For all of my faithful subscribers and readers, I'm going to be away for a couple of weeks, on vacation in a warm spot with sunny beaches and beautiful skies. It's the first real vacation I've taken in quite a long time, and while I'm snorkeling over coral reefs, bicycling through palm trees, or reading a book on the beach, I can promise I won't be thinking about blogging!
See you in May. Thanks for your loyalty, your comments, and for listening to my ramblings. Until then ... Cheers!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
del.icio.us
reddit
StumbleUpon
Monday, April 6, 2009
Hemant Mehta at UC Santa Cruz: The Friendly Atheist
I had the pleasure of meeting Hemant Mehta in my home town, Santa Cruz, California, where he spoke as an invited guest of the UCSC Secular Students Alliance.
Hemant's talk was a lot of fun and insightful. I was afraid it would be mostly a retelling of his great book, I Sold My Soul on EBay, and indeed, the first fifteen minutes or so of the hour were devoted to that story, for those who hadn't had the opportunity to read it. But even in the retelling, Hemant added new details, fun stories, newspaper clippings, and insights that weren't in the book.
Then he went on to talk about what's really on all of our minds: What can we do to make the world a better place, and to make atheism less stigmatized? Hemant's basic thesis is that atheists, agnostics, and most mainstream religious people have far more in common that the things that divide us. By working together, we could accomplish so much. He used some great "exercises" to illustrate these points: How do you feel about topics A, B, and C? And how do you think most religious people feel about these same topics? And indeed, when you enumerate all of the social issues that concern us, rather than just focusing on our differences, you find that the differences look pretty minor compared to the views we all share.
The reason we appear to be so divided on these issues is that the media love controversy. People who don't argue are not news. Hemant illustrated this earlier in the talk via the very title of his book: "I Sold My Soul on EBay," which is not what he did at all. But his publisher said, "That's OK, the title is catchy, and people will pick it up, read the back cover, and find out what you really did." Similarly, the media like to single out the most radical of each "side" of religion and present it as a "battle." That's what makes it news. Never mind that the vast majority of atheists and religious citizens actually agree on far more things than they disagree on.
Fight poverty? End child abuse? Help poor single mothers? Help Hurricane Katrina victims? Protect the environment? These, and many, many more issues — indeed, most issues — are things that almost all citizens agree on.
Hemant's message is a good one: We need to close the divide that separates us from Christians, Jews, Muslims and people of other faiths, and indeed, help them close the divide among their various groups, too. We have a lot to gain by accepting one another, and so much to lose if we don't.
Hemant's talk was a lot of fun and insightful. I was afraid it would be mostly a retelling of his great book, I Sold My Soul on EBay, and indeed, the first fifteen minutes or so of the hour were devoted to that story, for those who hadn't had the opportunity to read it. But even in the retelling, Hemant added new details, fun stories, newspaper clippings, and insights that weren't in the book.
Then he went on to talk about what's really on all of our minds: What can we do to make the world a better place, and to make atheism less stigmatized? Hemant's basic thesis is that atheists, agnostics, and most mainstream religious people have far more in common that the things that divide us. By working together, we could accomplish so much. He used some great "exercises" to illustrate these points: How do you feel about topics A, B, and C? And how do you think most religious people feel about these same topics? And indeed, when you enumerate all of the social issues that concern us, rather than just focusing on our differences, you find that the differences look pretty minor compared to the views we all share.
The reason we appear to be so divided on these issues is that the media love controversy. People who don't argue are not news. Hemant illustrated this earlier in the talk via the very title of his book: "I Sold My Soul on EBay," which is not what he did at all. But his publisher said, "That's OK, the title is catchy, and people will pick it up, read the back cover, and find out what you really did." Similarly, the media like to single out the most radical of each "side" of religion and present it as a "battle." That's what makes it news. Never mind that the vast majority of atheists and religious citizens actually agree on far more things than they disagree on.
Fight poverty? End child abuse? Help poor single mothers? Help Hurricane Katrina victims? Protect the environment? These, and many, many more issues — indeed, most issues — are things that almost all citizens agree on.
Hemant's message is a good one: We need to close the divide that separates us from Christians, Jews, Muslims and people of other faiths, and indeed, help them close the divide among their various groups, too. We have a lot to gain by accepting one another, and so much to lose if we don't.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Religion "Doctorate" is a Joke
One of my coworkers just finished his PhD in chemistry, and was very excited to learn last week that his paper will be accepted by Science magazine, the most prestigious scientific journal in the world. The story behind his PhD thesis and the Science paper is a classic of scientific enquiry: Insights and hypotheses, followed by years of hard work, setbacks, advances and discoveries. The results of his work are a genuine advance in human knowledge, and will ultimately improve our health and save lives.
We helped him celebrate with a dinner and champagne in a restaurant with a view of the sunset over the Pacific Ocean. It was great.
This morning, I opened my local newspaper and found this article, about a Christian college offering a "PhD" in "spirituality." This is so bogus it's an insult to every scientist who ever sweated and toiled for four years to get a real doctoral degree, and published a real thesis that advanced human knowledge.
A doctoral degree in any scientific field requires new, original research and discoveries. You have to actually do something relevant, discover something meaningful, and prove that your research is valid using proper scientific techniques.
What does a doctor of spirituality do that's comparable? They read the same book — the Bible of course — that has been read more than any other book in history, and has been analyzed ad absurdum. Then maybe they read some other books about spirituality and compare them to the Bible, mostly to show why the Bible is better. Finally, then they make up some new drivel about some purported insight about the Bible and spirituality, and that's their "doctoral thesis."
It's a complete hijacking of the term "PhD". They're riding on the coat tails of honest, hard-working academics who do real research and add genuine knowledge to the human ideosphere.
We helped him celebrate with a dinner and champagne in a restaurant with a view of the sunset over the Pacific Ocean. It was great.
This morning, I opened my local newspaper and found this article, about a Christian college offering a "PhD" in "spirituality." This is so bogus it's an insult to every scientist who ever sweated and toiled for four years to get a real doctoral degree, and published a real thesis that advanced human knowledge.
A doctoral degree in any scientific field requires new, original research and discoveries. You have to actually do something relevant, discover something meaningful, and prove that your research is valid using proper scientific techniques.
What does a doctor of spirituality do that's comparable? They read the same book — the Bible of course — that has been read more than any other book in history, and has been analyzed ad absurdum. Then maybe they read some other books about spirituality and compare them to the Bible, mostly to show why the Bible is better. Finally, then they make up some new drivel about some purported insight about the Bible and spirituality, and that's their "doctoral thesis."
It's a complete hijacking of the term "PhD". They're riding on the coat tails of honest, hard-working academics who do real research and add genuine knowledge to the human ideosphere.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Scientology and Atheism Unite!
Ok, I admit it — this April Fools joke fooled me for a few minutes! But it's a good one:
It was only when I realized that April 1st has already come in Australia, even though it's not here yet in California, that the light went on. Well done!
Scientology and Atheism Unite, 'sexy' worldwide demonstrations scheduledIt's very well done, and only when I blogged to learn more did I discover that the organization's leader doesn't seem to exist.
It was only when I realized that April 1st has already come in Australia, even though it's not here yet in California, that the light went on. Well done!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Evolution in Texas: Survival of the Fittest Creationists
In another example of religious evolution in action, Texas and other conservative states continue to be an embarrassment to America, as the ultra-conservative faction of their religious citizens push their long, destructive campaigns to inject religion into our school systems. The good news is that this time, Texas stood up to the creationists more than in the past, by rejecting the strong anti-science language that creationists were trying to put into textbooks.
Many atheists, and also many members of mainstream religions, know what a bad idea it is to mix religion and government, especially government-run schools, and have a hard time understanding the incredible tenacity of these creationist zealots. But it's not really much of a mystery.
When you look at religion from an evolutionary point of view using memetics (the evolution of culture and ideas), this sort of behavior is both expected and predictable. Evolution shows that traits that work are the ones that survive. Truth is not very relevant. And the sad fact is that churches and religions that fight education and knowledge are the ones that last longer.
The "science" and "history" of the Bible has been in large part shown to be wrong, yet it is still the foundation of Christianity and Judaism. If the biblical-literalism faction opens the door even a crack to this fact, it can only lose credibility. The only way to sustain these religious beliefs is to flat-out deny, even in the face of irrefutable and overwhelming evidence proving, beyond any reasonable doubt, that the Bible is wrong.
So back to the State of Texas: Using an evolutionary, memetic view of creationists, it's easy to see what's happening. The churches that cling to the inerrancy of the Bible are survivors. They are the ones that have the most appealing story. The prey on the ignorance of their converts, and fight knowledge at every turn. And it works: They gain membership, and the more liberal churches that accept that the Bible is metaphorical, not scientific, lose members.
If you view this all using cultural evolution and a "survival of the fittest" approach, it's obvious why Texas is still fighting creationism. Creationism is the "survivor" meme in the survival-of-the-fittest battle of the churches.
Many atheists, and also many members of mainstream religions, know what a bad idea it is to mix religion and government, especially government-run schools, and have a hard time understanding the incredible tenacity of these creationist zealots. But it's not really much of a mystery.
When you look at religion from an evolutionary point of view using memetics (the evolution of culture and ideas), this sort of behavior is both expected and predictable. Evolution shows that traits that work are the ones that survive. Truth is not very relevant. And the sad fact is that churches and religions that fight education and knowledge are the ones that last longer.
The "science" and "history" of the Bible has been in large part shown to be wrong, yet it is still the foundation of Christianity and Judaism. If the biblical-literalism faction opens the door even a crack to this fact, it can only lose credibility. The only way to sustain these religious beliefs is to flat-out deny, even in the face of irrefutable and overwhelming evidence proving, beyond any reasonable doubt, that the Bible is wrong.
So back to the State of Texas: Using an evolutionary, memetic view of creationists, it's easy to see what's happening. The churches that cling to the inerrancy of the Bible are survivors. They are the ones that have the most appealing story. The prey on the ignorance of their converts, and fight knowledge at every turn. And it works: They gain membership, and the more liberal churches that accept that the Bible is metaphorical, not scientific, lose members.
If you view this all using cultural evolution and a "survival of the fittest" approach, it's obvious why Texas is still fighting creationism. Creationism is the "survivor" meme in the survival-of-the-fittest battle of the churches.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Self Indulgence: Two Great Book Reviews
Today I get to engage in a bit of self-indulgence and shameless self-promotion.
I was very pleased to get not one, but TWO excellent book reviews. The first was from Dan Barker, co-founder of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) and author of Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America's Leading Atheists (FFRF bookstore). Dan was kind enough to review my book and offer this endorsement:
Next came a review by Wes Unruh, author of The Art of Memetics (see the full review here), who writes:
Oh, and for my faithful followers, yes, that is a new book title. My publisher suggested, and I agreed, that The Religion Virus was a bit too confrontational. The Evolution of Religion will actually appeal to both theists and atheists, and I don't want to discourage any open-minded theists who want to learn the science behind the history of their beliefs.
I was very pleased to get not one, but TWO excellent book reviews. The first was from Dan Barker, co-founder of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) and author of Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America's Leading Atheists (FFRF bookstore). Dan was kind enough to review my book and offer this endorsement:
An ingenious melding—a recombination, if you will—of genetics and memetics. Craig James has cracked open the mystery of Religion's tenacity. What Guns, Germs and Steel did for anthropology, The Evolution of Religion does for faith. It puts the pieces together into a fascinating, coherent model that makes sense!Dan was also kind enough to give some detailed editorial comments and even point out a few typos.
Next came a review by Wes Unruh, author of The Art of Memetics (see the full review here), who writes:
This is a fascinating book, condensing the peculiar histories of religious texts and how decisions made hundreds and thousands of years ago still affect our cultural attitudes and beliefs ... James is nothing if not amusing, and his choice of quotes (and juxtapositions thereupon) make for compelling re-thumbing after you’ve finished the book. Seriously, Craig A. James has written an accessible book on evolution and religion that manages to explain memetics while being both funny and touching. ... I recommend leaving this book out where it can provoke conversations.So, many thanks to both Dan and Wes for taking the time to read and comment on The Evolution of Religion.
Oh, and for my faithful followers, yes, that is a new book title. My publisher suggested, and I agreed, that The Religion Virus was a bit too confrontational. The Evolution of Religion will actually appeal to both theists and atheists, and I don't want to discourage any open-minded theists who want to learn the science behind the history of their beliefs.
First Speaking Engagement
Some random bits of news. I apologize to all my loyal readers for not writing all last week; it was a hectic five days due to my "day job."
I had the pleasure of giving a talk to the San Diego Atheist Coalition this week. This was especially significant to me, not only because they were a very attentive audience with lots of questions, but also because this was my very first engagement as an author. I've given plenty of lectures to scientific and engineering colleagues, but never before as an author talking about evolution and the history of religion.
And this weekend, I'll have the pleasure of meeting Hemant Mehta, author of I Sold my Soul on EBay, speak to the University of California at Santa Cruz (my home town), to the Student Atheist Coalition. I'm looking forward to a fascinating evening with the Friendly Atheist.
I hope this will be the first of many such talks. If you live in Southern California or the San Francisco Bay Area, and would like a fun and fascinating new way of looking at religion, whether your group is atheist, Evangelical Christian, or anything in between, get in touch. I'd love to hear from you.
I had the pleasure of giving a talk to the San Diego Atheist Coalition this week. This was especially significant to me, not only because they were a very attentive audience with lots of questions, but also because this was my very first engagement as an author. I've given plenty of lectures to scientific and engineering colleagues, but never before as an author talking about evolution and the history of religion.
And this weekend, I'll have the pleasure of meeting Hemant Mehta, author of I Sold my Soul on EBay, speak to the University of California at Santa Cruz (my home town), to the Student Atheist Coalition. I'm looking forward to a fascinating evening with the Friendly Atheist.
I hope this will be the first of many such talks. If you live in Southern California or the San Francisco Bay Area, and would like a fun and fascinating new way of looking at religion, whether your group is atheist, Evangelical Christian, or anything in between, get in touch. I'd love to hear from you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
