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Atheist Heroes?
November 13, 2015 at 4:12 am
(This post was last modified: November 13, 2015 at 4:12 am by Mechaghostman2.)
So who are some of your Atheist heroes that get you inspired? The 4 Horsemen (Dawkins, Harris, Hitchens, Dennett) ofc will be an answer for most people, myself included, but who else?
For me it tends to be a lot of scientists. Dr. Phil Mason aka Thunderf00t, Lawrence Krauss, Neil DeGrasse Tyson (although he focuses more on popularizing science.) There's also Stephen Hawking and etc. Then there's a plethora of comedians and other internet atheists that inspire as well, from again the Thunderf00t to ArmouredSkeptic to AronRa to Potholer54 to even the big fat jolly TheAmazingAtheist aka Banana Man and many others.
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RE: Atheist Heroes?
November 13, 2015 at 4:37 am
(This post was last modified: November 13, 2015 at 4:38 am by Reforged.)
I would argue Hitchens was pretty far from a hero.
He made every effort to argue for the war but not once did he question the indiscriminate use of shock and awe upon zones rich in civilian targets because that would of undermined his own points.
It may well have been necessary but a hammer was used instead of a scalpel and the civilians paid the price.
I've tried to reconcile that in a way that makes sense where he isn't a total asshole but its not possible to. He didn't acknowledge it, he didn't even address it. He just brushed over it so he could push the agenda he wanted pushed. Enemy targets got taken out and friendly casualties were minimized. The ends justified the means. Thats what he cared about.
He was an incredible orator and an asset to making sure atheists had a voice.
Eloquence however is a poor substitute for humanity.
"That is not dead which can eternal lie and with strange aeons even death may die."
- Abdul Alhazred.
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RE: Atheist Heroes?
November 13, 2015 at 4:40 am
I'm my own atheist hero.
"Never trust a fox. Looks like a dog, behaves like a cat."
~ Erin Hunter
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RE: Atheist Heroes?
November 13, 2015 at 4:53 am
(This post was last modified: November 13, 2015 at 4:54 am by Fidel_Castronaut.)
(November 13, 2015 at 4:40 am)Kitan Wrote: I'm my own atheist hero.
Me too.
Though to answer the OP, I don't have any. I was an atheist long before I even knew what an atheist was. I thank my parents for instilling in me the philosophy of having an open mind and assessing things based on their evidence.
So I have them to thank, no one else.
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RE: Atheist Heroes?
November 13, 2015 at 5:17 am
None
Hawkins is perhaps an inspiration since i have read a few pages of his books but that's about it, i don't really keep up to date with what is going on in the world.
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RE: Atheist Heroes?
November 13, 2015 at 5:59 am
(November 13, 2015 at 4:12 am)Mechaghostman2 Wrote: So who are some of your Atheist heroes that get you inspired? The 4 Horsemen (Dawkins, Harris, Hitchens, Dennett) ofc will be an answer for most people, myself included, but who else?
Short answer - none. And the so called 4 Horsemen don't inspire me at all. Dawkins I find amusing, but not for his atheism but for his style, Harris I find revolting, Htchens I simply don't know, in the sense of not having read a single line written by him. And Dennett I don't know for real.
I'm generally not in the hero worshipping business and didn't need anyone to lead me to atheism. Even less so for a mirror jerk to confirm why I am an atheist.
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RE: Atheist Heroes?
November 13, 2015 at 6:02 am
Ingersoll, Bentham, Bradlaugh and Allen (Dave, not Woody).
Boru
‘But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods or no gods. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.’ - Thomas Jefferson
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RE: Atheist Heroes?
November 13, 2015 at 6:12 am
Hmmm. I don't really draw inspiration from *atheist* writing. Maybe that's because I was an atheist for over a decade before those Horsemen came out with their books, and it is not such a big deal in western Europe anyways. The God Delusion was an amusing weekend read to me, not much more. I draw much more inspiration from people's writing about science - Dawkins' other books are mostly great in that respect. Dennett is very interesting, too, but his work is much less populistic than the other three "Horsemen".
The fool hath said in his heart, There is a God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psalm 14, KJV revised edition
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RE: Atheist Heroes?
November 13, 2015 at 7:57 am
(November 13, 2015 at 4:37 am)RaphielDrake Wrote: I would argue Hitchens was pretty far from a hero. [...]
He wasn't the hero we needed, but the one we deserved... 
"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one." - George Bernard Shaw
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RE: Atheist Heroes?
November 13, 2015 at 9:24 am
(This post was last modified: November 13, 2015 at 9:32 am by Whateverist.)
Mark Twain, Mother Teresa, George Carlin, Jawaharlal Nehru, Ricky Gervais, Sam Harris, Tom Lehrer, Tim Minchin and my wife. (Thank you Google.) Hitchens is a master quipper but comes off as unnecessarily mean at times.
I think this list deserves another, which atheists annoy you the most? Here you go: http://atheistforums.org/thread-38904.html
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