"When New Atheism was loosed upon the world, birthed by writers like Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens, the Center for Inquiry was plunged into a crisis. But Harris, Dawkins and Hitchens were not especially interested in humanism (or tolerance, or kindness) and as a “new generation” of ungentlemanly soldiers they were not especially interested, either, in doing business with religion, at any level. CFI moved from being a beacon of sophisticated speculation about religion and secular values to becoming a support group for angry anti-religionists and college faddists. An organization that used its stable of worthies to fund worthy projects had chosen instead to become a celebrity booking agency for sideshow atheism. If atheism once had an ugly face (think Madalyn Murray O’Hair) this was its reincarnation."

Atheist R. Joseph Hoffmann – friend of the late Paul Kurtz

“The Moral Landscape” by Sam Harris

Actually, this is a review of Sam’s book by Skatje Myers, PZ’s 20-year-old daughter. Pretty perceptive for a young person.

1. Utilitarianism is right, but not any more justifiable than anything else. But who cares what other people think, anyway?

2. Because utilitarianism is right, we don’t have to be loopy post-modernists.

3. Science can tell us what makes us happy. Here’s a smattering of scientific studies about the brain.

Why in the hell do they give out book deals so easily? This book isn’t about convincing others, or providing novel ideas. It’s about pandering to atheists with very little knowledge of philosophy and ethics and an abundance of arrogance, telling them science is with them, and then reiterating how immoral people who like FGM and throwing acid in girls’ faces are and how we don’t have to listen to them because We Are Right. This is nothing but a convoluted rehashing of utilitarianism that still falls to the same old criticisms, and an immense waste of time unless you really like a good ignorant circlejerk."

Like I said, pretty perceptive girl.

Atheism / Fascism

Richard Dawkins says that an atheist government based on the principles of darwinism would most assuredly be a Fascist government.

Sam Harris not only agrees. He's all for it.

In the following, Sam thinks it’s the atheist’s place to tell us what we can and cannot think about. If he and other atheists had the power, they'd make it official.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/03/25/ted.sam.harris/index.html?hpt=Mid