When Atheists Attack

Dear America,

I'm relieved to see that you're finally beginning to express some trepidation about a "Palin-McCain Administration" (her words, not mine). If you're still leaning in the Republican direction, however, I'd encourage you to read this Newsweek article by Sam Harris. Yes, he is one of the so-called New Atheists, and I know how you feel about them apostates, both old and new. But please, look past his identity and just take note of what he has to say. After all, you don't have to renounce your belief in a god to listen to reason. And it is reasonable to expect a dangerous outcome for our country, indeed the world, if someone as inexperienced and self-righteous as Sarah Palin should happen to be hiked the nuclear football.

Here is the link to the article in its entirety.

"Ask yourself: how has "elitism" become a bad word in American politics? There is simply no other walk of life in which extraordinary talent and rigorous training are denigrated. We want elite pilots to fly our planes, elite troops to undertake our most critical missions, elite athletes to represent us in competition and elite scientists to devote the most productive years of their lives to curing our diseases. And yet, when it comes time to vest people with even greater responsibilities, we consider it a virtue to shun any and all standards of excellence. When it comes to choosing the people whose thoughts and actions will decide the fates of millions, then we suddenly want someone just like us, someone fit to have a beer with, someone down-to-earth—in fact, almost anyone, provided that he or she doesn't seem too intelligent or well educated." -- Sam Harris

Pascal's Wager: useful for a change

Last weekend while pumping gas for Soy at the Arco on Franklin and Gower, the guy at the next pump approached and asked me if I knew Jesus. He launched into his proselytizing with Paley's Watchmaker analogy; I recognized what he was doing when he pointed to an apartment block across the way and asked if it was fair to assume that an architect was behind its design. The problem with the Argument from Design is that it demands a prerequisite ignorance of basic scientific knowledge. Darwin's law of natural selection adequately wounded Paley's argument in 1859; Richard Dawkins' 1986 book, The Blind Watchmaker, should have been the final nail in its coffin. Ignorance is bliss for believers, apparently.

Gas station missionary then proceeded to outline what I recognized as Pascal's Wager for me in broad strokes. Unfortunately, before I could explicate the successful rebuttals (see here and here) to Pascal's flawed chart, the cars behind us began honking for our gas pumps and the evangelist took his leave.

A significant problem with campaigners for Christ is that they don't know science and Enlightenment philosophy as well as most atheists know the Bible. If you're going to approach random strangers at gas stations to attempt a religious conversion, you should do your homework first. One more thing: do not act so smug and patronizing when you learn that I was raised a Roman Catholic. I am atheist because I employ reason in my thinking; not because of the doctrine of Transubstantiation or papal politics (though I do have ethical problems with the latter).

Here is a very interesting (if a bit nerdy) video that repurposes Pascal's Wager for a more pressing problem: