Yesterday, I came across a reference to this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Manual-Creating-At...1939578094
and ordered it today. Turns out the author is a philosophy professor at a university about 20 minutes from where I live.
As I understand it, the thesis of the book is
1. religion is a dangerous societal poison
2. believers are infected with a mind virus
3. using the Socratic method, perhaps they can be persuaded out of their dangerous beliefs and cured of the virus
4. Maybe being mean isn't the best approach to help the virus host
Being a mean atheist myself, I kinda like the minimalist-esque "you're a fucktard" approach. It does appeal. So, point #4 intrigues me, in a thought-experiment sort of way.
But, here, by reading this book, I am opening my horizons. Or maybe I'll go back to my mean atheist ways, become a street-evangelizing atheist, shouting through a bullhorn at Christmas shoppers.
"God ain't real you know! It's all made-up dumbass! It's pronounced cruci-FICTION!!"
Yeah, that guy.
Hard to have a discussion on epistemology with a bullhorn, but I'm willing to give it go. It's for the Benefit of Society after all.
http://www.amazon.com/Manual-Creating-At...1939578094
and ordered it today. Turns out the author is a philosophy professor at a university about 20 minutes from where I live.
As I understand it, the thesis of the book is
1. religion is a dangerous societal poison
2. believers are infected with a mind virus
3. using the Socratic method, perhaps they can be persuaded out of their dangerous beliefs and cured of the virus
4. Maybe being mean isn't the best approach to help the virus host
Being a mean atheist myself, I kinda like the minimalist-esque "you're a fucktard" approach. It does appeal. So, point #4 intrigues me, in a thought-experiment sort of way.
But, here, by reading this book, I am opening my horizons. Or maybe I'll go back to my mean atheist ways, become a street-evangelizing atheist, shouting through a bullhorn at Christmas shoppers.
"God ain't real you know! It's all made-up dumbass! It's pronounced cruci-FICTION!!"
Yeah, that guy.
Hard to have a discussion on epistemology with a bullhorn, but I'm willing to give it go. It's for the Benefit of Society after all.
