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New Atheism
I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God. -- George Herbert Walker Bush
'New Atheism' is an
expression used primarily to
distinguish
secular thinkers who
argue that religious faith and belief in gods are dangerous and
destructive because they are essentially irrational and
encourage irrationality and anti-scientific thinking.
The term seems to have been coined by
Andrew Brown to describe the thinking of
those who find religion and faith to be mainly destructive
cultural forces, e.g.,
Richard Dawkins,
Sam Harris,
Christopher Hitchens,
Jerry Coyne,
Bob Park, P Z
Myers,
Victor Stenger, and Larry
Moran.
Others would
include
Daniel Dennett in this list of writers who believe that
religion deserves no special exemption from severe criticism and
that there should be no
blasphemy
laws. The key ideas shared by the New Atheists that offend Brown, in
addition to taking a no-holds-barred
approach to religion, seem
to be 1) science has demonstrated that God is an unnecessary
hypothesis; 2) religion has demonstrated that it is a
destructive social force that brings about much more harm than
good, including, but not limited to, anti-evolutionist ideas;
and 3) atheists are sick and tired of being ignored or treated
as if they don't exist.*
(These notions are often distorted by theists who claim the New
Atheists 1) claim science proves God doesn't exist; 2) religion
comforts people and
leads
to many good deeds, while atheism leads to Stalin and Hitler
[see
Ben Stein]; and 3) Christians and other people of faith are
being persecuted.)
Those who are
offended by the New
Atheism seem to prefer having as their
opposition what they call
"Victorian
atheism," or logical positivism. They seem to prefer
the kind of atheism that restricts itself to polite arguments
against the traditional arguments for the existence of the Abrahamic
god or to polite arguments against belief in god. The "old
atheists" seem content to provide reasons for not
believing
in god or for believing that metaphysical statements are
meaningless. The New Atheists might be seen as responding, in
part, to the New Creationists: the defenders of so-called
intelligent design. The New
Creationists are seen by the New Atheists as abusers of science
whose main goal is to attack evolutionary science and break down
the division between church and state. The New Atheists not only
actively oppose religion wherever religion threatens science and
society, but also actively promote the
virtues and value of
secularism.*
Critics of the New Atheists see them as intolerant of religion because the New Atheists wish for the end of religion or at least the end of religion in public affairs. But, to be fair, the New Atheists are not calling for the persecution of religious people or the banning of religious institutions. The New Atheists are exercising their right of free speech, just as religious believers do when they condemn atheism. On the other hand, it is fair to describe the New Atheists as antitheistic.
If militant
secularism
and public activism against the evils of religion are the key
qualities of the New Atheists, then
Madalyn Murray O'Hair (1919-1995)
qualifies. She won the court case that ended organized prayers
in public schools, an achievement for which she was demonized by
politicians and the press. Reflecting on O'Hair's fate should
remind us
how easy it is for politicians and the media to
destroy the reputation of a person or a group. Rather than
praise O'Hair for leading the way to the abolition of an
ancient superstition, the politicians and press condemned her
for opposing a sacred tradition.
Another person
who might be considered a New Atheist is
Michael
Newdow, who has argued in court that teacher-led recitation of the
Pledge of Allegiance with "under God" included is a violation of
the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution. Newdow has also challenged the use of the
expression "in God we trust," which graces much U.S. currency.
Since there is no club called "The New Atheists" and there is no creed that one must share to belong to this group the term will remain slippery and mean slightly different things to different people. There is, therefore, no reason to restrict usage of the term to authors and bloggers. It should be remembered, however, that no matter what the enemies of secularism say, not believing in gods is not a belief system any more than not believing in unicorns or the Easter Bunny is a belief system. If there is any unifying belief among the New Atheists, it is the belief that we should try to make the world a more rational place to live in and that the actions most likely to bring about such a world are 1) those that encourage science-based thinking and humane arts; and 2) those that bring an end to superstition, irrationality, and anti-scientific thinking.
New Atheists are like mathematicians: whenever someone makes an outrageous claim about the supernatural, they ask for the proof.
See also atheism, brights, god, theist, and my review of The God Delusion.
further reading
websites and blogs
Happy Wary Vigilance Day! - PZ Myers (another thing not to believe in) I don't believe in Thanksgiving Day....The universe is cold and uncaring. You may be grateful that you weren't vaporized by a meteor falling out of the sky this year, but there's no agent out there who will feel pleased that you noticed, and the fact of your general relief that your existence continues will not be a factor in the motion of space rocks in the next year. I am happy that the microbes didn't turn me into a pile of putrefying goo yet, but it wasn't an act of thoughtful kindness on their part, since the little bastards are doing their best to get past my defenses all the time, and all that's keeping them at bay is my constant expenditure of energy to keep my immune system at readiness.
The Reason Project Devoted to spreading scientific knowledge and secular values in society.
The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science The enlightenment is under threat. So is reason. So is truth. So is science, especially in the schools of America.
the brights Defending a naturalistic view of reality.
Freedom from Religion foundation
Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers Yes, there are atheists in foxholes!
Atheism as a Stealth Religion by David Sloan Wilson
D. S. Wilson on atheism as stealth religion by Massimo Pigliucci
books and articles
Dawkins, Richard. (2006). The God Delusion Houghton Mifflin.
Dennett, Daniel. (2006). Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon. Viking Press.
Harris, Sam. (2005). The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason. W. W. Norton.
Freud, Sigmund. The Future of an Illusion (1927).
Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan (1651), ch. XII, "Of Religion."
Jacoby, Susan. (2005). Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism. Owl Books.
Lalli, Nica. 2007. Nothing - something to believe in. Prometheus.
Mandell, David M. 2008. Atheist Acrimonious. Vervante.
Martin, Michael and Ricki Monnier. Editors. (2006). The Improbability of God. Prometheus.
Persinger, Michael. Neuropsychological Bases of God Beliefs (Praeger Pub Text., 1987).
Spinoza, Baruch de. Theologico-Political Treatise (1670).
Stenger, Victor. (2009). The New Atheism: Taking a Stand for Science and Reason. Prometheus.
news stories
Lodi council prayers put city in the hot seat (The Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a letter to the members of the Lodi, CA, city council about their habit of praying before council meetings. "The prayers currently given during Council meetings impermissibly advance Christianity and lead a reasonable observer to believe that the Council is endorsing not only religion over nonreligion but also Christianity over other faiths," the May 21 letter states. The mayor of Lodi said the prayers, always led by a Christian pastor, usually call on God to guide their government leaders and pray for the safety of law enforcement officials and for the community to work together.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is based in Wisconsin and it is opposed by a Colorado-based group called the Pray in Jesus Name Project, whose leader claims invoking Jesus' name to open a public civic meeting is a freedom of speech issue. A professor of constitutional law said that the invocations might be considered an endorsement of religion. Some might call praying for guidance on potholes and sewer lines a waste-of-time issue.)
McAleese signs Bills into law (Ireland's President Mary McAleese signs a bill that "aims to encourage quicker apologies from publishers and renews the offence of blasphemy provided for under 1960s legislation." The blasphemy provisions of the Defamation Bill make it an offense to cause outrage among a substantial number of the adherents of a religion by intentionally publishing material that grossly abuses or insults matters held sacred by their religion.*)
Lungren plan for 'God' inscription on U.S. building sparks suit (Rep. Dan Lungren wants Congress to spend nearly $100,000 to engrave the words "In God We Trust" and the Pledge of Allegiance (including the words "under God") in prominent spots at the new Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C. The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation Inc. has filed a lawsuit to stop the engraving, accusing Lungren of trying to force his religious beliefs on millions of Americans who don't put their trust in any gods.)
I wrote a letter to the editor of the Sacramento Bee about Lungren. Note how the Bee distorts my point by its inflammatory and misleading header:
Keep your deity out of my face
Re "Sparks fly over word 'God' " (Capitol & California, July 21): I am writing about Dan Lungren's proposal to inscribe "In God We Trust" in the new U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. The sparks are flying not so much over the word "God" as the word "we." Those of us who do not trust in God are also Americans.
Lungren is welcome to trust in whatever god he wants, but those of us who don't share his views object to the government implying that we do.
– Bob Carroll, Davis
The Secular Coalition of America reports that its attempt to stop the engraving of "In God We Trust" on the walls of the new Capitol Visitor's Center has failed. Only eight members of Congress voted against the engraving.
Last
updated 03/13/10
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