[ SECRET POST #3065 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3065 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.


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02.
[The Witcher 3]


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03.
[Shakin Stevens]


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04.
[The Godfather II]


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05.
[A Redtail's Dream]


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06.
[David Lynch & David Cronenberg]


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07.
[Laurell K. Hamilton]


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08.
[Big Bang Theory]


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09.
(Richard Dawkins)


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10.












Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 034 secrets from Secret Submission Post #438.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

IDGI. Atheism isn't like some narrow philosophy with a canon of literature, it's a state of not-believing-in-god. Being an atheist who hasn't read Dawkins really isn't like a Shakespeare scholar who hasn't read Shakespeare. No one gives a shit about Dawkins except Dawkins fans who just so happen to also be atheists.

[(Anonymous)]

While that's all true, there's also clearly a loose social organization and a loose social movement around atheism which does have certain properties in general. It's stupid to pretend it doesn't exist.

[(Anonymous)]

You must be American.

NA

[(Anonymous)]

I'm putting down money that you are too.

Re: NA

[(Anonymous)]

How much?

[(Anonymous)]

Not AYRT but why would that matter? Why *should* that matter?

[(Anonymous)]

NAYRT

America has a weird relationship with religion and atheists. In my country no one cares if you're an atheist or not, and quite frankly, most Christians are Christian only in name.

Talking about atheism in terms of a social movement and a social organization sounds like an American thing. *shrugs*

[(Anonymous)]

Weelll... that's kind of true, but your analogy needs tweaking. Being an atheist who hasn't read Dawkins is more like an English Lit major who's never read Shakespeare. Yeah, not every English Lit major does, but if you haven't read a single play or poem of his, that's going to get you some raised eyebrows. Shakespeare is just that big in English literature, just as Dawkins is that big in atheism.

[(Anonymous)]

See, I don't get this thought process at all. Why do I need to read philosophy about why there is no god, when logic dictates that of course there is no god? It's a waste of my time to read up on the subject, to be honest.

[helenadax]

This. My parents are atheist and they just never told me God was real, so I never believed God was real. That's all I needed. I've read a couple of books about that subject later (none of them written by Dawkins), but just because I love to read about everything.

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, this is me as well. (And I'm not white, male or libertarian.) It doesn't need any more to call yourself an atheist.

[(Anonymous)]

the logic which dictates to you that there is no god is, itself, philosophy

[(Anonymous)]

Sure, but why do I need to read *more* about it? I can look at my desk right now and see there is no bread on my desk. I don't need a book to tell me in more detail how there is no bread. Though I can see it might be helpful to read a guidebook about why some people coming into my office may still insist there is bread on my desk, all evidence to the contrary be damned.

[dethtoll]

+1

[(Anonymous)]

What, no. Do you have any concept of how many atheists there are around the world? "Not reading Dawkins" is ONLY relevant to Western English speaking young political people who make atheist an active identity. Atheism is not a religion. Atheism is not a social group. It is only a way of thinking in regards to belief in divine powers. Acting like Dawkins' work is some sort of bible to some sort of religion called atheism is ridiculous.

[helenadax]

I hadn't head of Dawkins until some months ago and just because there were people talking about him in some forum.

[dethtoll]

That's ridiculous. Dawkins' status in atheism circles is for his outspoken criticism of religion and other forms of magical thinking. That's all well and good, but it doesn't make him Atheist Jesus.

[(Anonymous)]

How did read that comment and go from "Dawkins is a major figure in atheism much like Shakespeare is a major figure in English literature" to Dawkins = atheist Jesus? Because that isn't what the comment said at all.

[mekkio]

Atheist Jesus...heh.

(Atheist Jesus sitting on a rock looking sad and sighing deeply.)

ME: What's wrong Atheist Jesus?
ATHEIST JESUS: People have been telling me that I've been too hard on myself. That I need to believe in myself. But I can't.
ME: Why not?
ATHEIST JESUS: (points to self) Technically, I shouldn't even exist.
ME: You're a paradox?
ATHEIST JESUS: Yep.
ME: Bummer (sits next to Atheist Jesus and begins to sigh deeply as well.)

[(Anonymous)]

I think you (and possibly secret OP) are confusing atheism-the-belief with atheism-the-social-movement. You can have the former without any interaction or identification with the latter.

[cbrachyrhynchos]

He's insanely popular, that doesn't mean he's any good. (And in some areas, he's just plain bad, see memetics.)

[(Anonymous)]

I think he was okay on memes 30 years ago, when he started writing about them. Of course what he wrote is horribly out of date and just plain wrong in places now.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm an atheist an never read Dawkins, since he's not famous in my country?

[(Anonymous)]

Problem is that contemporary debates on atheism frequently take it for granted that Dawkins is the be-all end-all authority the topic.

[(Anonymous)]

Exactly, this x10000. I can't see how Dawkins is relevant to absolutely anything at all in regards to atheism, except perhaps in a community of people - religious and non-religious alike - who read books about religion to discuss the merits, pros/cons or what have you. Atheism isn't the Mormon Church or something, there is no "community" or recommended path of approach.