The only quibble I have with Christopher was his tendency to use straw man arguments in his case against God and religion. Outside of that I wish he'd been able to be President.
Bob--I don't know that he employed straw men in that fight so much as he took the worst elements as representations of the whole. He certainly claimed to be arguing against theism, generally, while taking the overwhelming majority of his jabs at various fundamentalisms, specifically.
(In this regard, I think Sam Harris makes a more comprehensive case, because he goes after religious moderates and liberals, too, primarily for enabling fundamentalists.)
That said, I'm basing that on an incomplete sample of his writing on the subject. I've never gotten around to reading "God is not Great" mostly because I don't usually waste my time on arguments I've pretty much made up my mind about, especially those from the side I'm already on.
thanks, i chuckled a lil myself. but its my standard method of saying: "yeah Bro, what you said" when i'm being serious.
i never read God Is Not Great either. i just wasnt interested. i've heard it all before and i didnt think he had anything new to offer in the way of anti-theological argument besides just better prose.
4 comments:
Amen.
Gino loves irony I guess. :-)
The only quibble I have with Christopher was his tendency to use straw man arguments in his case against God and religion. Outside of that I wish he'd been able to be President.
Gino--that made me laugh out loud.
Bob--I don't know that he employed straw men in that fight so much as he took the worst elements as representations of the whole. He certainly claimed to be arguing against theism, generally, while taking the overwhelming majority of his jabs at various fundamentalisms, specifically.
(In this regard, I think Sam Harris makes a more comprehensive case, because he goes after religious moderates and liberals, too, primarily for enabling fundamentalists.)
That said, I'm basing that on an incomplete sample of his writing on the subject. I've never gotten around to reading "God is not Great" mostly because I don't usually waste my time on arguments I've pretty much made up my mind about, especially those from the side I'm already on.
thanks, i chuckled a lil myself.
but its my standard method of saying: "yeah Bro, what you said" when i'm being serious.
i never read God Is Not Great either. i just wasnt interested. i've heard it all before and i didnt think he had anything new to offer in the way of anti-theological argument besides just better prose.
Post a Comment