Yesterday Andrew Brown tried an interesting idea of the sort that often becomes a blog meme:
I was prompted by an exchange in comments to wonder whether it was really true, as A. N. Whitehead claimed, that everyone thinks their own beliefs are the summit of western philosophy. So the challenge is a simple one. Name three people, preferably contemporaries, whom you honestly believe are smarter, better educated, and more honest than you are, but who disagree with you about God. So atheists must name believers, and vice versa.
One of the earlier commenters on the thread who rejoices in the soubriquet “Bubblecar” couldn’t see the point and in an astonishing display of arrogance opined:
One problem with this question is that I would regard subscribing to a belief in god as a fairly basic failure of the intellect, so much so that I would tend to automatically assume that theists are not as “smart” as I am.
So, it doesn’t matter how many obviously intelligent and highly educated people claim to believe in God, and offer rigorous and well-read argumentation for it, this person will assume they are less clever than he is. This is, is it not, a case of either disregarding or reinterpreting the evidence to fit one’s viewpoint. I can’t think of a better example of atheism as a fideist position, entirely willing to fit the evidence to an a priori belief system.
I take it that Brown’s meme was intended to help us face up to the awareness that there are admirable and clever people who disagree with us on this most controverted but profound question. It’s ironic that so many exchanges on his thread should be hijacked by the kind of reply that refuses to face up to such a basic acknowledgement of empirical reality, namely that very clever and honourable people disagree about God.
Although the commenter goes by the name “Bubblecar”, I can’t help thinking that bubblehead might be more appropriate – inordinately large and rather empty.
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It’s easy for the rest of us, though.
I nominate:
Bubblecar
Bubblecar’s best mate
and Bubblecar’s other mate.
They must by definition all be cleverer than me.
I think it’s a bit mote and beam like to complain about some atheists’ response on this and not to give your own about atheists you admire. Sticking to public figures and not taking the ‘better educated’ as referring purely to formal education, my suggestions would be Marcus du Sautoy, Stephen Fry and Terry Pratchett.
Magistra, you’ve stolen one of mine if not two. And made a good point to boot.
So I’m going to go for:
Eddie Izzard (especially after seeing him last night on the marathon trail)
Carol Ann Duffie
Douglas Adams (too long gone, but recent enough to count)
mind, I should spell check before I post comments. Sorry, Carol Ann.
Interesting thought experiment. Have you tried it substituting atheist with Creationist or Scientologist? Would you draw the same conclusion from Bubblecar’s comment if it had been levelled at one of those rather than just believers in general?
But it wasn’t. And if you thank that’s “interesting”, I suggest you get out a bit more
And please note that unless I have a web address or know your real name, I do not allow pseudonymous comments. Come clean with a real identity or go away.
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