A Qualified Defence of The New Atheists

In this video, we provide a comprehensive defense of some of the actions and approaches of the New Atheists, particularly in response to critiques from "Majesty of Reason" and Whitley Kaufman. While acknowledging valid criticisms, we argue that many of the New Atheists' strategies and contributions are justified and valuable, especially in the context of their goals and the broader social landscape.

Introduction:

Overview of New Atheism and its key figures: Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel Dennett.
Discussion on the significance and impact of the New Atheist movement.

Critiques of New Atheism:

Summarizing the main critiques from Whitley Kaufman’s article.
Addressing the critique of intellectual contribution.
Examining the rhetorical strategy and its effectiveness.
Discussing the empirical claims on religion and the New Atheists' response.

What This Document is Not About:

Clarifying that this presentation is not an attack on "Majesty of Reason" or Whitley Kaufman.
Acknowledging the respect for their contributions to philosophical discourse.

Defending the Intellectual Contribution:

Highlighting the New Atheists' role as a social movement.
Discussing their influence on others and the broader philosophical and social impact.

Addressing the Derogatory Tone Towards Religion:

Justifying the aggressive stance in the context of American fundamentalism.
Considering the historical reciprocity and the potential effectiveness of their approach.

Empirical Claims:

Evaluating the fair critique of treating God as an empirical hypothesis.
Discussing how religious apologists also use empirical hypotheses and the implications of this.

Over-Simplification and Facile Remarks:

Acknowledging the warranted critique of over-simplification.
Discussing the strategic counterbalance to the positive perception of religion and the need for simplification to engage a broader audience.

Scientism:

Exploring the defensible versions of scientism and how the New Atheists align with these.
Defending the idea that science is the best guide to empirical reality while recognizing other forms of knowledge.

Conclusion:

Agreeing with Joe’s assessment on several points.
Emphasizing the importance of focusing on issues rather than personal attacks.
Highlighting the significance of opposing fundamentalism and the impact of the New Atheist movement.

Join us for an in-depth exploration and defense of the New Atheists' contributions and strategies.

Hashtags:
#NewAtheism #RichardDawkins #SamHarris #ChristopherHitchens #DanielDennett #MajestyOfReason #Philosophy #Atheism #Secularism #Religion #Science #CriticalThinking #PublicPhilosophy #Debate #EmpiricalEvidence #Scientism #Fundamentalism #IntellectualDiscourse #SocialMovement #AtheistMovement