Title: The New Atheists - A Near-Total Failure?
When: Sun 11 Oct 6pm
Who: Peter Bowden
What: Sydney Atheists Meetup
Where: Clarendon Hotel, Surry Hills
Event details: http://www.meetup.com/sydneyatheists/calendar/11359127/
Abstract:
Peter Bowden describes himself as a Huxley Agnostic, although tending
largely to agree with Richard Dawkins. Thomas Huxley, Darwin’s
bulldog, coined the term agnosticism, presumably from the Greek,
agnostos, unknown or unknowing. He stated that we do not know whether
God exists or not. Peter Bowden certainly does not know. Nor that we
can prove it either way. But he does believe that an all-powerful,
all-knowing and all-loving God who listens to our prayers is highly
unlikely. Even logically impossible.
The new atheists are Dawkins along with Christopher Hitchens, Daniel
Dennett and Sam Harris. The Four Horsemen they call themselves and the
can be found on the web. Adding in Michel Onfray and his recent
publication The Atheist Manifesto only extends the concern that they
are all barking up a dead end canal.
The reason is that they show a complete ignorance of human nature.
Even if they correctly identify the reasons why human beings came to
develop a God or Gods , and religion, they do not recognise the
messages behind the stories that they themselves are telling
And until they do they will continue to be voices crying in the
wilderness. Except that they do not appear to be even part way to
accepting their own messages
Bio:
Peter Bowden is a Research Associate in the Department of Philosophy
at Sydney University, working on institutional ethics. His research is
primarily concerned with individual and institutional ethics. Peter
Bowden runs with others a Philosophy Cafe (Philo Agora) in Sydney and
is on the National Committee of Whistleblowers Australia.
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