Brights News Feed

The influential but always controversial figurehead of philosophical post-modernism, Richard Roty, died on Friday at the age of 75.

His writings are often prominently cited as a prime example of intellectual relativism. Rorty earned often bitterly hostile reviews from analytic philosophers, frustrated by his assertions that no culture and no methodology were any better reflections of reality than any other. Daniel Dennett said he showed “flatfooted ignorance of the proven methods of scientific truth-seeking and their power” and Rorty (in his own words) was often characterized as one of the “smirking intellectuals whose writings are weakening the moral fiber of the young”.

Read the rest of this entry »

Richard Dawkins, Enthusiastic Bright, author of The God Delusion and now of Richard Dawkins Foundation fame has a guest contributor spot in the Times of London today.

Objectively judged, the language of The God Delusion is less shrill than we regularly hear from political commentators or from theatre, art, book or restaurant critics. The illusion of intemperance flows from the unspoken convention that faith is uniquely privileged: off limits to attack. In a criticism of religion, even clarity ceases to be a virtue and begins to sound like aggressive hostility.

More here: “How dare you call me a fundamentalist“

The ecumenical theologian and co-director of Christian think-tank Ekklesia, Simon Barrow, has today published an article (aimed at his predominantly liberal Christian audience) called “Why we need to rid ourselves of the ‘god of the slots’“.

As he says in his blog, the article’s “main concern” is:

to show why “the god of the slots” in culture is the equivalent of “the god of the gaps” in science — a related, but distinct, issue.

He links the “God of the slots” to very current questions, such as the religious monopoly of Thought for the Day and hints at the validity of the British Humanist Association’s complaint against religious privileging in politics and broadcast media. In a parallel article (”Losing our (radio) religion?“) also published today, he says:

the idea that a “Christians only” or “religious only” policy is a good way to advance the churches’ attractiveness in the media (or anywhere else) seems to me extraordinarily miscalculated, quite apart from indefensible in a plural era and contradicting of the Gospel message.

Read the rest of this entry »

Scientists using multispectral imaging techniques have uncovered a third text hidden on the papyrus of the Archimedes Palimpsest. (Palimpsesting is a process in which the ink on papyrus is washed out using citric acid or a similar solvent and written over again with a new, more modern work.) The medieval book superficially appears to contain only Christian prayers from the twelfth century (”The Euchologion”). But a copy of work by Archimedes was discovered on the pages as early as 1906, although not fully uncovered until spectral analysis shed more light in 2002, when a copy of a treatise by fourth-century BCE politician Hyperides was also discovered.

Now, a new analysis has been reported to the American Philosophical Association yesterday, showing that a newly discovered third hidden work underlies the prayers, the Archimedes, and the Hyperides. The third work is a commentry by Alexander of Aphrodisias on Aristotle’s Categories, and translations of the first few pages already suggest that it may shed valuable light on the historical foundations of logic.

(See National Geographic)

As announced yesterday, the Humanist Society of Scotland has used Darwin Day to launch Humanist Thought for the Day, at www.ThinkHumanist.org (RSS). To start things off, A. C. Grayling talks about the Paradox of Tolerance. The HSS will be encouraging humanists from around the world to voice their own “thoughts for the day”. To that end you can get in touch with them, or subscribe to receive the podcasts by email, here.

After decades of campaigning that BBC Radio’s infamous flaship morning god-spot, Thought For the Day, should be open to non-religious thinkers, the British Humanist Association (BHA) and the Humanist Society of Scotland (HSS) have decided to go ahead and share their own thoughts on meaning, ethics and life, regardless. The HSS says:

Ethical insights into the issues of the day are not the sole preserve of religious people but the BBC have always denied humanist and secular thinkers a slot on BBC Radio’s Thought for the Day. Now, on a new website specially created for the purpose, the Humanist Society of Scotland is pleased to bring to you a series of podcasts entitled Humanist Thought for the Day, to be launched on Darwin Day (12 February 2007).

Humanist Thought For the Day launches tomorrow at www.ThinkHumanist.org, on Darwin Day, and will feature regular downloadable podcasts. Thoughts are scheduled from various BHA supporters — Stewart Lee (“Jerry Springer the Opera”, TMWRNJ); Julian Baggini (The Philosophers’ Magazine); Nigel Warburton (”Thinking from A to Z”); A.C. Grayling (the Meaning of Things series); HSS celebrant, Gillian Stewart; and chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Kate Hudson.

Read the rest of this entry »

Robert Redecker, the French teacher of philosophy who was threatened with death after heavily criticising the content of the Qu’ran and modern Islam, has now resigned from teaching. The resignation comes despite the arrest of two suspects. His criticisms were originally published in Le Figaro, September last year. Although his views are more extreme than many mainstream thinkers usually find comfortable, the French intellectual community has rallied around Redecker in defence of free expression.

(See DNA. Via.)

The God Delusion by “Enthusiastic Bright” Richard Dawkins is out around the world.

A British zoologist and popular science writer, Dawkins has a long history of provocative discourse against religion and in favour of science, rationalism, and humanism. His latest book — his first to be dedicated entirely to religion and the question of God — has been greatly anticipated across the naturalistic community. Dawkins is much-maligned by many religious thinkers and evangelists, who accuse him of over-simplicity, or focusing on easy or erroneous targets.
Read the rest of this entry »

September 19, Robert Redecker, French philosopher and philosophy teacher in a high school near Toulouse, received emailed death threats on the same day his article about Islam was published in Le Figaro, a leading, Conservative French daily newspaper. He has since been put under protection by the police, forcing him to stop giving lectures. The French minister of education self-consciously declares to sympathize with the philosopher.

“Merciless warrior, pillager, murderer of Jews and polygamist that is how Mohammad portrays himself in the Koran … Hatred and violence live in the book by which every Muslim is educated, the Koran,” Redeker wrote in his post, entitled “Confronted to Islamist intimidation, what can the free world do ?”. He draws a parallel with the cold war, stating Islam, as communism was, is an alternative to the occident.

Read the rest of this entry »