins simply doesn't have the energy for this sort of thing anymore. Harris went his own way. And Dennett just kind of blended into the background. So what do you think when the largest gathering of the nonreligious in history pulls in... I don't know. Maybe 2,000 people. Is there anything worth saving?[53] | ” |
Besides the death of Nitchens, another major of factors which caused the decline of New Atheism were: Richard Dawkins' loss of influence due to his Elevatorgate scandal and his critical comments toward Islam (see: Richard Dawkins and Islamophobia accusations).
As far as PZ Myers losing influence, in April 2015, Atheist Ireland announced, "Atheist Ireland is publicly dissociating itself from the hurtful and dehumanising, hateful and violent, unjust and defamatory rhetoric of the atheist blogger PZ Myers."[54] The atheist biologist Massimo Pigliucci said of Myers, "one cannot conclude this parade without mentioning P.Z. Myers, who has risen to fame because of a blog where the level of nastiness (both by the host and by his readers) is rarely matched anywhere else on the Internet...".[55] Myers' also lost favor among his fellow atheists after his inappropriate remarks about the death of the popular comedian Robin Williams.[56][57] Myers is one of the more prominent bloggers at Freethoughtblogs and the blogging website has been losing a significant amount of web traffic since 2012 according to Quantcast which directly measures its web traffic.[58]
James W. Jones wrote at the Oxford University Press's website:
“ | We seem to be witnessing a broad reaction against the New Atheism movement by atheists as well as religious believers, whether undermining the idea of a long-standing conflict between science and religion, or taking a critical view of their political agenda. James Ryerson recently examined three new books (including my own) in the New York Times Book Review – a small sample of a growing body of work.[59] | ” |
In addition, New Atheism's abrasiveness/aggressiveness caused it to wore thin over time in terms of its public relations (see also: Atheism and public relations).
Theo Hobson on young atheists and New Atheism approach
Theo Hobson wrote in The Spectator in 2013:
“ | The atheist spring that began just over a decade ago is over, thank God. Richard Dawkins is now seen by many, even many non-believers, as a joke figure...
Atheism is still with us. But the movement that threatened to form has petered out. Crucially, atheism’s younger advocates are reluctant to compete for the role of Dawkins’s disciple. They are more likely to bemoan the new atheist approach and call for large injections of nuance. A good example is the pop-philosopher Julian Baggini. He is a stalwart atheist who likes a bit of a scrap with believers, but he’s also able to admit that religion has its virtues, that humanism needs to learn from it. For example, he has observed that a sense of gratitude is problematically lacking in secular culture, and suggested that humanists should consider ritual practices such as fasting.[60] |
” |
Impact of the New Atheism
The New Atheism has not had much of an impact in terms of gaining new adherents to atheism. In a March 10, 2008 USA Today article Stephen Prothero stated the following regarding the impact of the "New Atheism":
“ | Numbers lie, but they also tell tales untrustworthy and otherwise. So the key question stirring around the much discussed U.S Religious Landscape Survey released in late February by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life is what tale does it state about the state of the union.
For some, the story of this survey, based on interviews in multiple languages with more than 35,000 adults, is the strength of American Religion. Not too long ago, I wrote that American atheism was going the way of the freak show. As books by Christopher Hitchens and other "new atheists" climbed the best seller lists, I caught a lot of flak for that prophecy. But atheist make up only 1.6% of respondents to this survey....[61] |
” |
Alister McGrath indicates that interest in the "God question" saw a surge due to the New Atheism movement.[62] Google trends data shows there was a significant surge for the search "God" in 2009 to 2012 in the United States and in the world.[63]
Stephen LeDrew wrote at Oxford University Press's Academic Insights for the Thinking World website:
“ | The ten-year anniversary of the publication of Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion is approaching, and it has already been over ten years since Sam Harris published The End of Faith.
Social science in general has not yet fully appreciated the significance of the New Atheism and has tended not to take it very seriously, with the exception of those working in the new sub-discipline of secularity studies. But whatever one might think of the New Atheists’ ideas, an honest appraisal would recognize that they have had a significant and lasting impact. They should be remembered for catalyzing a movement for religious dissent and inspiring atheists to come together and find a voice in American public life. But there’s a much darker side to the legacy of the New Atheism that stems from its imperialist and xenophobic tendencies, to say nothing of some thinly veiled Social Darwinism and arguments for eugenics. Sam Harris in particular is now known more for supporting the Israeli occupation of Palestine and ethnic profiling at airport security than for his science-based critique of religious faith. Richard Dawkins’ personal legacy has taken a heavy hit in the past few years, as his rambling criticisms of feminism and Muslim “barbarians” on Twitter have led to charges of sexism, racism, and general arrogance and intolerance.[64] |
” |
On November 4, 2015, Elizabeth Bruenig published an article in the New Republic entitled Is the New Atheism Dead? which declared:
“ | Coming at a time of sharpening political divisions over the issue of religion, it would seem the stage is set for the kind of religious versus anti-religious antagonism that gave birth to the New Atheist movement in the early aughts. But in significant ways, New Atheism seems to be on the wane, suggesting a new era of growing conciliation between the two sides.[65] | ” |
A common criticism of the "new atheism" is the shallowness of its material. For example, even atheist philosopher Michael Ruse stated that that Richard Dawkins' book The God Delusion made him "embarrassed to be an atheist".[66]
The "New Atheism" largely has a unfavorable view outside the United States as well. The liberal leaning British newspaper The Guardian said about New Atheism:
“ | Anti-faith proselytising is a growth industry. But its increasingly hysterical flag-bearers are heading for a spectacular failure...
These increasingly hysterical books may boost the pension, they may be morale boosters for a particular kind of American atheism that feels victimized - the latest candidate in a flourishing American tradition - but one suspects that they are going to do very little to challenge the appeal of a phenomenon they loathe too much to understand.[67] |
” |
In 2010, it was reported that The God Delusion sold 2,086,402 copies and 907,161 of those copies were sold in North America. Contrastly, in 2010, the evangelical Christian Rick Warren sold between 25,000,000 to 50,000,000 copies of his book The Purpose Driven Life.[68]
Letter to Richard Dawkins from Oxford atheist and academic Daniel Came
In a letter to the agnostic and evolutionist Richard Dawkins which was subsequently quoted by The Daily Telegraph, Oxford University atheist and professor Daniel Came wrote concerning Dawkins' refusal to debate the Christian apologist William Lane Craig:
"The absence of a debate with the foremost apologist for Christian theism is a glaring omission on your CV and is of course apt to be interpreted as cowardice on your part."[69]
One of the frequent criticisms of the New Atheism movement is that it avoids the strongest arguments of its opponents.[70] See also: Atheism and cowardice and Richard Dawkins and debate
Christopher Hitchens' debate against William Lane Craig
Christopher Hitchens debated William Lane Craig at Biola University in 2009 in a videotaped debate.[71] The atheist Luke Muehlhauser wrote concerning the debate: "The debate went exactly as I expected. Craig was flawless and unstoppable. Hitchens was rambling and incoherent, with the occasional rhetorical jab. Frankly, Craig spanked Hitchens like a foolish child."[72]
Sam Harris vs. William Lane Craig debate
See: Sam Harris vs. William Lane Craig debate
Christian backlash against the New Atheism
An April 17. 2011 an atheist essay entitled Are atheists strengthening religion? declared:
“ | The Christian backlash and response to new atheism is/was considerable, and neither can the consequences, changes, and foci which marked their response be ignored.
In the end, have we simply made the aforementioned goal more difficult to accomplish.[73] |
” |
Subsequent to the New Atheism campaign, the Christian apologetics organizations Ratio Christi and Trinity Graduate School of Apologetics and Theology were founded.
Dr. Albert Mohler Jr. commentary on the New Atheism
Dr. Alfred Mohler Jr. describes some of the key attributes of the "New Atheism":
“ | Now, WIRED magazine comes out with a cover story on atheism for its November 2006 issue. In "The New Atheism," WIRED contributing editor Gary Wolf explains that this newly assertive form of atheism declares a very simple message: "No heaven. No hell. Just science."...
Wolf accomplishes a great deal in his article, thoughtfully introducing the work of militant atheists such as Dawkins, Harris, and Dennett. At the same time, he probes more deeply into the actual meaning of the New Atheism as a movement and a message. At the beginning of his article, he gets right to the point: "The New Atheists will not let us off the hook simply because we are not doctrinaire believers. They condemn not just belief in God but respect for belief in God. Religion is not only wrong; it's evil. Now that the battle has been joined, there's no excuse for shirking."[74] |
” |
New Atheism leaders and unhealthy lifestyles
See also: New Atheism leaders and unhealthy lifestyles and Atheism and health
A significant number of the founders of the New Atheism movement have engaged in unhealthy behaviors which have upon occasion caused them significant health problems (see: New Atheism leaders and unhealthy lifestyles).
Despite his esophageal cancer, when asked by interviewer Charlie Rose if in retrospect he would have engaged in heavy drinking and smoking knowing his present cancer condition, the late new atheist Christopher Hitchens said he think he would have done things the same.[75]
Recommended books
- True Reason: Confronting the Irrationality of the New Atheism, Tom Gilson (Editor), Carson Weitnauer (Editor), Publisher: Kregel Publications; Reprint edition (February 1, 2014). ISBN 0825443385. ISBN 978-0825443381
- The Irrational Atheist: Dissecting the Unholy Trinity of Dawkins, Harris, And Hitchens by Vox Day, 2014 (Free sample PDF copy)
- New Atheism: A Survival Guide by Graham Veale, Publisher: Christian Focus, 2014. ISBN 1781913161. ISBN 978-1781913161
- Answering the New Atheism: Dismantling Dawkins' Case by Scott Hahn, Publisher: Emmaus Road Publishing (May 8, 2008), ISBN 1931018480. ISBN 978-1931018487
See also
- British atheism
- Atheist cults
- Atheism and public relations
- Atheist bullying
- Atheist factions
- History of atheism
External links
- What scares the new atheists by John Gray
- What the New Atheism's Gender Gap Tells You by David Klinghoffer
- What the new atheists don't see by Theodore Dalrymple, City Journal
- The New Atheism by Gary Gilley
- The New Atheism and the Dogma of Darwinism by Dr. Albert Mohler, Jr.
- New Atheist atheology by Michael Egnor
- The New Atheism and Morality by J.M. Njoroge at Ravi Zacharias Ministries
- New Atheists - by David B. Hart, First things
- The New Atheism Wall Street Journal, Peter Berkowitz, June 16, 2007
- The “New Atheism” Shtick The “New Atheism” Shtick by Tim Whitmarsh, History News Network
Video:
Notes
- ↑ Professional Atheist Dawkins Says Christianity ‘Bulwark Against Something Worse’, by Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D, Breitbart News Network, Jan 12, 2016
- ↑ Richard Dawkins says Christianity is world's best defence against radical Islam, Christianity Today, January 2016
- ↑ http://www.colorado.edu/philosophy/vstenger/battle.html
- ↑
- Chronology of misrepresentations and smears in the atheist movement by PZ Myers and others by Michael Nugent on November 4, 2014
- Comes a Horseman by PZ Myers • 13 October 2009
- PZ Myers, Animal Lover, Atheism Neat by Matt Cavanaugh
- ↑ http://dissentmagazine.org/article/?article=928
- ↑ Faithless: The politics of new atheism by Steven Kettell, Secularism and Nonreligion website
- ↑ http://www.alternet.org/media/47052?page=entire
- ↑ Science Shows New Atheists to be Mean and Closed-Minded
- ↑ Why Sam Harris is Unlikely to Change his Mind by JONATHAN HAIDT, February 3, 2014 8:36 pm
- ↑ Science Shows New Atheists to be Mean and Closed-Minded
- ↑ Why Sam Harris is Unlikely to Change his Mind by JONATHAN HAIDT, February 3, 2014 8:36 pm
- ↑ Why Sam Harris is Unlikely to Change his Mind by JONATHAN HAIDT, February 3, 2014 8:36 pm
- ↑ Will “New Atheism” Make Room For Women?, Ms. Magazine
- ↑
- Richard Dawkins: Skeptic of women? - Salon, July 8, 2011
- Sharing a lift with Richard Dawkins by David Allen Green - New Stateman - 06 July 2011
- Richard Dawkins Torn Limb From Limb—By Atheists - Gawker
- Atheists address sexism issues - USA Today
- Richard Dawkins, check the evidence on the 'chilly climate' for women by Emily Band, The Guardian, July 24, 2011
- Richard Dawkins and male privilege By Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, July 5, 2011 10:30 am
- Is Richard Dawkins destroying his reputation? by Sophie Elmhirst, The Guardian, June 9, 2015
- ↑
- Atheist writer Sam Harris faces backlash over 'estrogen vibe' comments by Heather Tomlinson, Christianity Today, September 17, 2014
- Atheism’s shocking woman problem: What’s behind the misogyny of Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris? by Amanda Marcotte, Salon magazine, October 3, 2014
- Is Sam Harris Sexist? by Libby Anne at the blog Love, Joy, Feminism, September 20, 2014
- On Sam Harris’s Reply to Feminist Critics by Daniel Fincke, September 16, 2014
- ↑ Sharing a lift with Richard Dawkins by David Allen Green - New Stateman - 06 July 2011
- ↑
- Richard Dawkins: Skeptic of women? - Salon, July 8, 2011
- Sharing a lift with Richard Dawkins by David Allen Green - New Stateman - 06 July 2011
- Richard Dawkins Torn Limb From Limb—By Atheists - Gawker
- Atheists address sexism issues - USA Today
- Richard Dawkins, check the evidence on the 'chilly climate' for women by Emily Band, The Guardian, July 24, 2011
- Richard Dawkins and male privilege By Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, July 5, 2011 10:30 am
- Is Richard Dawkins destroying his reputation? by Sophie Elmhirst, The Guardian, June 9, 2015
- ↑
- ↑ Calling All Female Atheists - Huffington Post - video
- ↑ Calling All Female Atheists - Huffington Post - video
- ↑ Calling All Female Atheists - Huffington Post - video
- ↑ Calling All Female Atheists - Huffington Post - video
- ↑ Sharing a lift with Richard Dawkins by David Allen Green - New Stateman - 06 July 2011
- ↑ Sharing a lift with Richard Dawkins by David Allen Green - New Stateman - 06 July 2011
- ↑ Atheism’s shocking woman problem: What’s behind the misogyny of Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris? by Amanda Marcotte, Salon magazine, October 3, 2014
- ↑ Is Sam Harris Sexist? by Libby Anne at the blog Love, Joy, Feminism, September 20, 2014
- ↑ Atheist writer Sam Harris faces backlash over 'estrogen vibe' comments by Heather Tomlinson, Christianity Today, September 17, 2014
- ↑ Atheist writer Sam Harris faces backlash over 'estrogen vibe' comments by Heather Tomlinson, Christianity Today, September 17, 2014
- ↑ Atheism’s shocking woman problem: What’s behind the misogyny of Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris? by Amanda Marcotte, Salon magazine, October 3, 2014
- ↑ Is Sam Harris Sexist? by Libby Anne at the blog Love, Joy, Feminism, September 20, 2014
- ↑ On Sam Harris’s Reply to Feminist Critics by Daniel Fincke, September 16, 2014
- ↑ “I’m Not the Sexist Pig You’re Looking For” by Sam Harris, September 15, 2014
- ↑ 5 facts about the Muslim population in Europe by Conrad Hackett, Pew Forum, November 17, 2015
- ↑
- Dawkins, Harris, Hitchens: New Atheists flirt with Islamophobia by Nathan Lean, Salon, March 30, 2013
- Sam Harris, the New Atheists, and anti-Muslim animus by Glenn Greenwald, The Guardian, April 3, 2013
- ↑ Richard Dawkins defends Ahmed Mohamed comments and dismisses Islamophobia as a 'non-word', Independent, 24 September 2015
- ↑ ['Pathetic': Richard Dawkins in extraordinary outburst against Islam] by Jason Taylor, Daily Express, December 28, 2015
- ↑ New Atheism should be able to criticise Islam without being accused of Islamophobia by Andrew Zak Williams, New Statesman, Published 19 April 2013
- ↑ UnHitched: The Trial of Christopher Hitchens By Richard Seymour, Publisher: Verso; 1 edition (January 16, 2013), page 92
- ↑ UnHitched: The Trial of Christopher Hitchens By Richard Seymour, Publisher: Verso; 1 edition (January 16, 2013), page 92
- ↑ UnHitched: The Trial of Christopher Hitchens By Richard Seymour, Publisher: Verso; 1 edition (January 16, 2013), page 92
- ↑ Response to Critics by Sam Harris, June 21, 2014
- ↑
- Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?: Demography and Politics in the Twenty-First Century by Eric Kaufmann, Belfer Center, Harvard University/Birkbeck College, University of London
- Eric Kaufmann: Shall The Religious Inherit The Earth?
- Eric Kaufmann's Atheist Demographic series
- ↑ [This just in from Oxford Press: Turning the intellectual tables on 'New Atheists'] by Richard Osling
- ↑ Is the New Atheism Dead? by Elizabeth Bruenig, New Republic
- ↑ Why Sam Harris is Unlikely to Change his Mind by JONATHAN HAIDT, February 3, 2014 8:36 pm
- ↑ Why Sam Harris is Unlikely to Change his Mind by JONATHAN HAIDT, February 3, 2014 8:36 pm
- ↑ The Closed Mind of Richard Dawkins, New Republic by John Gray
- ↑ The God wars by Bryan Appleyard, New Statesman
- ↑ How cultish is the New Atheism?
- ↑ Sociologist Stephen LeDrew on the Rift in the Atheism Movement
- ↑ Is the New Atheism dead? by Elizabeth Bruenig, New Republic, November 6, 2015
- ↑ Uproar Against Dawkins Is Sign of New Atheism Retrogression by Joshua Kelly
- ↑ Even atheists bash 'Reason Rally'
- ↑ Atheist Ireland publicly dissociates itself from the harmful and hateful rhetoric of PZ Myers by Michael Nugent, April 7, 2015
- ↑ Reflections on the skeptic and atheist movements By Massimo Pigliucci Scientia Salon, Posted: May 13, 2015
- ↑ On Robin Williams's Death, a Revealing Dispute Between Atheist-Evolutionist Spokesmen
- ↑ P.Z. Myers is (Surprise!) Unmoved By Suicide of “Wealthy White” Robin Williams
- ↑ Freethoughtblogs - Quantcast
- ↑ Growing criticism by atheists of the New Atheism movement by James W. Jones, Oxford University Press's website
- ↑ Richard Dawkins has lost: meet the new new atheists by Theo Hobson
- ↑ American Faith: A Work In Progress by Stephen Prothero, USA Today, March 10, 2008, page 11A
- ↑ 'Why God Won't Go Away' by Alister McGrath
- ↑
- ↑ The legacy of the New Atheism by Stephen LeDrew wrote at Oxford University Press's Academic Insights for the Thinking World website
- ↑ Is the New Atheism Dead? by Elizabeth Bruenig, New Republic, November 4, 2015
- ↑ http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/47052/?page=3
- ↑ http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2074076,00.html
- ↑ How Many Copies of The God Delusion Have Been Sold?
- ↑ Richard Dawkins accused of cowardice for refusing to debate existence of God, The Daily Telegraph, May 14, 2011
- ↑ Richard Dawkins says he won't debate William Lane Craig
- ↑ Christopher Hitchens vs William Lane Craig - Does God Exist - 2009.
- ↑ The Craig-Hitchens Debate by Luke Muehlhauser on April 4, 2009 in Debates,Reviews,William Lane Craig
- ↑ What is the third wave of Christian backlash coming against the new militant atheists. Will it come at the worst possible time?
- ↑ http://www.albertmohler.com/commentary_read.php?cdate=2006-11-21
- ↑ Christopher Hitchens: Despite Cancer, I'd Drink & Smoke Again