Inquiry wants to be free
Hitchens has a piece in that current Free Inquiry that I mentioned. It’s about the ‘fundamentalist atheist’ bromide that is making the rounds. He doesn’t find it altogether impressive. He doesn’t find it overwhelmingly persuasive, either.
All you need is to ignore the difference between someone who believes in, say, heaven and hell and someone who doesn’t. The first has a lot of work to do by way of providing anything that even looks like evidence. The second rests his case on the extreme improbability of any such evidence being adduced. Are these positions really describable as morally or intellectually equivalent? Or take the case of someone who believes in punishment for blasphemy or in prior restraint on those who might commit it. Is this the same dogma as the argument that says that religion, since it makes such huge claims, must expect to have them submitted to rigorous questioning?…The faithful believe that certain truths have been ‘revealed.’ The skeptics and secularists believe that truth is only to be sought by free inquiry and trial and error. Only one of those positions is dogmatic.
He got the phrase ‘free inquiry’ in there. I got it into mine, too. I must say, it’s something of an honour to write for a publication called ‘free inquiry.’
“Fundamentalist Enquirer”. Should be the journal of choice at Jesus&Mo
Contradiction in terms, Nick. Fundamentalists don’t have to inquire — they know!
See, that’s why I like the phrase so much. Two little words, and so crucial.
(In a way, I wish WTM had been titled Why Inquiry Matters.)
“Transnational Humanism Religion and Child Abuse” by Innaiah Narisetti in the current issue is excellent. Bypass OB’s and you will find it…Only teasing…Of course. OF COURSE!
:~)
BBC news has excellent old coverage of excerpts of Vatican Crimes. Worth viewing.
Oops, that was my point – the absurdity / unlikeliness of the idea…
I have to do some work now.