RE: 'Not labeling ourselves' Vs 'Bright' Vs just plain good old 'Atheist', etc.
May 13, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Haha 
Very well put Kyu. I think that's a good point. Perhaps Sam Harris misses that there ARE plenty of words out there LIKE the word Atheist ALSO with an 'A' prefix.
And besides, the word itself I don't even want to ditch personally. I like it precisely because it's taboo - IOW I don't think we should just slink away because some people don't like the word and/or think it's silly! If they don't like it tough! (I say).
If we're atheists and others don't want us to be known as that, that's their problem.
I like grasping it like Dawkins suggests. Sam Harris says he thinks we don't need it...and it seems that he doesn't want to be up there and 'millitant'...he has said that we should go 'under the radar'.
But if an atheist doesn't label itself as an athesit, and they're asked if they believe in God...what are they supposed to do if they say "No" and get labelled? Say they're NOT an atheist when they ARE by DEFINITION?
That I find stupid.
EvF
Very well put Kyu. I think that's a good point. Perhaps Sam Harris misses that there ARE plenty of words out there LIKE the word Atheist ALSO with an 'A' prefix.
And besides, the word itself I don't even want to ditch personally. I like it precisely because it's taboo - IOW I don't think we should just slink away because some people don't like the word and/or think it's silly! If they don't like it tough! (I say).
If we're atheists and others don't want us to be known as that, that's their problem.
I like grasping it like Dawkins suggests. Sam Harris says he thinks we don't need it...and it seems that he doesn't want to be up there and 'millitant'...he has said that we should go 'under the radar'.
But if an atheist doesn't label itself as an athesit, and they're asked if they believe in God...what are they supposed to do if they say "No" and get labelled? Say they're NOT an atheist when they ARE by DEFINITION?
That I find stupid.
EvF
