science and religion
cmooney | February 23, 2006I didn't mean to launch a name game yesterday with my remarks about Daniel Dennett and the "brights" label, but that's what seems to have happened. More than fifty comments came in, many of them suggesting various ways in which atheists ought to be relabled: "humanist," "freethinker," and many others, including some amusing ones like "Godless Smartboys" (which, it was quickly pointed out, excludes female atheists).
What was missing to all of this excitement, of course, was anything other than a gut feeling as to what would work, and what wouldn't work, from a public relations standpoint.…
cmooney | February 22, 2006Everyone has been buzzing lately about Leon Wieseltier's nasty review of Daniel Dennett's new book, Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon. I haven't read Dennett's new book yet, but having read and been impressed by his previous book Darwin's Dangerous Idea--and, furthermore, finding Wieseltier's take to be extremely nasty--I must confess my suspicion that the current review is unfair.
But on at least one point, Dennett is getting what he deserves, I think. Wieseltier writes the following:
If you disagree with what Dennett says, it is because you fear what he says. Any…