Originally posted by Robtard
That guy from 'House' is a dick too.
http://24.media.tumblr.com/4eebec8de694be1a3047b44a10fee5c9/tumblr_mmb6jjHTEp1rs1wg3o1_500.jpg
Originally posted by Digi
The popular portrayal of Dawkins as an ass is a pet peeve of mine. He's amazingly compassionate. He just doesn't pull punches where he sees ignorance. And to be clear, it's not a pet peeve because he's my boy. It's a pet peeve because it's wrong. Christopher Hitchens was the acerbic ******* (awesomely so, imo) that everyone thinks Dawkins is. Dawkins is just passionate about a polarizing subject....
On a note related to BWR's strawman (detailed earlier), here's a book that is guilty of the same fallacy: http://www.amazon.com/dp/006223059X/?tag=saloncom08-20
The synopsis calls out those like Dawkins and Hitchens for making the claim that science disproves God, which they don't. I remember reading Dawkins's God Delusion and seeing his atheistic/theistic spectrum, where the final level of atheism - "I know there is no God" - was a category even Dawkins wouldn't put himself in. He admitted he was close to that category, but on intellectual integrity had to default to the next, slight less extreme, position.
One would think that a book purporting to refute someone would manage at least a cursory reading of their work. As it is, having read a vast amount of literature in the atheist community, the only ones I see invoking the "Science proving or disproving God" debate are theists. In fact, it's the most frequent rebuttal I encounter when people find out I'm an atheist. "Well, you can't prove a negative," or something similar. The misunderstanding of the position is epidemic.
Victor Stenger is perhaps the only respected atheist figure I've seen make the claim, but even that comes with a heavy set of contextual factors that make it a more reasonable position. His conclusion ends up amounting to "there's no evidence" rather than "there is proof of nonexistence." The misleading title of his book, "God: The Failed Hypothesis-How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist," turns out to be more a marketing tool than a thesis statement.
Strawman: The Book.
I like it.
And agreed on Dawson. He catches a lot of flak.
Originally posted by Wonder Man
I know Jose is real because I love Him.
Awh, how sweet!
Originally posted by Stealth Moose
Strawman: The Book.I like it.
And agreed on Dawson. He catches a lot of flak.
It's a shame that we've had to default to laughing trollishly at ignorance. In reality, it's sad that something so misguided could make it to print, but we'd quickly become depressed if we thought for long about it. I do the same thing...just enjoy it for the lulz...but I feel like there's a darker defense mechanism at work there as well.
Originally posted by Digi
It's a shame that we've had to default to laughing trollishly at ignorance. In reality, it's sad that something so misguided could make it to print, but we'd quickly become depressed if we thought for long about it. I do the same thing...just enjoy it for the lulz...but I feel like there's a darker defense mechanism at work there as well.
It has a name: Confirmation Bias.
It's everywhere.
Originally posted by DigiKeep telling yourself that.
The popular portrayal of Dawkins as an ass is a pet peeve of mine. He's amazingly compassionate. He just doesn't pull punches where he sees ignorance.
"If you're being raped in an elevator just press the button and escape. You're dumb if you're raped in an elevator."
- Richard Dawkins
Originally posted by The Renegade
Good lord, you people throw around words like "confusion," "logic," and others like it's confetti but don't really know what they mean, as shown here. Also, did you mean to say I was BEHAVING illogically?
You people? Throwing out racial slurs now?
I am perfectly well-aware what they mean, and no, I meant behavior illogically.
You ought to stop patronizing me. Like your friend Dramatic Gecko, you've f*ck all to contribute and address about as much as you add to the conversation.
I couldn't patronize you without your help on the matter.
Easier on me? NemeBro, don't make me f*cking laugh.
That you're upset is abundantly obvious, and tremendously satisfying.
Originally posted by NemeBro
What have you read, specifically?I was referring to when he blew up on a woman who blogged that being propositioned in an elevator makes her uncomfortable, and she asks guys not to do that.
I remember that incident as well. I don't have any specific instances, but his twitter is written in a way that makes me think of an ignorant 14 year old, and that makes me uncomfortable.
