(January 24, 2014 at 9:53 am)Brian37 Wrote: Ok, Dawkins in "The God Delusion" describes the flaw of gap filling with god claims as "The moth mistaking the light bulb for moonlight". If I might back that up with another analogy, to overcome that mistake, it is much like when airline pilots are trained NOT to go with their senses, especially with feelings of gravity or up or down, but to go with their instruments. It is because our perceptions as humans are notoriously flawed that we often do not see what is actually going on.
It's been a while since I've read God Delusion so I don't really recall the context of the moth example too clearly but I like your plane analogy. I appreciate that it gets at the requirement to sometimes overcome one's natural instinct to rely on one's senses and instead rely on an externally gathered set of data to make the best decisions.
(January 24, 2014 at 4:32 pm)WesOlsen Wrote: I've just finished reading this exact 'moth in the flame' chapter myself. Put myself off Dawkins for ages because he can be such a collosal prick on the screen, but i'm pleasantly surprised that he translates much better in writing.
I like Dawkins' writing style, I find him incredibly easy to read, whereas Hitchens is way too... cerebral? Esoteric? I don't know, Hitchens just isn't my cup of tea I guess, but I don't begrudge anyone else who likes him. I just don't. Hitchens is meant to be watched in video, IMO, and Dawkins is meant to be read.
Teenaged X-Files obsession + Bermuda Triangle episode + Self-led school research project = Atheist.
