ReligionSkepticism

The Atheist’s Puzzle

As you might have guessed from the video I posted yesterday, I had the (almost imponderable) pleasure of meeting YouTube stars Charlie and Alex at The Amaz!ng Meeting. We all got along quite well, I think, and I found them just as charming and funny as their videos suggest.

Alex has just posted some of his thoughts on TAM and atheism, plus his reaction to meeting Richard Dawkins: “A little less atheism, a little more people skills, maybe . . ..” Ha!

Rebecca Watson

Rebecca is a writer, speaker, YouTube personality, and unrepentant science nerd. In addition to founding and continuing to run Skepchick, she hosts Quiz-o-Tron, a monthly science-themed quiz show and podcast that pits comedians against nerds. There is an asteroid named in her honor. Twitter @rebeccawatson Mastodon mstdn.social/@rebeccawatson Instagram @actuallyrebeccawatson TikTok @actuallyrebeccawatson YouTube @rebeccawatson BlueSky @rebeccawatson.bsky.social

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4 Comments

  1. Cor blimey, it’s like Paul Whitehouse in the Fast Show.

    “Atheism! It’s great, innit! That Richard Dawkins! He’s so clever, it’s fantastic! BRILLIAAAAANNNNTTTT!!!”

  2. I think Dawkins could use a little more atheism, myself. “The God Delusion” gives me the impression he has developed his own eccentric school of atheism, but hasn’t studied the literature methodically. A good book, certainly, and the man is clearly brilliant. But if he paid more attention to the philosophical issues it could have been a truly great book.

    One thing that strikes me is that he doesn’t even seem clear on what he means by ‘atheism’. First he states that atheism is the position that God is improbable, contradicting a number of important atheist writers who have defined the word more broadly. Then, at the end of chapter 7, he states that atheism is simply “an absence of belief”, affirming the broad definition, but contradicting his own. Strange.

  3. Surely it should be “I don’t need religion to make the world appear AS impressive as it is.

    And I think, GodlessCelt, there is room for both a scientific (Dawkins) and literary (Hitchens) [too bludgeon their two approaches in a hackneyed way] response to religion.

    Furthermore, I don’t think that those two are contradictory but it is simply a non-sequitur to suggest that they are the same. However, equally, they can both be true and resonant.

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