Changes

On the [[Brights Movement]] website, Menta is listed as an "Enthusiastic Bright".<ref>[http://www.the-brights.net/people/enthusiastic/index2.html "Enthusiastic Brights" at the Brights Movement website]</ref>  The Brights Movement has been widely criticized as being pretentious and arrogant (see: [[Atheism and arrogance]]). Given the Brights Movement's reputation for smugness, his endorsement of the Brights Movement and his current listing as an "Enthusiastic Bright" on the Brights Movement website, could be seen as a matter of hypocrisy due to the attributes of "friendly" (his blog is called ''The Friendly Atheist'') and "smug" being incompatible opposites (see: [[Atheist hypocrisy]]).

On the [[Brights Movement]] website, Menta is listed as an "Enthusiastic Bright".<ref>[http://www.the-brights.net/people/enthusiastic/index2.html "Enthusiastic Brights" at the Brights Movement website]</ref>  The Brights Movement has been widely criticized as being pretentious and arrogant (see: [[Atheism and arrogance]]). Given the Brights Movement's reputation for smugness, his endorsement of the Brights Movement and his current listing as an "Enthusiastic Bright" on the Brights Movement website, could be seen as a matter of hypocrisy due to the attributes of "friendly" (his blog is called ''The Friendly Atheist'') and "smug" being incompatible opposites (see: [[Atheist hypocrisy]]).

Unlike the skeptic [[Michael Shermer]] who had second thoughts after endorsing the Brights Movement, Hemant Menta has never publicly denounced the Bright Movement for its smugness and remains listed on on its website as an "Enthusiastic Bright".<ref>[http://www.the-brights.net/people/enthusiastic/index2.html Hemant Menta listing - Enthusiastic Brights] at Brights Movement website</ref><ref>[http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/05-01-05.html Science and the Search for Meaning:

Unlike the skeptic [[Michael Shermer]] who had second thoughts after endorsing the Brights Movement, Hemant Menta has never publicly denounced the Bright Movement for its smugness and remains listed on on its website as an "Enthusiastic Bright".<ref>[http://www.the-brights.net/people/enthusiastic/index2.html Hemant Menta listing - Enthusiastic Brights] at Brights Movement website</ref><ref>[http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/05-01-05.html Science and the Search for Meaning: excerpts from the Introduction to Science Friction] by Michael Shermer</ref>

excerpts from the Introduction to Science Friction] by Michael Shermer</ref>

The ABC News.com commentator John Allen Paulos remarked of the “brights” campaign, “I don’t think a degree in public relations is needed to expect that many people will construe the term as smug, ridiculous, and arrogant.”<ref>[http://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/not_too_bright/ Not Too “Bright"], ''Skeptical Enquirer'', Chris Mooney, October 15, 2003</ref>  

The ABC News.com commentator John Allen Paulos remarked of the “brights” campaign, “I don’t think a degree in public relations is needed to expect that many people will construe the term as smug, ridiculous, and arrogant.”<ref>[http://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/not_too_bright/ Not Too “Bright"], ''Skeptical Enquirer'', Chris Mooney, October 15, 2003</ref>