I stumbled on this video yesterday, an interesting interview with Richard Dawkins:
And in it the interviewer - who claims to be an atheist, but one who caters to a partly religious audience, and speaks for them in some sense (and also speaks about his own fears) - put it to Dawkins the question/allegation that when atheists say there is nothing to fear about ceasing to exist in death, that it is "macho" [presumably implicitly posturing]. I've never heard that objection in my life, and can't imagine many atheists even being able to ask that question with a straight face. It's not macho posturing; I have no problem saying I fear the process of death, but I see absolutely no reason to fear non-existence itself. I can only assume that people who do fear that concept, have misconceptualised it as being consciously aware for eternity within a void, which of course would be terrifying, but that is not the contention. Or perhaps the fear is of essentially not waking up after sleep but either way, I really don't relate to these sorts of fears.
Watching the whole thing, I think the interviewer is an atheist, and is sincere, but this question and others - like he also asked, if you could take a pill or whatever to make yourself believe in an afterlife for the sake of comfort, would you take it?... again a question that I can't imagine many atheists being able to ask with a straight face - did make me have my doubts. I guess there are many degrees of atheism, but I can't say I relate to the sorts of fears this guy has at all.
And in it the interviewer - who claims to be an atheist, but one who caters to a partly religious audience, and speaks for them in some sense (and also speaks about his own fears) - put it to Dawkins the question/allegation that when atheists say there is nothing to fear about ceasing to exist in death, that it is "macho" [presumably implicitly posturing]. I've never heard that objection in my life, and can't imagine many atheists even being able to ask that question with a straight face. It's not macho posturing; I have no problem saying I fear the process of death, but I see absolutely no reason to fear non-existence itself. I can only assume that people who do fear that concept, have misconceptualised it as being consciously aware for eternity within a void, which of course would be terrifying, but that is not the contention. Or perhaps the fear is of essentially not waking up after sleep but either way, I really don't relate to these sorts of fears.
Watching the whole thing, I think the interviewer is an atheist, and is sincere, but this question and others - like he also asked, if you could take a pill or whatever to make yourself believe in an afterlife for the sake of comfort, would you take it?... again a question that I can't imagine many atheists being able to ask with a straight face - did make me have my doubts. I guess there are many degrees of atheism, but I can't say I relate to the sorts of fears this guy has at all.
