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Anthony Pinn: What Humanism Might Learn from Hip Hop

CELEBRATING REASON AND HUMANITY October/November 2012 Vol. 32 No.6

Patricia Schroeder | Greg Laden Ron Bailey | Razib Khan

ANDY NORMAN AND TOM FLYNN DEBATE “SPIRIT” TALK CHINA’S HOLY HORROR | WHY I AM NOT A JEHOVAH’S WITNESS THE TROUBLE WITH RICHARD RORTY

Russell Blackford | Arthur Caplan | Shadia Drury | Nat Hentoff

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THE BEST WRITING IN HUMANISM, , AND FREETHOUGHT IS NOT ONLINE.

It’s in FREE INQUIRY, the hard-hitting bimonthly journal of the Council for Secular Humanism. From world-class columnists to thought-provoking cover features to commentaries from every branch of the secular humanist movement, FREE INQUIRY has it all … and 70 to 80 percent of each issue is never posted online.

Want to read the movement’s best writing? There’s only one way to access it all. Pick up a print issue of FREE INQUIRY. At better newsstands, or subscribe today!

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October/November 2012 Vol. 32 No. 6

CELEBRATING REASON AND HUMANITY

18 Does Secular Humanism Have 28 Secularism’s Place in Politics a Political Agenda? Greg Laden Introduction Tom Flynn 31 What Humanism Might Learn from Hip Hop 19 Saddle Up, Progressives! Anthony B. Pinn Patricia Schroeder 36 The Manic Triumphalism 22 Conservatism for Seculars of Richard Rorty Razib Khan Stephen J. Gallagher

25 Secular Humanism Has a 38 Overgeneralization: The Achilles Heel Political Agenda, and It’s Not of Apocalyptic Atheism? R. Georges Delamontagne In Favor of Liberty Ronald Bailey

EDITORIAL DEPARTMENTS 59 A Judeo-Islamic Nation: 4 Hell Freezes Over! 46 Church-State Update The Evolution of America’s Tom Flynn Overpopulation, , Political Theology and November 6 by Thomas Mates LEADING QUESTIONS Edd Doerr Reviewed by Tom Flynn 7 The Rise of Islamic , Part 2 A Conversation with Johan Braeckman 47 Faith and History 60 Could I Vote for a Mormon for Another Holy Horror: The Taipings President? An Election-Year Guide James A. Haught to Mitt Romney’s LETTERS by Ryan T. Cragun and Rick Phillips 13 48 Point/Counterpoint Reviewed by Andrea Szalanski A Heretical Manifesto OP-EDS Andy Norman 61 Candidate Without a Prayer: An Rebuking the Foul Spirit Autobiography of a Jewish Atheist 9 Up With Secularism! Tom Flynn in the Bible Belt Russell Blackford by Herb Silverman 52 Living Without Religion Reviewed by Ed Buckner 11 Infighting or Healthy Debate? Why I Am Not a Jehovah’s Witness Greta Christina James Zimmerman 62 The Messiah Game: A Comedy of Terrors, Book I 12 Big Talk. No Action. Not Bad. 55 Humanism and the Arts by Tom Flynn Arthur L. Caplan A Linguistic Consequence Reviewed by Robert M. Price of Music Appreciation 14 The Decay of American John A. Frantz POEMS Democracy, Part 1 Shadia B. Drury 17 Of Fools REVIEWS by Marcia Karp 15 Obama Drones Come Home to Roost 58 Nonbeliever Nation: The Rise Anonymous Nat Hentoff of the Secular Americans by R. Nemo Hill by David Niose 16 On Being a Scientist Reviewed by Phil Zuckerman OBITUARIES Joshua Fost 8 Gore Vidal (1925–2012) S.T. Joshi 35 Irving Louis Horowitz (1929–2012) Andrea Szalanski FI Oct Nov***_FI 8/30/12 9:50 AM Page 4

Editorial Staff Editor Thomas W. Flynn Tom Flynn Associate Editors John R. Shook, Lauren Becker Editorial Managing Editor Andrea Szalanski Columnists Ophelia Benson, Russell Blackford, Arthur Caplan, Greta Christina, Edd Doerr, Shadia B. Drury, Nat Hentoff, Tibor R. Machan, P Z Myers, Hell Freezes Over! Tom Rees, Katrina Voss Senior Editors Bill Cooke, , Edd Doerr, James A. Haught, Jim Herrick, Gerald A. Larue, Ronald A. Lindsay, f there was a hell, it would be gar- a small gain in 2010 before declining in Taslima Nasrin landed with icicles. According to recent 2011. Contributing Editors Roy P. Fairfield, Charles Faulkner, Levi Fragell, Isurvey data, two longtime dreams of Is this development connected to re- Adolf Grünbaum, Marvin American secularists have come true: cent growth in the numbers of unchurch - Kohl, Thelma Lavine, ed and nonreligious Americans? Corre - Lee Nisbet, J.J.C. Smart, 1. Charitable giving by Americans to lation is not causation, as the maxim goes. Thomas Szasz churches and religious organizations Literary Editor Austin MacRae But Thomas W. Mesaros, chair of the actually declined in 2011. What’s more, Assistant Editors Julia Lavarnway Giving Institute, told the NonProfit Times: it fell in three of the last four years. Sean Lachut “Giving to religion, along with member- 2. For the first time in fifty-four years, a Permissions Editor Julia Lavarnway ship in certain mainline Prot estant Art Director Christopher S. Fix majority of Americans said they would denominations, is declining, while the Production Paul E. Loynes Sr. vote for a qualified presidential candi- American population grows, on average, date who happened to be an atheist. Council for Secular Humanism 1 percent every year. It might be too soon After years of growth in the number to call the drops in this particular category Chair Dan Kelleher of Americans who don’t attend church or a trend, but I think they bear watching.” Board of Directors R. Elisabeth Cornwell Kendrick Frazier declare a religion (19 percent in the last Patrick M. Rooney, executive director Dan Kelleher Pew Center study), neither result is sur- of the Center on Philanthropy, linked the Barry Kosmin prising. Moreover, neither is an unvar- drop in giving to a very long-term trend Richard K. Schroeder Edward Tabash nished victory for the nonreligious. For toward disaffection from faith. “We have Jonathan Tobert now, let’s focus on the good news. seen every generation going back to the Leonard Tramiel Great Depression attends at a lesser rate Lawrence Krauss (Honorary) Religious Giving Declines than parents and grandparents,” he said. Chief Executive Officer Ronald A. Lindsay According to the Center on Philanthropy “If they are not attending, they are not Executive Director Thomas W. Flynn Director, Campus and at Indiana University, whose annual re- giving or giving as much.” Community Programs (CFI) Lauren Becker port Giving USA is a statistical benchmark University of Tampa sociologist and Director, Secular Organizations for the nonprofit sector, giving to religion frequent FI contributor Ryan T. Cragun for Sobriety Jim Christopher Director, African Americans in 2011 declined 1.7 percent in current suggests another possible cause. Many for Humanism Debbie Goddard dollars—4.7 percent adjusted for infla- Americans becoming newly wealthy in Director of Development (CFI) Alan Kinniburgh tion—relative to giving in 2010. One today’s economy are very young and Director of Libraries (CFI) Timothy Binga might suspect this just reflects the dismal working in tech-related occupations. It is Communications Director Paul Fidalgo economy, but apparently not. Religion well known that younger Americans are Legal Director (CFI) Steven Fox was one of only two charitable categories less religious than their elders. There’s Database Manager (CFI) Jacalyn Mohr Webmaster Matthew Licata to decline in 2011, while the other nine also strong anecdotal evidence that peo- categories tracked by the Center on ple in tech are less religious than others Staff Pat Beauchamp, Ed Beck, Melissa Braun, Shirley Philanthropy rose. Across all categories, their age. As Cragun told me in private Brown, Cheryl Catania, giving rose 4 percent. So giving to religion correspondence, “Mark Zuckerberg isn’t Eric Chinchón, Matt Cravatta, Roe Giambrone, lost ground relative to giving to causes giving to . The next generation of Jason Gross, Adam Isaak, such as education, human services, the ultra-wealthy is likely to be top-heavy Lisa Nolan, Paul Paulin, with freethinkers who use their money to Anthony Santa Lucia, health, international affairs, arts, and the John Sullivan, Diane Tobin, environment. advance scientific agendas to end suffer- Vance Vigrass What’s more, religious giving de - ing rather than religious ones.” Executive Director Emerita Jean Millholland creased in three of the last four years, I’d like to add a theory of my own, dropping in 2008 and 2009 and posting which I concede is purely speculative. I

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wonder whether some of the drop in giv- never before has a majority expressed ing to religion might be attributable to willingness to vote for an atheist.

public understanding that religious chari- On this item, the downside comes FREE INQUIRY (ISSN 0272-0701) is published bimonthly by ties attract government funding more quickly. Atheists are still the minority for the Council for Secular Humanism, a nonprofit educational corporation, P.O. Box 664, Amherst, NY 14226-0664. Phone easily than they used to. whom the smallest number of Americans (716) 636-7571. Fax (716) 636-1733. Copyright ©2012 by Here’s what I mean. To the chagrin of would vote, often by a substantial margin: the Council for Secular Humanism. All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced without permission many seculars, President Black 96% of the publisher. Periodicals postage paid at Buffalo, N.Y., and continued the Faith-Based Initiative intro- at additional mailing offices. National distribution by Disticor. A woman 95% FREE INQUIRY is indexed in Philosophers’ Index. Printed in duced by former President George W. Catholic 94% the United States. 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Call Customer Service: 716-636-7571, ext. 200. I have no evidence for this hypothesis. Jeffrey M. Jones, “Atheists, Muslims See Most Bias as Presidential Candidates.” Princeton, E-mail: [email protected]. (There is evidence that political progres- N.J.: The Gallup Organization, June 21, sives give less to social-welfare causes 2012. BACK ISSUES Back issues through Vol. 23, No. 3 are $6.95 each. Back because they think government either is issues Vol. 23, No. 4 and later are $5.95 each. 20% discount or should be shouldering more of that on orders of 10 or more. Call 800-458-1366 to order or to Minding the Lines ask for a complete listing of back issues. burden, but that’s not precisely the same new idea is afoot in our movement: REPRINTS/PERMISSIONS thing.) It sounds like a wonderful project To request permission to use any part of FREE INQUIRY, write for some enterprising social- re- Aatheism—just atheism—ought to to FREE INQUIRY, ATTN: Julia Lavarnway, Permissions Editor, searcher with access to student labor and stand for a particular moral or political P.O. Box 664, Amherst, NY 14226-0664. powerful analytical tools. viewpoint. In the April/May 2012 FI, WHERE TO BUY FREE INQUIRY columnist Greta Christina explored FREE INQUIRY is available from selected book and magazine By the way, I promised I’d mention the sellers nationwide. downside of this story. Here it is: don’t ex - “Why Atheism Demands Social Justice.” ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS pect your friendly neighborhood church to In August/September (“Atheism’s Third Complete submission guidelines can be found on the web at go dark anytime soon. 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For letters intended for publication, please include name, Is it time to outgrow the old confining address (including city and state), and daytime telephone num- Americans Warm Toward Atheist ber (for verification purposes only). Letters should be 300 words notion that atheism is just the absence or fewer and pertain to previous FREE INQUIRY articles. Candidates of in a god or gods? When some- The mission of the Council for Secular Humanism is to advo- Gallup reports that for the first time since one says “I am an atheist,” should that cate and defend a nonreligious rooted in science, it began tracking this question, a majority also tell us something specific about that naturalistic , and humanist ethics and to serve and support adherents of that life stance. of telephone survey respondents said person’s ideals, favorite social causes, or they would vote for a generally well-qual- politics? ified atheist for president of the United No, it isn’t. And it shouldn’t. States. In some prior years, response on Look, I get it. After decades of a social this question came close to a tie, but consensus equating atheism with evil,

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it’s tempting to advocate an understand- rally enough, since political progressives make the landscape of right and wrong ing of atheism that equates it with posi- are overrepresented among the nonreli- wholly arbitrary, devoid of contours rea- tive good. What a delicious turnabout! gious—is a sense that anyone who views son might discern. Given command moral- The problem is that atheist is a perfectly the world honestly through atheist eyes ity, moral inquiry is a doomed exercise. By good word whose established definition will end up embracing some recognizable removing the threat of command mo ral - does important conceptual work. Stretch - version of the left-progressive agenda. ity, atheism grants would-be moral ing its meaning to include particular Sorry, that’s not true. Ask the libertarians thinkers a clear range on which to build moral/political commitments will be con- among us, or the economic conservatives, their value systems. fusing at best, misleading at worst. or the moral nihilists. (Just because I’ve “It’s curious how . . . many atheists Moreover, we have better and more accu- become a Keynesian on economics since simultaneously want to claim that they 2008 doesn’t mean I think real are good without gods,” Myers wrote, atheists can’t also be nostalgic for “while also asserting that atheism is noth- the gold standard. I think they’re ing but a simple answer to one question.” wrong, but I don’t think there’s Actually, there’s nothing curious about anything about atheism that that. When atheists are being good with- should have shielded them out gods, they are being more than athe- against that error.) ists. From their starting points as atheists, Anyway, atheism in its existing they are engaging in value inquiry and sense has plenty of work to do. It’s arriving at their value systems, which vary “Charitable giving by Americans to the label for the category whose widely. Some wind up as atheists and sec- churches and religious organizations members in clude Katha Pollitt ular humanists. Others end up atheist actually declined in 2011. What’s more, and Ayn Rand, Eugene Debs and and conservative . . . or utilitarian, or Bill Gates—even (sigh) Josef pragmatist, or transhumanist. The point it fell in three of the last four years.” Stalin. (Okay, tell me again how is, whatever values atheists arrive at, atheism necessarily entails a par- when they live out those values they will ticular values agenda!) There is be being atheists plus something else. ample need for a word that In years past, American Atheists means “without belief in God” spokespeople used to talk about “posi- and nothing more. tive atheism,” acknowledging that athe- Starting from atheism one can ists who expressed particular values were as easily become a social Darwinist engaged in something more than athe- as a left-liberal progressive, as eas- ism alone. Blogger Jennifer McCreight’s rate ways to describe someone who holds ily a hedonist as an ascetic, and so on. Pure recent coinage “Atheism +” also recog- no belief in gods and embraces a particu- atheism simply doesn’t skew in the direc- nizes this. lar moral, social, or political commitment. tion of the value systems Christina, Myers, In closing, pardon me if I plump once (One of those terms, of course, is secular or even I might prefer. Ethically speaking, it more for my favorite moniker for men humanist.) doesn’t skew in any direction at all. and women who start from atheism and For Christina and Myers, specific Instead, it does something more impor- then apply reason, compassion, and com- moral/political insights seem to proceed tant. mon sense to build value systems con- from the atheist viewpoint. In her column, Rather than providing a platform for ducive to flourishing in this world. I call Christina derived from atheism a slate of moral inquiry, atheism helps to make them “secular humanists.” values and a political agenda that looked, authentic moral inquiry possible. Here’s well, an awful lot like Greta Christina’s. In why: if a god exists, we might be living his column, Myers presented a list of athe- under command moral-

ist desiderata that looked just like those of ity. The good might be Tom Flynn is the editor of FREE INQUIRY and the executive director PZ Myers. This shouldn’t surprise anyone. good only because the of the Council for Secular Humanism. What seems to be afoot here—natu- deity says so. That would

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Leading Questions The Rise of Islamic Creationism, Part 2 A Conversation with Johan Braeckman

In the August/September issue of FREE confirm this: in Saudi Arabia, for instance, Muslim with a PhD who is big in defend- INQUIRY, Leading Questions featured a dis- over 90 percent are creationists. In Turkey, ing creationism. Imams have an extremely cussion between science journalist Chris which is a secular country with great uni- important function in their community for Mooney and Johan Braeckman, professor versities, it is over 60 percent. Creationism funerals, births, marriages, and so on. But of philosophy of science at Ghent Uni - is also influential in migrant communities they also give scientific guidance, and versity in Belgium, on growing belief in coming from northern Africa and Turkey they teach Islamic religion classes in public Islamic creationism in Europe. Below, and living in Europe. schools in Belgium and in other European Braeck man talks about attitudes toward In several Muslim countries, Islamic countries. This is a problem. Scholars from evolution popular among Muslims today scholars look with some disdain on Harun other religious backgrounds—for in - that have been strongly shaped by the pro- Yahya. Most Muslim people in Indonesia stance, teachers of the Catholic religion— lific and possibly pseudonymous anti-evo- are creationists, but they’re not going to no longer say anything negative about lution author Harun Yahya. refer to Harun Yahya. evolutionary theory. They’re way beyond To hear the entire interview, which first This does not mean that Muslim peo- appeared on the ’s radio ple are against science. In several Muslim show and podcast Point of Inquiry, please countries, Iran for instance, science is big. visit www.pointofinquiry.net.—EDS. , reproductive biology, stem-cell therapy—all these kinds of really top- “What we need are people who JOHAN BRAECKMAN: The prolific Muslim cre- notch science—they enjoy wide favor, call themselves Muslim—they ationist author Harun Yahya has argued and countless Muslims are engaging in that the events of September 11, 2001, them. They have excellent scholars. So it’s might not even be truly religious were not caused by Muslim fundamental- evolutionary theory on which they focus people anymore, but they still ists but—and I quote literally now—“by their . I think there’s a similarity in must be identified as being Darwinists.” Harun Yahya is against al- the United States. Fundamentalist Prot- Qaeda and terrorism, to be sure, but his estants are not necessarily against science; Muslim—who have the right reasoning is that the hijackers must have they’re against evolutionary theory. The credentials so to speak, and been touched by Darwinist literature or really interesting question to me is: Why they must the example. They Darwinist argumentation, and that’s do people pick on evolutionary theory? what made them believe that people are They accept all other kinds of biology must say to their community nothing more than animals. If you’re an when it fits them or suits them, but it’s that it’s just not the smart thing animal you don’t have morality, ethics, or really evolutionary theory that seems to to deny science.” respect for other people’s lives. You don’t be—well, the nut that they can’t crack, even respect your own life, so you can do so to speak. It has to do with the fact that anything you want to do. You can hijack a evolutionary theory says something about plane and crash it into a building because ourselves. It says something about our his- you’re a Darwinist. tory, about where we come from, and that. That fight has been fought, and With Islam there is no kind of top- also something about our identity. That they’re okay with the outcome. For Islamic down argumentation. They don’t have made it difficult already in the nineteenth teachers, it’s different. They teach Islam, someone like the pope to settle theologi- century. then add that it’s just not a good idea to cal disputes. So some imams or Muslim CHRIS MOONEY: In the United States we accept evolutionary theory. They don’t scholars can give their personal interpre- have what I’ve somewhat popularly/ mark the difference between religion and tations, and others can contradict them. somewhat unpopularly called “smart science. There’s another important prob- One imam can be fundamentally against idiots.” You have people who have a lot of lem. In high school, in one hour you hear evolutionary theory, and another imam college education, but they are quite ide- from your imam that evolutionary theory can say “well, no, if you look in the Qur’an ological. They come up with all these bril- is racist, you just shouldn’t accept it, it goes there might be something to it,” and so liant reasons for, say, rejecting global against Islam, and so forth. And in the forth. But as far as I can tell, the majority of warming, or evolution. Do you see that next class you have your biology teacher Muslim people worldwide are now really kind of thing in the Islamic world? in line with creationism. Some surveys BRAECKMAN: I’m not aware of any (Continued on page 43)

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Obituary

Gore Vidal (1925–2012) S. T. Joshi

Gore Vidal, a laureate of the International record but at the same time vivifies all the Academy of Humanism (a Council for protagonists in the drama, including the Secular Humanism program), recently ambiguous figure of Julian himself, who died at the age of eighty-six. Academy sec- becomes a religious fanatic in his own retary Stephen Law said: “Gore Vidal has right in his attempt to reinstitute the been an inspirational figure to a great worship of the Greco-Roman pantheon. many people, myself included. Of course, The fundamental message of the novel is he will be remembered for being urbane, stated succinctly by one of his underlings: fiendishly talented, and terrifyingly witty. But more than this, he was principled, “Julian must be obliterated or at least honest, and courageous.”—THE EDITORS made monster before the Christian Em- pire can properly be born.” he most remarkable thing about Vidal’s most outrageous religious Gore Vidal, in my estimation, was satire is Live from Golgotha (1992), which T that he was a hugely popular writer reprises the central theme of Messiah— who made not the slightest concession to the power of the media to control his audience. He never let you forget that human thought. It is futile to describe he was a member of both the social and the plot of this extravaganza—part reli- gious satire, part science fiction, part the intellectual aristocracy. To say that he his true greatness as a writer shines forth. political commentary, and all good fun did not suffer fools gladly would be a The incredibly prescient Messiah unless you happen to be a monotheist. grotesque understatement. But he was (1954) broaches the idea that, with some The wickedly blasphemous humor of the one of the few exceptions to the other- clever help from Madison Avenue adver- novel inspired its predictable recoil of wise hard-and-fast rule that everything tising, a religion can sweep the world. The outrage on the part of the pious, most that appears on the best-seller list is crap. basic thrust of this religion—embodied in notably from Pat Robertson, who claim - His notoriety was, in some ways, the inscrutable figure of one John Cave, ed (much to the author’s delight) that adventitious. He had become a media whose initials were not chosen by acci- Vidal was the Antichrist. celebrity in the 1960s: long before his cel- dent—is simple and devastating: “It is It is perhaps because Vidal excelled in ebrated tussles with William F. Buckley at good to die.” This message, too, is no acci- a bewildering diversity of literary and the Republican and Democratic national dent, for Vidal rightly saw the Christian media venues — from the historical novel conventions in 1968, he had become religion itself as what Nietzsche labelled a to the play (The Best Man) to the essay to known to audiences by appearing on “death-seeking religion.” As Cave states at the screenplay (Suddenly, Last Summer)— What’s My Line?, The Steve Allen Show, one point, “It never occurred to me that that the full scope of his achievement is and other venues. And it’s likely that Myra people who like to think of themselves as difficult to grasp. Underlying all his work, Breckinridge (1968), although a very Christians couldn’t accept both me and however, was a satirical vision that un- funny and witty book, became a best Christ at the same time.” Messiah is now flinchingly exhibited the moral, political, seller chiefly because it promised a certain regarded as a classic of intellectual science and intellectual weaknesses of his compa- pleasurable prurience. fiction, but the accuracy of its predictions triots. Satirists are rarely popular—pre- is demonstrated daily by the ever-growing To my knowledge, Vidal wrote only a cisely because of the uncomfortable flock of televangelists and megachurches. single essay that directly addressed the truths they expose—but Gore Vidal will Julian (1964) is one of several of issues of religion and atheism: “Mono - be remembered if only because he Vidal’s novels that fuses a critique of reli- theism and Its Discontents” (Nation, July wrapped those truths with a veneer of gion with the historical novel, a literary 13, 1992). The thrust of the essay is simple: flamboyant humor. “The great unmentionable evil at the cen- genre that Vidal made his own. This sym- ter of our culture is monotheism.” But pathetic portrait of the C. fourth-century Roman emp- decades before this essay, Vidal had S. T. Joshi edited Icons of Unbelief: Atheists, Agnostics, and eror who attempted to stop reached an immensely wider audience by Seculars (Greenwood Press, 2008) and wrote the entry on Gore the spread of Christianity embodying his antireligious views in a suc- Vidal for that volume. He is editor of the American Rationalist. cession of compelling novels. It is here that adheres closely to the factual

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Russell Blackford OP-ED Up With Secularism!

s I write, the latest issue of New I’ll have no hesitation in voting for There are two conceptually separate, Humanist (July/August 2012), the Candidate A. What matters to me when I though partly linked, sets of issues here. A magazine of the United Kingdom’s decide the merits of a political leader is, One relates to such questions as what Rationalist Association, has come out above all, the actual policy platform that powers the state should be exercising and with an article by Richard Smyth titled the politician advocates during the elec- for what purposes. The other relates to the “Down With Secularism.” Smyth thor- toral process. Second, I might be inter- methods by which the officials exercising oughly rejects ideas of a separation of ested in the candidate’s propensity to these powers should be chosen and per- church and state, or as we might rephrase generate policies that I favor if new issues haps the actual processes that they must it, of keeping religion out of government arise. From what I know, Candidate A is work through in the exercise of power. and politics. He could not be much more likely to keep coming up with policies that As to the first issue, it is not at all obvi- forthright about this than in his opening I favor, whereas Candidate B is likely to ous that the state is a competent or trust- paragraph: “It compromises democracy, it continue to do the opposite. What I have worthy body to be making decisions promotes and rewards hypocrisy and in common with Candidate B doublethink, it reflects a crippling failure is merely an opinion on a of imagination on the part of its propo- metaphysical issue—we don’t nents, and it’s founded on principles that seem to have much in com- are cynical, unempathetic and deeply un- mon on issues to do with the “I don’t particularly want to vote for humanist. It’s called secularism, and I best use of political power. I candidates on the basis of their religious think it stinks.” don’t agree with the overall As Smyth develops the argument, it of either candi- views except insofar as these might be seems that he is unwilling to vote for date, but Candidate A is the one factor in determining how they are someone whose religious views he dis- one who is likely to be (by my inclined to use political power.” agrees with because he worries about lights at least) a good leader. them “getting things wrong.” Well, yes, In short, I don’t particu- but consider the following scenario, one larly want to vote for candi- that could actually arise. Say that I favor a dates on the basis of their reli- package of policies that includes tighter gious views except insofar as gun control, a more generous social these might be one factor in determining about which religion is true, if any, what safety net, reduced military expenditure, how they are inclined to use political otherworldly entities, powers, and princi- and a sub-package of social policies that power. I am interested in good govern- ples do or do not exist, what sort of con- are broadly liberal, feminist, and pro-sex ment, not in rewarding people who duct conduces to spiritual salvation or (such as policies that relax current restric- agree with me—or punishing people rightness with God, and so on. Why tions on abortion rights). I am confronted who disagree with me—on metaphysical would anyone who is not utterly confi- with two political platforms, one that is in issues. I will most likely look at such mun- dent that the state will share his or her line with the policies I favor while the dane things as past policies and voting judgment on these matters believe that it other takes a diametrically opposite posi- records for evidence of who will get is at all competent on them or that it is tion on each issue. things wrong. likely to do anything other than make a Imagine that Candidate A, who sup- But there’s a more important point to mess if it gets into this territory? The his- ports the package that I favor, has reach ed be made. Like many other people who torical record does not suggest that polit- these positions from some sort of Chris tian oppose limited government, Smyth bangs ical leaders and government agencies can worldview (presumably a rather liberal on about how it is antidemocratic or com- do this sort of stuff, and we have good one). Imagine that Can didate B, who sup- promises democracy. But that does not reason not to entrust it to them. ports the opposite policies, is an atheist but follow at all—not unless you adopt a On the other hand, we might well not nonetheless subscribes to some sort of po - crude view of democracy as, in effect, the be anarchists—we might think that the litical that I regard as reactionary tyranny of the majority. We are not com- and callous. Who gets my vote? pelled by reason to take any such view. (Continued on page 42)

secularhumanism.org OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 FREE INQUIRY 9 FI Oct Nov***_FI 8/30/12 9:50 AM Page 10

“It is error only, and not truth, that shrinks from inquiry.” – Tomas Paine You are invited to join the Center for Inquiry to Act, Combat, and Promote…

Since 1976, three remarkable organizations have been in the forefront of efforts to promote and defend critical thinking and freedom of inquiry. The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (founded in 1976), the Council for Secular Humanism (1980), Center for Inquiry and the For thirty years, the Council for Secular Humanism has advocated for a nontheistic worldview (1991) have advocated, based on reason, education, and compassion in place of fear or unquestioning religious belief. championed, and, when necessary, defended the freedom to inquire … while Your Help Is a Necessity! ACT, COMBAT, and PROMOTE demonstrating how the fruits We are currently focused on three of objective inquiry can be Each year, magazine goals central to our core objectives: used to understand , subscriptions fund a smaller refute false beliefs, and percentage of this work, even Act to end the stigma achieve results that benefit as the need for activism attached to being humanity. increases and the population nonreligious. we serve grows. In many ways, our organiza- Combat religion’s tions have been ahead of More than ever, CFI and its privileges and its influence on public policy. their time. Now, they are affiliates depend on the truly 3 For Tomorrow. generosity of our supporters Promote science-based Through education, advocacy, both to fund daily operations skepticism and critical thinking. publishing, legal activism, and to build capital and its network of regional for the future. Make your most generous branches, CFI and its affiliate today . . . or request

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Greta Christina OP-ED

Infighting or Healthy Debate?

n the skeptical and atheist communi- Is the focused on ideas and allied with? Like the above but reversed. A ties, we often wring our hands over behaviors, or on people? “I disagree with good idea is a good idea, even if it comes Ihow much infighting goes on. Every you”: healthy debate. “I have serious prob- from someone we think is a jerk—and a time another firestorm of controversy lems with what you said/did”: healthy bad idea is a bad idea, even if it comes consumes the Internet, many of us be- debate. “You’re stupid/evil”: infighting. from someone we generally like and come alarmed at the rifts dividing our Are the participants in the debate will- admire. community: weakening us, burning us ing to listen to people they’ve disagreed This one can also be tricky. It makes at out, making it harder for us to work with before? A good idea is a good idea, least some sense to cut people slack if together on issues that we have in com- even if it comes from someone we think is they have a long pattern of good behav- mon, and draining our time and energy a jerk. If we’re focusing our debates on ior. But if we’re defending ideas and from the battles we all share. ideas and behaviors instead of on people behaviors from our friends that we Yet at the same time, one of the things and personalities—see above—we need wouldn’t accept from anyone else—and we value most about our community is our to accept that. if our defenses of these ideas and behav- willingness to disagree—with our leaders, Now, this can be tricky. Of course it’s iors are turning into rationalizations and with our heroes, with one another. We legitimate not to trust someone if he or getting more and more contorted— understand that dissent and debate are she has a consistent pattern of how good ideas rise to the surface and being untrustworthy. And of bad ideas get winnowed out, and we rel- course, we all have deal break- ish the fact that we have no that ers. To give just one of my own we’re all expected to line up behind. examples: I am not willing to “. . . Dissent and debate are how So where is the line between infight- engage with people who have good ideas rise to the surface and bad ing and healthy debate? used threatening, misogynistic, ideas get winnowed out, and we relish I strongly suspect that much of the or sexually violent language time, we draw these distinctions very against me or anyone else. the fact that we have no dogma that subjectively. If we personally think an (Unless, of course, they’ve since we’re all expected to line up behind.” argument is important, then of course apologized and made amends.) it’s a healthy debate; if we find an argu- I’m not going to tell anyone else ment either boring or upsetting, then what their deal breakers should it’s obviously divisive infighting. It’s the be. We all have to follow our old “emotive conjugation” thing: I am own conscience about that. that’s a strong sign that the debate isn’t debating; you are infighting; they are But if our list of deal breakers is long healthy. Again: our willingness to dis- creating deep rifts. and getting longer—along with our list of agree with each other is a strength, not a So I’d like to propose some possible people we’re not willing to listen to—I weakness. We shouldn’t be afraid of it. semi-objective standards for deciding think that’s a good sign that our debates Are old fights irrelevantly dragged into whether a disagreement in our commu- aren’t healthy. If we only engage with the conversation? I have found that it’s nity is infighting or healthy debate. Or people with whom we’ve always agreed just about impossible to even say the rather—since I think the difference isn’t a about everything, we’re eventually going name “” without some- clear either/or dichotomy—I’d like to pro- to become atomized, each of us listening one bringing up Elevatorgate. I could pose some standards for where to draw only to ourselves. Expecting others in the write a post about how Watson likes the line on the “infighting/healthy community to agree with us about every- apple pie and thinks kittens are cute, and debate” continuum. (This isn’t meant to thing contributes to the tendency toward someone will bring up Elevatorgate. This, be the final word on the subject, by the tribalism—and tribalism, I think, is one of in my opinion, is not helpful. way. I’m very much thinking out loud the key markers that distinguishes be- Yes, sometimes old fights are relevant here. I’m sure there are ideas that I’m tween infighting and healthy debate. to the current one. But lots of times, missing, and I want this to be the start of a Are the participants in the debate will- conversation rather than the end of one.) ing to disagree with people they’re usually (Continued on page 42)

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Arthur L. Caplan OP-ED

Big Talk. No Action. Not Bad.

hould your elected officials have infested potions off-limits might help trim ing groups began the familiar invocations the authority to tell you what you the ever-expanding girth of New Yorkers. against the nanny state. The media more or Scan eat or drink? New York Mayor The mayor is right to be concerned less emitted a snigger. Michael Bloomberg is, to his credit, one of about obesity. It is an epidemic that is not I admire the mayor for taking on gi- very few politicians in the United States only killing millions of Americans and gantic portions of food and drink as a willing to engage in any way with threats countless more people worldwide, but it is source of obesity. Anyone who has been also driving the cost of health care to Europe or Asia and compared their through the roof. That said, should portions to ours and then compared their the mayor or any other public offi- mass to ours knows what I mean. I also cial be scouring the shelves where know that a ban on big sugary drinks is you shop to make sure you avoid both unfair and unlikely to have any “The mayor is right to be concerned unhealthy drinks like 7-Eleven’s impact on the obesity epidemic. sixty-four-ounce Double Big Gulp? It is unfair because anyone who wants about obesity.... That said, should Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal to can buy four twelve-ounce cans of soda the mayor or any other public got exactly the sort of response or forty-ounce bottles of beer—or bags of official ... make sure you avoid you might expect. A few academ- candy, boxes of fried chicken, or, in New ics cheered and noted that the York, a pastrami sandwich the size of your unhealthy drinks like 7-Eleven’s available evidence supports the head. No ban is proposed on any of these sixty-four-ounce Double Big Gulp?” wisdom of smaller portions in help- belt-busters, and as long as these titanic ing people lose weight. Everyone amounts of food are readily available, else was driven into an ethical banning large servings of sugary soda is to frenzy at the prospect of losing try to bail the obesity ocean. their God-given, fundamental con- But that is not the point. The ban on stitutionally guaranteed right to large sugary drinks has triggered a con- to public health. He has been very con- drink pop from a trough if they so desire. versation and maybe has made some cerned about the toll obesity has taken Demonstrators showed up at city coun- people more aware of the need to watch on the residents of his city. So he decided cil hearings with signs reading “hands off their portions. Maybe that is what the to cast an evil eye on “big gulp” sodas. my bladder” and “I can pick my own drink.” mayor intended. After all, you can some- Specifically, His Honor proposed that Restaurants, convenience stores, and the- times do good just by talking big. no business in New York City should sell ater groups indicated that the harm done soda and other sugary drinks bigger than to their fiscal solvency by pro- Arthur L. Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly sixteen ounces. Keeping humongous con- hibiting the sale of jumbo Mitty Professor and head of the Division of Bioethics at New tainers of Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, drinks was incalculable. Liber- York University Langone Medical Center in New York City. A&W root beer, and other such calorie- tarian foundations and lobby-

12 FREE INQUIRY OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 secularhumanism.org FI Oct Nov***_FI 8/30/12 9:50 AM Page 13

Letters

nature. Borrowing and adapting from more comforting. I would not want to be conservative thinker Thomas Sowell, ruled by the repressive policies and anti- Steven Pinker has reasoned that human science attitudes of conservatives any beings divide politically because they hold more than I would want to be ruled by either a “tragic” or a “utopian” view of the “political correctness” and constrict- human nature. The utopian/liberal view ing bureaucracies of liberals. Overriding emphasizes the human potential for good political ideology is always the enemy of over our capacity to do harm. According to freethought. It seems to serve the same utopians, humans will instinctively seek to mental function as organized religion live caring and productive lives. Dia - that is always obscurantist. metrically opposed to this, the tragic/con- What changes the world is not politi- servative perspective warns that, without cal rhetoric but rather the implementa- some type of external compulsion, in nately tion of new knowledge and technology. selfish and depraved human beings will As we bring forth new knowledge and never be able to create a moral order and new technology, we change the patterns a just society. of human interaction. This changes what For many conservatives, the external we value. As we change what we value, compulsion, and/or its justification, must we change everything. This is history. This Humanism and Politics come in the form of a god whose justice is is how and why things change. The polit- vengeful, swift, and final. But it need not be ical rhetoric is always after the fact. To Ronald A. Lindsay’s fine editorial so. James Madison, for instance, realized Consequently, there is no sense in our (“Humanism and Politics,” FI, August/ that self-interest and factionalism were the necessarily representing humanism as any September 2012), I would like to add that greatest threats to a republic. He proposed, particular political position. We just need psychological researchers have done therefore, “a republican remedy for the dis- to support free inquiry and free speech some interesting studies lately attempt- eases most incident to a republican govern- wherever we find it. ing to locate the personality traits that ment.” Let every faction have its say, and John L. Indo impel people either toward conservatism some will gain adherents, and some will Houston, Texas or liberalism in their politics. Generally, not, but no single one will dominate the liberals will manifest a strong tendency field. Madison’s view of human nature was toward a quality known as “openness,” “tragic,” but his solution was, in the classical I read with cautious enthusiasm Ronald A. while conservatives are more likely to sense, “liberal.” Even religious sects, he Lindsay’s editorial. I’d spent years as a vol- evince “conscientiousness” as their domi- believed, should be left to fight it out in the unteer and employee at the Center for nant personality characteristic. court of public opinion. Inquiry trying to convince folks in the Openness means that liberals are So, is it possible to be a Republican organization that a humanism that takes more inclined to welcome novel experi- humanist, or is the term itself the quintes- no sociopolitical position(s) is hardly a ences, are less bothered by ambiguity, sential oxymoron? Do some humanists humanism at all. The many affirmations and will court rather than fear change. maintain a loyalty to the Republican plat- and manifestos—indeed the history of There is here, I think, significant overlap form in spite of the party’s hostility to sci- the humanist movement in the last 150 between secular humanism and political ence and its positions on the social issues? years alone—makes it clear that “applied liberalism, because attitudes like these If there are any such out there, perhaps ethics” form the “pulse,” if you will, of are practically synonymous with a scien- after Lindsay’s editorial, we will hear from what humanism can mean in the modern tific and rational approach to under- them. world . . . if it is to mean anything at all. standing our world and our existence. Wayne L. Trotta Upon completion of “Humanism and Conscientious conservatives, on the other Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania hand, are more likely to value order and Politics,” I was satisfied that the issues stability, and, therefore, lean toward Lindsay discussed were discussed straight- forward and without equivocation, as has authority, hierarchy, and tradition to help As a rule, the Republican Party is associ- not often been the case among the lead- them come to terms with this world and ated with conservative interests that ership of the Council for Secular our place in it. seem to oppose humanist principles in Humanism. But just over halfway through, Their psychological differences may policy and practice. But this does not say when it really started to get interesting, help to explain why liberals and conserva- that the more liberal interests of the tives also differ in their theories of human Democratic Party are necessarily any (Continued on page 64)

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Shadia B. Drury OP-ED

The Decay of American Democracy, Part 1

t is ironic that America has embarked power of the majority. A constitution that are more devoted to the interests of their on the monumental project of teaching sets limits on the power of the majority is corporate backers than they are to the Ithe world about democracy at a time a necessary but not a sufficient condition public interest that they are sworn to when its own democracy is in a state of for democracy. serve. They are afraid to ask tough ques- decay and degeneration. It seems to me There are at least four virtues that are tions on committees investigating corpo- that the most important lesson that required to make a democracy successful. rate fraud lest they find their campaign America can teach the world in the In this article, I will discuss two of them: contributions decimated. They have twenty-first century regards the condi- courage and moderation. The erosion of made a valiant effort to conceal their cor- tions that signal the imminent demise of these virtues in the American body politic, ruption by claiming that the corporate the democratic body politic. The elements especially among elected officials, is a rea- oligarchs they serve are “the job creators” of democratic health are not a mystery. son for concern. It is a clear indication that whose interests are identical to the inter- America is not fit to teach the ests of the nation. They have succeeded in world about democratic gov- duping the public with this sleight of ernance. hand, but there are signs that this ploy It has often been said will not work indefinitely. In foreign pol- “The trouble with emphasizing virtue that, more than any other icy, they defend the interests of Israel, form of government, democ- as the foundation of a republic is that right or wrong, at the expense of the racy requires virtue. This was United States. Again, they are motivated the American Founding Fathers were the view of Jean-Jacques by fear—fear that they will find them- not inclined to do so. Instead, they hoped Rousseau, who was an advo- selves facing a well-funded opponent cate of small participatory to create a system of government with when seeking reelection. The result of this democracies. Although he widespread corruption is gargantuan checks and balances that would produce did not express it that way, profits for large corporations that ship excellent results even if the government he thought that it was possi- jobs overseas, environmental degrada- ble for small participatory were staffed by devils.” tion, impoverishment of the working democracies to arrive at the classes, shrinking of the middle class, and common good (he called it useless wars in the Middle East that serve the General Will) if individu- neither the interests of America nor her als asked themselves the client state—they merely augment the right questions when it came financial coffers of security companies Like all other forms of government, time to vote. Instead of asking, “What do and the arms industry. It is time for Amer- democracy requires virtue—especially I want?” they should ask: “What do we icans to look for courage among their among its ruling elites. need?” If they proceeded in this way, then elected leaders. It is time to expose the they were sure to arrive at the common Democracy is not a panacea that cowards who have not the courage to brings with it all good things, as Amer - good. stand up for the good of their nation. icans are inclined to believe. It is a chal- In truth, every form of government The idea that democracy is rule of the lenging form of government that re quires needs the kind of virtue that Rousseau people, by the people, in the interest of certain conditions to avoid descending espouses—at least among its ruling class. the people is a myth. In fact, the people into chaos, sectarianism, or the tyranny of The men and women in Congress must do not rule directly in representative the majority. The American Founding have the virtuous attitude described by democracies; nor do they have a single Fathers were particularly wary of the Rousseau when they vote on the issues if interest or a single will. Democracy is a tyranny of the majority, so they created a they hope to make decisions that serve matter of entrusting a group of men and republic of laws with a Bill of Rights to pro- the common good (not just private inter- tect minorities and individuals from the ests). Unfortunately, American politicians (Continued on page 44)

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Nat Hentoff OP-ED Obama Drones Come Home to Roost

resident Barack Obama’s cherished atively easy to jam drones’ signals and robots as they are regarding the covert, pilotless drones—with their corollary take control of them. lawless scope of their spying on us citizens? Pcivilian corpses—have hardly been “The professor is Todd Humphreys, Amid all this concern about the rising mentioned in the 2012 elections. Even the who, along with several of his graduate number of drones above us in the United widely available news that Obama regu- students, hijacked a surveillance drone States, there is even less attention being larly focused on a drone “kill list” to decide to demonstrate holes in their security given than before to their murderous sib- whom to assassinate overseas (including systems.” lings in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, three Americans so far) faded away in the Does that make those of you on the and Somalia. I agree with the very active news mists without any rousing congres- ground uneasy? Professor Humphreys human rights defender, Clive Stafford sional speeches or Sunday sermons. went on to use “a video demonstration to Smith, director of Reprieve, when he says But now, as Americans become aware show lawmakers how tech-savvy hijack- that “drones drastically lower the thresh- that the drones are coming here, there is ers could crack a drone’s GPS signal and old at which politicians are willing to kill, growing domestic concern (“Talk of control it from miles away.” because there is effectively no political Drones Patrolling U.S. Skies Spawns Anxi - Has anybody told President Obama or downside.” ety,” Associated Press, June 19, 2012). Republican contender Mitt Romney He adds: “Witness the American mili- Some are here already, according to that? Of course, reaction might be tem- tary strikes in Waziristan (Pakistan), Yem- another headline: “Groups Concerned pered by the fact that manufacturing of en and Somalia, yet nobody in the United Over Arm ing of Domestic Drones” drones here at home both for (washington.cbslocal.com/2012/05/23). surveillance and political reasons The story added more fodder for anxiety: has become a profitable busi- “The Federal Aviation Ad min istration has ness. This also troubles the Texas It’s frighteningly easy to allowed several police departments to use professor. He’s not alone in his hack a drone aircraft and take drones across the U.S. They are controlled fear of drones in our skies control of it for one’s from a remote location and use infrared becoming vulnerable to being sensors and high-resolution cameras” as hijacked in mid-flight, not only to own purposes. they search for suspicious persons. become weapons for terrorists I have previously advised that as more but also to be commandeered drones inhabit our skies, try not to make “in the arsenal of organized crime.” States seems to think twice about them” furtive movements when you look up. The American Civil Liberties Union, of (“Are Drones a Superior Form of War- fare?” New York Times Letters, July 2012). But not all UAVs (unmanned aerial course, is increasingly concerned about these UAVs pursuing multidimensional Well, some of us do, but not enough to vehicles) will be armed and tracking us. secret pursuits up high, not only because of lose sleep about all those torn bodies of As the July 19, 2012, Washington Times the risk of personal privacy raids but also— family and friends assassinated—or those reported, “they will [also] be available for I kid you not—in fear that a drone might who came to bury them, thereby becom- commercial and personal use beginning suddenly fall on you. Cbslocal.com’s ing targets, condemned by circumstances in 2015, and critics say the federal gov- “Groups Concerned Over Arming of as activists endangering American values. ernment isn’t considering how danger- Domestic Drones” noted: “The ACLU is also But I was briefly encouraged by a ous they could be in the wrong hands.” worried about potential drones malfunc- report on the bare survival of American According to the Washington Times, at a tioning and falling from the sky, adding values in some of those Americans who June congressional hearing, “witnesses, that they are keeping a close eye on these direct, from far away, our bloodless killer including a University of Texas professor unmanned aircraft by police depart- drones. In her often surprising series who hijacked a drone last month, told ments.” Does that imply that our police “Declara tions” in the Wall Street Journal the House Homeland Security subcom- departments are as careless about the (“Who Benefits From the ‘Avalanche of mittee on oversight . . . that, with the actual safe functioning of these ubiquitous proper equipment and expertise, it’s rel- (Continued on page 45)

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Joshua Fost OP-ED

On Being a Scientist

For sweetest things turn sourest by nosed with a disease (I can’t recall which) publication will spot all of them easily. their deeds; and had suffered for some years. The But a tutorial on such matters is not Lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds. doctors tried to help him, but treatments my purpose here. Notice again the begin- were ineffective. Then a church group ning of his statement: “I am a scientist.” —William Shakespeare performed a “laying on of hands” cere- This connotes a second, implicit claim: am a scientist, and I am also a mony, and the son was miraculously “Because I am employed as a scientist and Christian,” said the man. “And I cured. Later the man’s wife, also suffering I believe in faith healing, the claims of sci- “I am offended! Personally and from something resistant to medical ence and those of faith are compatible.” deeply offended that you would char- treatment, became the subject of a laying This sort of claim is never stated outright, acterize my beliefs as delusional.” on of hands, and she too was miracu- but I have encountered it many times. It is Thus began the question and answer lously cured. often extended to the professional popu- part of the evening. Anyone even passingly acquainted lation as a whole: “There are many reli- A colleague and I had been invited to with the claims of alternative medicine gious scientists; therefore, science and speak at a gathering of a professional sci- will find the overall thrust of our ex- religion are compatible, QED.” When change quite familiar. The people haul out the ad authoritatem evidence that supporters give chestnut that Albert Einstein believed x in de fense of faith healing is (which is of course hardly ever the case almost always anecdotal. anyway), therefore x is true, they are mak- There is no mention of the ing the same move. The only way this “The evidence that supporters give possibility of an erroneous strategy could succeed is if it were impos- in defense of faith healing is almost initial diagnosis, no acknowl- sible for a human being ever to be mis- always anecdotal. There is no mention edgment of spon taneous res- taken or to hold inconsistent views. olution or of the placebo The troubling and ubiquitous verb of the possibility of an erroneous initial effect (on the part of either “to be” has many uses. Alfred Korzybski diagnosis, no acknowledgment of the patient or the observer, called this particular use of it the “is of spontaneous resolution or of whose high hopes for remis- identity” and warned of its often perni- sion can influence percep- cious application. What I said to the man, the placebo effect.” tions of an ongoing condi- and what I want to say here, is that we tion). There is no concern for ought to dispense with the notion of any relevant controlled exper- “being” a scientist. One may be trained in iments; indeed, a large study the , one may be employed as a demonstrating the impo- scientist, one may have published works ence society. The audience consisted tence of intercessory prayer was brought of science, one may even have won a mostly of tenured science faculty from to this man’s attention, and he reacted as Nobel Prize for scientific achievement. local universities. Our talk had been if it were irrelevant. After all, he had seen But the epistemological strictures of sci- advertised under the heading “Science the power of faith with his own eyes. entific inquiry care nothing for our per- and ,” because we both Yes, this was almost a caricature. The sonal histories, our occupations, or our teach a philosophy course with that title man committed, and vigorously de - accolades. All that matters is that we and share a passion for the public under- fended, nearly every applicable fallacy and approach each new claim maximally standing of evidence and reasoning. epistemological failure: appeal to author- attentive to the possibility, if not the like- The offended speaker proceeded to ity, appeal to consequences, appeal to (Continued on page 44) relay an anecdote: his son had been diag- emotion, and on and on. Readers of this

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POEMS

Of Fools Anonymous Marcia Karp R. Nemo Hill

I saw it that way from the couch— A purplish cluster dashed by wind to dust the many-masted ship of ivy in the bottle of the world with sprays of laurel rising behind— and several coarser splinters, shot straight through as we argued the message of luck come to me, with scattered gold—so every blossom must

for fortune had tost, this time, her waves my way. be seasonally vanquished—lost from view.

Each purple mote’s a seed, I know, I know.

Jealousy overwhelmed your staunchness, Each one’s a conjuror of what has passed, then you overcounted the bounty. of what will re-arise in time, and grow And I, in pride of my quickness, within the dark into which all are cast. heaved the lead and cried the soundings just ahead. But brushed as well by that same autumn chill

which desolates the garden—I regret This extravagant season will unbound the wandering ivy. A Jacko’all is on his way to cut the shrubs back and deft. this flower’s namelessness. Like it, I will While we, knowing mainly one thing between us, dissolve and be too easy to forget.

have already submerged luck’s call to me and won’t speak So how then can I name such fragile wealth—?

of it— Such abundance—here, then gone—? I’ll call it Self. though we storm about the known and unknowing world— ere acrimony end.

Marcia Karp’s poems and translations have appeared in Oxford R. Nemo Hill is the author, in collaboration with painter Jeanne Magazine, the Times Literary Supplement, the Warwick Review, Hedstrom, of a novel (Pilgrim’s Feather, Quantuck Lane Press, Ploughshares, Harvard Review, Agenda, Literary Imagination , 2002); a book-length poem based on a short story by H.P. Seneca Review, the Guardian, the Republic of Letters, and Lovecraft (The Strange Music of Erich Zann, Hippocampus Partisan Review. Her work is also included in the anthologies: Press, 2004); a chapbook (Prolegomena to an Essay on Satire, Penguin Books’ Catullus in English and Petrarch in English; Joining Music with Reason: 34 Poets, British and American, Modern Metrics, 2006); and a new collection of poems (When Oxford 2004–2009 (Waywiser, 2010); and The Word Men Bow Down, Dos Madres Press, 2012). He is the editor of Exchange: Anglo-Saxon Poems in Translation (Norton, 2010). Exot Books.

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Does Secular Humanism Have a Political Agenda? Introduction

Tom Flynn

n Saturday, March 3, 2012, the Council for Secular Human- ism and the Center for Inquiry presented one of the feature Oevents of their cosponsored conference, “Moving Secular- ism Forward,” held at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport in Orlando, Florida. Four distinguished speakers from across the political spectrum addressed the question, “Does Secular Humanism Have a Political Agenda?” “Secular humanism does not mandate acceptance of a detailed moral code or a comprehensive political, economic, and legal agenda,” wrote Ronald A. Lindsay (“Freedom of Thought,” FI, February/March 2009). “Contrary to the perceptions of some, secular humanists are not a subgroup of the left wing of the Democratic Party.” Yet Christian conservatives often accuse secu- Conference panelists discuss secular humanism and politics (from left to right): Greg Laden, moderator Lauren Becker, Ron Bailey, Razib Khan, lar humanists of being wedded to the political Far Left. and Patricia Schroeder. The results of a 2010 telephone survey of FREE INQUIRY readers could be read as buttressing that charge. Their politics: Clearly it’s a fertile ground for controversy, and each of the four panelists approached it in a distinctive, not to say idiosyn- Socialist 7% cratic, way. Liberal 41% Patricia Schroeder, who served in Congress from 1973 to Progressive 27% 1997 and was the first woman to serve on the House Armed Moderate 12% Services Committee, donned the progressive mantle. We present Centrist 3% an edited transcript of her talk, in which she exhorted progres- Libertarian 7% sives attending the conference to expand their political involve- Conservative 3% ment—frankly, while they still can. Whew! Some 75 percent self-describe as liberal, progressive, Razib Khan, founder of the website SecularRight.org, cham- or socialist. Still, a full quarter fall elsewhere on the political spec- pions the conservative viewpoint. In his essay, he seeks to demon- trum, and the libertarians, in particular, defend their views with a strate that a Burkean conservatism might be more compatible with secular humanism than our movement’s demographics vigor that belies their numbers. So, to whatever degree FREE might lead one to expect. INQUIRY readers represent the larger atheist/humanist/free- thought movement, we can draw at least two conclusions: Ronald Bailey, libertarian activist and science correspondent for Reason magazine, probes the secular-humanist mind-set 1. Liberal/progressive/leftist positions are significantly overrep- from a libertarian viewpoint . . . and comes away worried. resented relative to their prevalence in the general population. Finally, liberal blogger Greg Laden, speaking on behalf of the 2. Though “lefties” predominate in the herd, they do not own hard left-liberal viewpoint, offers a scholarly analysis of the links the ranch. between secularism and liberalism. Still, this fails to address two larger questions: Is it merely coin- Does secular humanism have a political agenda? Let’s listen cidence that secular humanism attracts more than its share of as our panelists take the floor.

political leftists? Or is there an inherent link between progressive Tom Flynn is the editor of FREE INQUIRY and the executive director of the politics and our brand of value-enriched religious unbelief? And if Council for Secular Humanism. so, how do we explain Ayn Rand? (Oops, that’s three questions.)

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Does Secular Humanism Have a Political Agenda?

Saddle Up, Progressives!

Patricia Schroeder

appy Women’s History Month to all of us. Let me just give political identity, because we never had to. We do now, though. you one historical fact: we all know about Paul Revere, but I I am a total realist. As I listen to my colleagues here explaining Hbet you don’t know about the Ludington sisters. Paul Revere who they are and how they fit in, I realize all over again that rode his horse through Boston, but the Ludington sisters covered America is not a country—it is a continent. We have almost three the entire damn state of Connecticut, and no one wrote a book hundred million people living here. It’s a huge place, so why do about them. I feel a little bit like the Ludington sisters here today. we have only two parties that really count? We are talking about This is a really serious time—we have to wake up and do some- really huge tents, and none of us are ever going to find a candi- thing, whether we like it or not. I was really pleased to see that date, or a party, or even an ideology that agrees with us about many other people at this conference are saying the same thing. every single thing. When you talk about whether or not secular- ism has a political agenda, I think because tradi- tionally we’ve all been trained in a certain non- judgmentalism (maybe ecumenical niceness?), we express our views, but we try not to be too forceful. We are able to do that because the sep- “I never really thought of secular humanists aration of church and state is so ingrained in our having a particular political identity, because history that we never had to worry much about it. It really was part of what we were about. I’m we never had to. We do now, though.” reading a book about Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson, and the formation of Rhode Island, which was really the first place in the country with any real religious freedom. Up until then, things were really sad; I don’t think any of us would have lasted long in Plymouth or Boston in the old days. If The reason I’m so worried and think we are in danger is that you think that our Founding Fathers settled all of this religious lib- Democrats have always had to fall in love with their candidate to erty business early on, I must say, no, we still haven’t. There is an bother to vote. Republicans tend to fall in line with a candidate. absolutely raging debate going on right now. I have spent my entire life in politics, and I can’t tell you how There is something going on in our country that is really fright- frustrating it is—how many times I remember somebody telling ening. I would be practicing psychology without a degree if I tried me in California they weren’t going to vote because the state to analyze it, but I think we have had years of Code Red politics party didn’t put anything about pâté in the platform. This person where we have tried to scare everybody half to death. And a lot of had carried this amendment to the platform and it hadn’t passed people have started to think, “Oh, if we only had this wonderful because of that. What in the world is the issue on pâté? “Well the religious thing we would be fine,” and “Oh, if only God was really French are force-feeding ducks, and we should boycott the on our side we would be fine,” and so forth. I hate to say it, but importation of pâté.” Now maybe we should. [As it happens, a we’re seeing know-nothingism reconstruct itself in America. ban on pâté—more properly, foie gras—passed in 2004 recently I never really thought of secular humanists having a particular took effect in California.—EDS.] But you’re really not going to vote

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because they didn’t put something about pâté in there? Providence do that to them? But you know, God is on their side. I’m using one of the most ridiculous examples I’ve heard, but I think as we listen to all this incredibly windy pontification we believe me, I’ve heard an awful lot of them along the lines of: also have to remember that this is a fascinating country in that “They don’t agree 100 percent with me so I’m not going to vote.” we don’t have a king or a queen or an archbishop, and for some On the other side, they will do absolute backflips. They will put reason people are trying to get a president who’s the archbishop themselves through all sorts of contortions to position them- and the king and the whole bit all wrapped into one. selves behind a candidate no matter what—they’re like pretzels. Now, if somebody asked me how we should redo this gov- It’s amazing to me. They claim that they are these great ernment, I would say that we should instantly put in a parliamen- Christians, and they’re finding all this stuff in the Bible about tary system, which would be much fairer. We could then all abortions, contraceptives, and homosexuals, but they aren’t find- decide whether we were conservative or libertarian or demo- ing anything about poor people and torture and capital punish- cratic or feminist. We could probably have at least twenty parties ment and war and—I could keep going on and on. I think we all in this room, but under a parliamentary system, that’s fine; I know how you are supposed to treat the planet and everything mean, that all works because then you’re reflected. Maybe some else. But no, they haven’t found that in there. It’s very selective of the young people here are energetic enough to want to and it’s really scary to an awful lot of us. change the Constitution. I just don’t think this country’s going to do it, so we’re going to be stuck with these two parties. Maybe someday we’ll get three major parties, but if Ross Perot couldn’t figure out how to pull that off, I’m not too sure I’m going to live to see “I was the pro bono publica lawyer for three parties. But we are definitely not going to have the multiparty system Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood in 1964, they have in other places, and so we and if anybody had told me contraception would need to figure out which group is stay- be front and center in the 2012 campaign, ing true to the most core values that we can tolerate as a country. I would’ve said they were flaming nuts.” As I said when I looked at running for president in 1988, I thought I knew this country, but when you get out there, it really is a continent. The difference be - tween Maine and southern California and Alaska and Hawaii and Florida and North When I got out of Harvard Law School, I was the pro bono Dakota is just mind-boggling, so how do we hold it together? I think publica lawyer for Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood in 1964, we do it by remaining secular, for out loud, and I love the and if anybody had told me contraception would be front and word humanism. The first time I was picketed as a secular humanist center in the 2012 campaign, I would’ve said they were flaming I thought it was a compliment. I went out and started shaking nuts. I believe in , but progress seems to be rolling back hands and thanking people and they were looking at me like I was faster than ever. stark mad! It was unbelievable—talk about talking past each other! We should note that one of the basic tenets of this marvelous I feel that those of us who are morally tolerant and secular are country, and one of the reasons it has held together, is we have walking on a very thin crust of barely cooled lava that could break been welcoming to people from any and every part of the world. at any moment. Just this last week [in late February] Florida’s leg- You can come here and be an American. We welcome you. Now islature—which only meets for nine weeks a year because there’s that is very rare—try that in France or China. I studied Chinese while not much for it to do—clearly had time to pass in both the House I was in college, and it became clear to me, even when I could speak and Senate a bill that will allow the children of Florida to decide fluently, that I was never going to be accepted as Chinese. I was what kind of inspirational messages they would like to have in always going to be a “big nose” somebody from somewhere else. their public schools every day. This is how they think they will get But no, here we really believe you’re an American. around the prohibition on government-sponsored prayer in Our Founding Fathers were agnostics, Unitarians, and all sorts school. There is no question the governor’s going to sign this bill, of things; to hear Michele Bachmann in the Republican primary and it is going to be a big brouhaha again. Now the legislature debates, I would have thought they were all Evangelical Baptists couldn’t get the budget done, and their redistricting is so messed or something. I always have a question for the Michele Bach- up it’s going to go to court, but they had time for this. manns and the Herman Cains and all the people who have come And obviously, like every other country or every other state, and gone: Were they removed from the campaign by God? Did there’s this race to try and control women’s vaginas because

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Does Secular Humanism Have a Political Agenda?

Rush Limbaugh has told us all that we are sluts if we use any kind the other day: “You don’t understand, if the Republicans don’t win of contraception. It’s up to the state to try and protect us from all we’re gonna be ruled by this liberal elite. They disdain family, they of this. So that’s why I do really feel like we’re walking out on this despise religion, and they celebrate indolence through govern- little thin rim of barely cooled lava, and that’s why I feel like a ment handouts.” Really? Do they really think that’s what we have Ludington sister riding the horse saying: “Wake up, everybody!” in power now? Do they honestly believe that the Obama adminis- This is not a time to be St. Thomas Aquinas discussing how many tration can’t stand families, gives out handouts to encourage indo- angels can dance on the head of a pin; this is a time to get out lence, and really despises religion? there and realize a lot of the very core of what this country is, When I first got into politics, I even had trouble with Jimmy what it was built on, is really threatened. Carter because I really don’t like people talking Jesus and God in Now this is something Newt Gingrich said in a politics because I don’t think they belong there—and I don’t church, that amazes me: “If we do not win the struggle for the think that if there is a God, he’d want to be in politics, so I would nature of America, our grandchildren are going to live in a secu- protect him from that, thank you very much. I used to argue that, lar-atheist country dominated by radical Islamics, and our grand- but at least Carter kept his God off to one side; he didn’t bring it children will never know what America really was.” The brilliance into every single thing he did. But now we have people who are of Gingrich was bringing in political consultant Frank Luntz to using God 24/7. change the language being used. And I know he trained others, because I sat there and watched him do it; he trained the other side to use words such as betray, bizarre, decay, pathetic, , cheat, sick, traitors, radical, antifam- ily, anti-American, anti-flag, and on and on. “I always have a question for the Michele Bachmanns Advertisers will tell you there are “snarl” words and the Herman Cains and all the people who have and there are “purr” words. Those are snarl come and gone: Were they removed from the words, and if you keep labeling the other side as pathetic and all of these awful things—they’re campaign by God? Did Providence do that to them?” betraying America, and they’re bizarre—the words start to stick and people start to believe it. I get a lot of people saying to me, “You sound like Miss Manners, what’s the matter with you? Politics has always been rough.” Well, no. When I was elected in 1972, the issues were the Vietnam War Admittedly, I’m a recovering politician in the twelve-step pro- and impeachment. Those were big issues, and when you went gram—my husband says when I open the refrigerator door, I talk into Washington, D.C., you could smell tear gas everywhere. We for twelve minutes before I realize I’m talking to celery. I could go had National Guardsmen living in the tunnels because of all of on and on, but what I’m really saying to you is that I am delighted the rioting going on. Okay, that was tough and we would argue that you’re having this conference and that you are talking about issues, but we argued issues like you do at this conference. We these issues. Because if there has ever been a time that we should might go at each other hammer and tongs about the war or be concerned about which way this government goes and which Richard Nixon or whatever it was, but we could go get coffee way this country goes, this is it. And it’s not going to be perfect. I afterward and continue talking because we were talking about can stand here and tell you twenty reasons why I am aggravated what we thought the facts were. with the Obama administration, but those reasons are nothing Everything flipped, starting in 1994. Suddenly if you didn’t like the horror of my continuing to walk over the hot pool if these agree with your opponents, they’d start calling you all these other guys come in. Because I’m not going to wear a chador. And names. It’s not about facts at all; it’s my way or the highway. If you I think that’s what they have in mind for me. compromise, that is capitulation, and you should be run out. So we’re in this very difficult period in our history where the needle Patricia Schroeder served in the U.S. House of Representatives for has gradually moved further and further. If you believe that we Colorado from 1973 to 1997, where she became the first woman to should be operating on as much of a factual basis as possible rather serve on the House Armed Services Committee, among many other than on the basis of beliefs we can’t prove, this is a clarion call. We accomplishments. She has also taught at Princeton University’s Woodrow have to get off the sofa and get out there and take them on, or Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. This article is transcribed we’re going to be in really big trouble. We have to start sending from her remarks at the Council for Secular Humanism/Center for Inquiry dispatches from those who believe in progress and humans going conference “Moving Secularism Forward” in Orlando, Florida, delivered on forward—and we have to really talk to our friends, because your March 3, 2012. friends are probably like my friends. I had someone say this to me

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Conservatism for Seculars

Razib Khan

olitics is a dirty affair. Of course the men and women aspir- on a more human scale of interpersonal relations. Terms like ing to become politicians don’t dress like ditchdiggers. On Republican, Democrat, conservative, and liberal have valence as Pthe contrary, aspiring politicos invariably wrap themselves in monikers that represent the tribes of organized politics, but too the finest formal business attire of our culture. This is plainly to often when engaging in partisan discourse the principals forget impart to us the seriousness of their intentions but also perhaps that these high-level policy disputes have little meaning when to cloak the squalid and debasing aspects of their enterprise. stripped away from their mundane, even banal, interpersonal Even those ancient exemplars of the political class, Pericles and implications. One can have the politics of personal life without Caesar, ended their lives in ignominious squalor, one dead by the politics of high-level policy, but one cannot have the politics plague (a likely consequence of the militaristic hubris of Golden- of high-level policy without the politics of personal life. Age Athens) and the other murdered at the hands of men of his Therefore, to begin any exploration of political ideology as it own caste. is lived in the world, one must start at the individual level and This juxtaposition of sartorial seriousness and grotesque moral work up. In particular, one must keep in mind that individuals are degradation is manifest in our own age. One can see it in the way embedded within social units: family, circles of friends, civic asso- money buys influence in a democratic republic or in the way candi- ciations, and the like. When evaluating what set of policies results dates lie brazenly, even to their constituents, forever using figura- in the greatest good for the greatest number, one cannot simply tive Etch A Sketches to satisfy special interests. Organized politics is imagine individuals as islands unto themselves. Rather, they are an inevitable human affair, but as such it is not the way of heaven, part of a broader social fabric whose integrity is necessary for individual flourishing. Additionally, one must remember that individuals differ in their dis- positions and orientations. A policy that allows one person to flourish may be detrimental to “One can have the politics of personal life without others. This holistic view can be difficult; it the politics of high-level policy, but one cannot does not allow for simple and elegant have the politics of high-level policy without answers. It is empirical rather than rational. While rational systems are designed from a the politics of personal life.” priori principles, broad goals, and a few plausi- ble propositions, empirically informed systems are more ad hoc. Rather than one answer, they may come up with many answers. This is to say the least. Ultimately power is at stake, and when power is at unsatisfying, but that does not necessarily mean that it is wrong. issue one can’t expect decorous behavior. But there’s another view, one that expresses politics as a way The Rational Tradition in Politics of ordering human affairs on a smaller scale. These are the “little A rational ordering of politics has old roots. One sees it in the platoons” of Edmund Burke, the virtuous philosopher-officials of Greeks, from the Republic of Plato to the varieties of political gov- Confucius, and the utopian anarchism of 1960s counterculture ernance evident in the ancient city-states. In ancient China, both revolutionaries—in other words, politics as normal, everyday the followers of Mozi and the Legalists presented a rationalist people organizing themselves so as to grow, flourish, and even- vision of human politics and life. The followers of Mozi outlined tually die. We acknowledge this dimension of politics when we a stark utilitarianism that brooked no “waste” such as music or use idioms such as “office politics” and “family politics.” dance. The Legalists reduced the utility of the whole to the inter- So when speaking of politics, one must distinguish between ests of the state. They brutally tried to erase China’s past by organized institutional politics and politics as organized citizenry destroying ancient works—except those of practical relevance,

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Does Secular Humanism Have a Political Agenda?

such as agronomy texts. In our own age, the French Revolution whole societies, anew. In the rational vision, the basis of human ushered in an era of ambitious political rational utopianism, both flourishing is thin, insofar as a few principles serve as the founda- at the high and low levels. The former reached its apotheosis in tions for human happiness. Because of this paucity of principles, Maoist China and Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge. The latter the human mind is flexible and powerful enough to comprehend manifests up to the present in the utopian communities that them all and refashion the basic elements so as to optimize them. seem to rise and fall constantly in the cultural background of the In other words, a mathematics of politics is feasible. modern world, from the Oneida Community of the nineteenth century to the Diggers of the 1960s. The Empirical Tradition What unites utopian rationalists is the idea that society The empiricist sees things differently. Human affairs are complex, should be organized around one (or a few) principles and that contingent, and difficult to tease apart in their interrelationships. once these founding principles have been determined, rational The empiricist is fundamentally an incrementalist, not averse to inferences from them should be allowed free reign. No conclu- change on principle but cautious of overturning practices and sion is absurd on its face if it proceeds from a founding principle. customs that have served society and individuals in good stead. In the modern age, the principle that most often plays this role, In many ways the empiricist may seem irrational. The utilitarians at least in rhetoric, is equality. In other cases, freedom is given pri- of ancient China mocked the Confucians for their devotion to the ority of place. Arguably, the nineteenth-century Gilded Age in arts. After all, what use were those in the face of human misery? the United States was an instance of a situation where the But today modern anthropologists and psychologists have made rational ideals of a free market and individual deserts being con- functional arguments for the importance of artistic expression in tingent on individual effort resulted in the diminishment of maintaining social cohesion and serving as focal points for collec- human flourishing. Even that ostensibly eschew tive unity. Music and dance in particular can bring people rationality can be plagued by the attraction of principle over outcome: the Nazi preoccupation with race trumped all other human values. As with communism, the organized ideology arguably produced an outcome that ultimately subverted the very value it had raised to the “The empiricist is fundamentally an incrementalist, pedestal. But the rationalist impulse does not apply only not averse to change on principle but cautious of to abstract ideologies. As noted above, humans overturning practices and customs that have served have long attempted to recreate and refashion society and individuals in good stead.” their lives by various principles, giving rise to new social arrangements. Sometimes those arrange- ments further human flourishing and are cultur- ally robust: the monogamous pair-bond predi- cated on love, for example. On other occasions, innovations based on rational principles do not succeed in becoming mainstream. The concepts of “free love” together. Confucius and his fellow travelers did not defend these and “open marriage” have been bandied about for two centuries practices on scientific grounds; they did not have modern sci- but remain marginalized. Though fidelity within marriage is ence. Rather, they argued that the old ways were to be revered often violated, the cultural norm remains for it to be a violation because they had worked since time immemorial. rather than equanimously accepted as part of human nature. This may be unthinking, but social empiricism is unthinking in One might propose a rational argument for the license to have the same way that natural selection is unthinking. It is an iterative multiple sexual partners while a pair bond is formally maintained. process that sifts optimal solutions by trial and error and main- But in empirical reality, most people seem to unable to maintain tains previous patches along the way. It is never “perfect,” but it both simultaneously. This is a case in which hypocrisy is often lives to see another day. More prosaically, it manifests in the banal more resilient than honesty. behaviors we take for granted. When we wake up in the morning For a rationalist, no practice is beyond examination and de - we brush our teeth, not because we reiterate to ourselves the rea- com position. All are subject to critique. On this view, history, cus- son that brushing our teeth is important but because it is part of tom, and tradition hold no great weight; the past is mere pro- our routine. This routine is not without ultimate reason, but that logue, not an informative precursor. This is why rationalists rationale has become absorbed into the fabric of communal wis- assume that they can model and create social arrangements, even dom, which now maintains it as a matter of habit.

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Empiricism Is Conservative tive worldview, the aim of marriage is not to fulfill a simple prin- ciple such as equality but to develop human life in full. All of the above points to the reality that the empiricist that I’m Monogamy, whether heterosexual or homosexual, seems to fit describing is operationally a conservative. One’s goal is to con- that bill. In contrast, polygamy and seem suboptimal serve the past, to maintain human flourishing, all the while allow- for a variety of reasons, although individuals make the arrange- ing for change on the margins through small experiments. For ments “work” in some cases. Instead of reducing the argument the empirical conservative, there doesn’t have to be a reason for for gay marriage to one of legal equality, one should enumerate a practice; its very persistence across generations is a mark in its the social benefits to a wide swath of individuals that legally favor, because the prejudice is that persistent practices are not sanctioned monogamy allows. Additionally, the reality is that gay harmful at worst and may be positively essential at best. A ratio- marriage as a practice has been introduced in various locales nalist may view a practice that seems silly with a jaundiced eye, without any negative consequences. The experiment has been but rational faculties may not be able to penetrate the tangle of attempted and seems to be a success. interlocking and contingent social phenomena that may hold a In contrast with this empirical conservative approach, some civilization together. religious conservatives oppose gay marriage on principle. This is It is easy to speak in high-toned philosophical terms. What a form of rationalism, in that the principle of fidelity to a particu- does all this mean practically? First, let us examine a particular lar social arrangement outlined in a religious text overrules the issue, that of gay marriage. A standard talking point in favor of results of a real-world test. True conservatism is fundamentally gay marriage is that it confers upon homosexuals rights that het- not about preventing all change, leaving humanity frozen in sta- erosexuals take for granted. There is the simple principle of equal sis. Rather, it is a method that allows for change that keeps all treatment before the law. Without marriage rights, homosexual that is good with the past, while integrating only the useful inno- vations in the present.

The Consequences for Contemporary Politics “True conservatism is fundamentally not about When it comes to the current American preventing all change, leaving humanity frozen in stasis. political landscape, one is faced with Rather, it ... allows for change that keeps all that is two unpalatable choices. Trite and clichéd as this assertion may be, it is also good with the past, while integrating only the useful fundamentally true: both the Repub- innovations in the present.” lican and Democratic parties have been captured by self-interested elites intent on propagating only moderately differ- ent visions in keeping with the prefer- ences of their elite sponsors. For exam- ple, both the Republican and Demo- cratic elites support mass immigration, the former because big partners may not be deemed each others’ “next of kin,” leading business hungers for plentiful, cheap labor and the latter to injustice. But is this sufficient reason to recognize the marriage because the lower-class and working-class masses will presum- between two individuals? To give a ludicrous example, zoophiles ably vote Democratic. This is not principle but the logic of institu- believe that a relationship between an individual and an animal tional maturity taking over. The parties now run themselves for has the same emotional valence as between two humans. Should the benefit of the stakeholders who bought them, not the peo- these individuals receive equal treatment before the law, so that ple who elect them and whom they ostensibly represent. The a horse may visit her human husband on his deathbed in prefer- majority of the American population wishes to reduce immigra- ence over his family? tion levels, not maintain or increase them. That example is ridiculous, and some may wonder at its impli- Why is immigration so important? An empirical conservative cation of bestiality because homosexual relations have been vision acknowledges the utility of the nation-state. It is not just a analogized in exactly this way by some religious conservatives. legal fiction, appropriate for its convenience. The modern Left has But I am employing it to make a different point: the key is to turned against the nation-state because it perceives that it priori- move beyond the simple principle of equal treatment and tizes particularism over universalism. The modern Right is skepti- approach the problem empirically. Let us observe homosexual cal of the nation-state’s temerity in assuming that it deserves relationships and see if they flourish. On an empirical conserva- some command over the will of corporate entities. Humans are

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Does Secular Humanism Have a Political Agenda?

not abstractions, they’re concrete entities. Neither maximization one sees day to day, who will be there for you across the cycles of of economic output nor consumption of hedonic joys results in elections and even the rise and fall of nations. Instead of wonder- human flourishing. Voting Republican or Democratic will have ing how to reorder the lives of others, it would behoove us to concrete outcomes. But these are not permanent things. History look to see how we can order our lives properly and realize who moves from the bottom up, not the top down. we are in our proper context. There is no final answer, only a way There are rational reasons to vote, but fifty years down the in which we can have a conversation. line none of your descendants will care who you voted for. They will care about the type of person you were, the values you pro- Razib Khan is the founder of SecularRight.org. He has an academic back- pounded, and the example you set. True flourishing begins at ground in the biological sciences, and he is currently pursuing a PhD. home with the understanding that the politics that truly matters He at Gene Expression (discovermagazine.com), SecularRight.org, is that of the family, of the neighborhood. This is politics that and brownpundits.com. allows you to grow and develop as a human. It involves people

Secular Humanism Has a Political Agenda, and It’s Not In Favor of Liberty

Ronald Bailey

am a secular humanist. I am also a libertarian. The fact that one 3. Does permitting adults without criminal records or histories of finds very few libertarians as members of official secular mental illness to carry concealed handguns in public decrease Ihumanist organizations should be a tip-off that official secular violent crime? humanism does have a political agenda. We’ll come back to these questions in a bit. In his article First, what is “official” secular humanism? Lots of the groups “Profiles of the Godless” (FI, August/September 2009), Luke participating in the Orlando, Florida, “Moving Secular Humanism Galen reported psychological survey data that looked at the dif- Forward” conference in March 2012 represent what I view as offi- ferences between Center for Inquiry members in Michigan versus cial secular humanism: the Council for Secular Humanism, American members of nearby churches. What he found was that the non- Atheists, the American Humanist Association, and so forth.* Assum- religious folks were more likely than churchgoers to score higher ing that it’s mostly secular humanists who are reading this article, on openness to experience and lower on agreeableness and con- let’s start out with the short show-of-hands survey I conducted at scientiousness. this conference to get some bearings on what the agenda of secu- As it happens, New York University social psychologist lar humanism might be. There were three questions: has looked into the psychology of libertarians, 1. Is human activity causing global warming? and it turns out that the cognitive styles of secular humanists and 2. Can radioactive wastes from nuclear power plants be safely libertarians are quite similar in many ways. Haidt’s survey data find disposed of in deep underground storage facilities? that libertarians also score higher on openness to experience and lower on measures of agreeableness and conscientiousness than *Editor’s note: While the president of American Atheists spoke at the either liberals or conservatives. In addition, libertarians score high conference, and a significant number of attendees certainly belonged on need-for-cognition measures. Libertarians score lower than to American Atheists and the American Humanist Association, the either liberals or conservatives on empathy and higher than either conference was organized by the Council for Secular Humanism and liberals or conservatives on systemizing. In other words, they have the Center for Inquiry, and only the former presents itself as primarily a secular humanist organization. a relatively cerebral, as opposed to emotional, cognitive style.

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When it comes to liberty as measured by Haidt, liber- the record, the latest poll (September 2011) finds that 26 percent tarians score even higher than liberals. The starkest difference of Americans are libertarian, 27 percent are conservative, 19 per- between liberals and libertarians occurs over economic liberty, cent are populist, and 18 percent are liberal. Reason (the maga- where libertarians outscore both conservatives and liberals zine where I am the science correspondent) did a poll and found (especially liberals). that 24 percent of Americans are libertarian, 28 percent are lib- So what’s a libertarian? The dictionary definition of a libertar- eral, 28 percent are conservative, and 20 percent are communi- ian is a person who advocates maximizing individual rights and tarian. In other words, libertarians are actually a pretty sizeable minimizing the role of the state. Here’s one nice bumper-sticker percentage of the American political landscape. summary: “Have you heard about the vast libertarian conspiracy? But there are different ways of slicing ideological tendencies We want to take over the government . . . then leave you alone.” in the United States. One of the more interesting academic How many libertarians are there in America? To get at the undertakings in this regard is the Yale Cultural Cognition Project. question, the Gallup Poll regularly asks two questions: The researchers there have modified an ideological typology devised by University of California Berkeley political scientist Aaron Wildavsky. In this typology, Americans can be classified as Hierarchicalists, Egalitarians, Individualists, and Communitarians. Hierarchicalists prefer a social order where people have clearly defined roles based on stable characteristics such as “. . . Church-state conflicts over intelligent-design class, race, or gender. Egalitarians want to reduce creationism or the morality of certain types of sex racial, gender, and income inequalities. Indi - vidualists expect people to fail or succeed on their education for minors could be avoided if parents own. And Communitarians believe that society is could take advantage of school-choice programs.” obligated to take care of everyone. Probing these ideological values, the Yale Cultural Cognition folks report that Individualists tend to dismiss claims of environmental risks because they fear such claims will be used to fetter markets and other arenas of individual achieve- ment. Hier archicalists tend to see claims of environ- “(1) Some people think the government is trying to do too many mental risk as a subversive tactic aiming to undermine a stable things that should be left to individuals and businesses. social order. On the other hand, Egalitarians and Communitarians Others think that government should do more to solve our dislike markets and industry for creating disparities in wealth and country’s problems. Which comes closer to your own view? power. Consequently, they readily believe that such disparities “(2) Some people think the government should promote tradi- generate environmental risks that must be regulated. tional values in our society. Others think the government Keeping that typology in mind, let’s go back to my three ques- should not favor any particular set of values. Which comes tions dealing with global warming, storing radioactive wastes, closer to your own view?” and concealed carry. What is the scientific consensus with regard to each of these issues? Dan Kahan and his colleagues at the Yale On the basis of these questions, Gallup divides Americans into Cultural Cognition project report their results in their article, four groups. Pure liberals are those who want government to do “Cultural Cognition of Scientific Consensus” in the Journal of Risk more to solve the country’s problems but not promote traditional (2010). Broadly speaking, Kahan and his colleagues found that values. Populists want government to solve more problems and Egalitarian Communitarians tended to think that most scientists promote traditional values. Libertarians think that the govern- agreed that human activities were contributing to global warm- ment is doing too much and do not want it to promote traditional ing and that nuclear wastes could not be stored safely and that values. And pure conservatives think that the government is doing concealed carry does not prevent crime. Hierarchical Individualists too much but still want it to promote traditional values. believed that most scientists supported the opposite views. Apparently not all poll participants answer the questions in a In my brief show-of-hands audience survey at the Orlando con- way that Gallup can classify, and so they are undesignated. For ference, the majority of secular humanists present voted like the

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Does Secular Humanism Have a Political Agenda?

Yale Cultural Cognition Project’s Egalitarian Communitarians. mandating health insurance coverage in the first place. But set- Now, what do the scientists actually think? Kahan and his col- ting that aside, one “libertarian-ish” way to resolve the current leagues cite National Academy of Sciences reports, which find that conundrum over insurance and birth-control services would be the consensus among researchers is that human activity is con- to give the funds to individuals, who would then decide which tributing to global warming and that radioactive wastes can be sort of health insurance policies they want to buy. The poor could safely stored deep underground. There is no expert consensus with receive tax-financed vouchers to buy whatever private insurance regard to the effect of concealed carry on the rate of violent crime. they prefer. “We believe it is more plausible to infer that both hierarchical Similarly, lots of church-state conflict could be avoided if most individualists and egalitarian communitarians are fitting their public welfare services, including job training, nutrition support, perceptions of scientific consensus to their predispositions than and drug treatment, could be converted into voucher programs, that either has some advantage over the other in discerning allowing the poor themselves to pick the services they think work what ‘most expert scientists’ really believe,” assert the Yale researchers. In other words, it’s confirmation bias all the way down. No ideology has a lock on Truth with a capital T. This surely bolsters the Enlightenment ideal that since no one has access to absolute truth, no one has a moral right to impose his or her values and “Secular humanists should ask themselves beliefs on others. (Or, to put it another way, I may or whether they are partially motivated to oppose may not have access to some absolute transcendent this kind of devolution of government services truth, but I’m damned sure that you don’t.) So what can libertarians and secular humanists to favor individual choice because they believe agree on? I am pretty sure that the vast majority of lib- government institutions and agencies could ertarians strongly believe that the government needs be used to teach their secular values.” to get out of the marriage business. We also certainly agree that God and government should never be mixed. It’s bad for both and produces toxic side effects among the citizenry. However, libertarians are much stricter than many secular humanists when it comes to maintaining a wall of separation between state and church. best for them. Similarly, church-state conflicts over intelligent- Take the current controversy over the new federal mandate design creationism or the morality of certain types of sex educa- that health insurers cover contraception and abortion services for tion for minors could be avoided if parents could take advantage all women. The Roman Catholic and other churches are pushing of school-choice programs. Government should not be involved back, arguing that it’s against their religious beliefs to enable in marriage. Secular humanists should ask themselves whether such activities. Secular humanists discount this argument, if one they are partially motivated to oppose this kind of devolution of can judge by a recent Center for Inquiry press release entitled, government services to favor individual choice because they “CFI Applauds Obama Administration for Standing Up to believe government institutions and agencies could be used to Religious Lobbying on Birth Control Rule.” Secular humanists see teach their secular values. the rule only as a women’s health issue and thus do not see any Cognitively speaking, it’s clear that libertarians and secular breaches in the wall of church-state separation when govern- humanists have a great deal in common. On the other hand, the ment compels religious employers to buy insurance that covers a political agenda of official secular humanism amounts, for the medical procedure their faith prohibits. (There is no “official” lib- most part, to standard-issue egalitarian progressivism. Unlike ertarian position on abortion, since some libertarians believe that most secular humanists, libertarians believe that the evidence of an is a person and some do not. For the record, I do not science and history warrants distrust of both the church and the believe are people.) state as sources of power and authority over people’s lives. In keeping with the Communitarian/Egalitarian political agenda of secular humanism, I note that CFI has “officially endorsed universal health-care coverage.” Most libertarians Ronald Bailey is the science correspondent for Reason magazine. would argue that the government has no business providing or

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Secularism’s Place in Politics

Greg Laden

he question at hand is, “Does secular humanism have a atheist. A humanist may consider oneself a “dictionary atheist” political agenda?” To address this question, I’d first like to (someone who is not a theist) but may be uninvolved in atheist T characterize relevant features of what might be called the activism. Barry Lynn, the current executive director of Americans “secular humanist community”—as distinct from any philosophy United for Separation of Church and State, a secular organiza- of secular humanism—and in so doing reframe the question tion, is an ordained minister. Making clear-cut distinctions slightly to focus on secularism and the secular movement. Then, I between nonbelievers, atheist activists, dictionary atheists, skep- will define informally what I mean by political, because this term tics, secular humanists, and just plain science-oriented folk is has numerous meanings, some of which would relate to this impossible and ignores the true nature of this collection of over- question in trivial or distracting ways. My conclusion will not sup- lapping and interactive communities. For this reason, it is valu- port the idea that secularism has a political component or able, and probably necessary, to parse “secular humanism” into agenda. Rather, I will propose that secularism is an organizing “secular” and “humanist.” In so doing, it is apparent that principle in modern political culture and that politics are so “humanist philosophy and activism” is a more narrowly defined deeply inherent in secularism that it is always political. Secularism entity than “secular philosophy” simply because between 90 and is as political as concepts such as “freedom” or “democracy” or 100 percent of those involved in all of these communities men- tioned so far are “secular” while only some people self-identify primarily as “humanist.” It might be helpful at this point to consider “I ... propose that secularism is an organizing principle the concept of the “polythetic set,” introduced in modern political culture and that politics are so by archaeological theorist David Clarke to help make sense of excavated artifacts. (Polythetic deeply inherent in secularism that it is always political.” sets are similar to “fuzzy sets,” but the former term is simpler and more useful here.) In this way of thinking, a set of traits is used to sort out objects. Something can be made of glass, “self-determination” and should join these and similar basic prin- wood, plastic, ceramic, bone, and so on. Something can be used ciples in shaping any progressive political agenda. Secularism can for architectural purposes, food processing, energy technology, also shape nonprogressive or even antiprogressive agendas. ritual, and other things. Something can be valuated as possessing Indeed, the fact that secularism can work as a guiding principle in folk or elite status. A fragment of glass found on an archaeolog- otherwise contrasting or opposed political orientations accounts ical site could be from a window of an upscale mansion. A frag- for the recent appointment of a lifelong Republican in a key lob- ment of plastic could be from the window of a shanty. A piece of bying position in the mostly progressive secular movement. (I ceramic could be from a tobacco pipe used in a Native American refer here to the recent hiring of former Republican advisor- ritual, a telegraph line insulator, or a bottle of beer. In thinking of operative Edwina Rogers as executive director of the Secular polythetic sets, there is not a Cartesian relationship between Coalition of America.) attributes and the identification of an object, nor is there a stable Political or social entities—political parties, public action com- hierarchy (for example, bone things are always for ritual, glass mittees, public interest groups, and the like—are often defined things are always for architecture, ceramic things are always by a highly determined and widely understood dogma and are related to food consumption). Rather, the meaning of a particu- made up of people who often have overlapping involvement lar trait in determining the identity of an object depends on the with other similar entities. These entities often find it useful to other traits, and on the object itself. Therefore, Barry Lynn. work together. For example, the Secular Coalition of America Therefore, Edwina Rogers. (SCA) includes member groups that are self-defined as atheist, Secularism is an idea or principle that can be held by humanist, skeptical, or freethinking. There are distinctions Franciscan nuns and “gnu atheists,” progressive Democrats and among these terms and ideologies: a skeptic need not be an even Republicans. A person who goes to a secular conference or

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Does Secular Humanism Have a Political Agenda?

subscribes to a secular magazine is usually, but not always, that engage in politics in part because of a religiously informed imbued with certain traits; another person may possess entirely sense of moral responsibility. different traits, yet they may recognize each other as members of The connection is similarly clear with environmental issues. the same social or political group. One of the most significant current threats to good environmen- If we think of secularism as an achievable that tal policy in the United States is the effort to limit or distort teach- some people might prefer and others might abhor—and as a ing about climate change in K–12 schools. These anti–climate sci- norm that crosscuts a half dozen or so related —and ence efforts are not usually explicitly religious; often they are if we think of “secular” as a measure (some things are more sec- funded by very secular entities like Big Oil through nonreligious ular than others) and as something that can be ruled in or ruled organizations like the libertarian-leaning Heartland Institute. out by prevailing rules, then it becomes something to fight over. However, the strategy for affecting the nature of how K–12 cli- Since secularism is in no way an esoteric concept, this pretty much mate science is taught comes right out of the religious-Right coali- makes it political. tion within the Republican Party. “Academic freedom” bills in In asking “Does secular humanism have a political agenda?” I state legislatures seem to have been introduced to open the door did not define political. Rather than spreading ourselves across a for legislating science curriculum by some of the same legislators mine-filled rhetorical landscape in search of a per- fect definition, I would note that the panel that led to this collection of essays was populated by indi- viduals who were picked to represent specific views “The present political landscape pits religion with widely heard-of labels: libertarian, Republican, progressive, and radical Left. So political obviously against secularism as components of the refers to political philosophy, political party, and Right vs. Left confrontation, even in areas political movement. We can probably examine sev- where it is clearly not relevant.” eral political movements to see if “secularism” is in there somewhere. In some cases we will not easily find it. Secularism is not overtly part of the Occupy movement. One might not see it as an overt part of the environmental movement with its current focus on climate who were formerly busy trying to legislate creationism into the change. Certainly, there are religious people in the Occupy classroom. So the connection between secularism vs. theocracy camps, probably some whose religious beliefs determine their and climate-change denialism is indirect but important. own voting pattern. Certainly, there are people who believe that Meanwhile, remember those overlapping communities of secu- we humans have a spiritual duty to protect the planet and who larism, atheism, skepticism, humanism, and plain-old science sup- consider themselves environmentalists for religious reasons. porters. The same people and organizations who have been fight- But if we sort out current U.S. political issues on the basis of ing creationism, a religious doctrine, are now joined in the battle the degree to which secularism might be part of them, we imme- to fight climate change denialism and, more broadly, science diately find that secularism is central. In the United States at the denialism. This is best exemplified by the extension of activities by time of this writing, the most talked-about domestic issue other the National Center for Science Education into issues related to cli- than the economy is probably same-sex marriage, which alter- mate change, bringing their mission beyond the purview of evo- nates on the front pages with articles about women’s reproduc- lutionary science. It is all one big mess, and secularism is a key part tive rights and health care. These issues do not inherently de- of the polythetic set of activism that opposes antiscience legisla- mand interrogation from a secularist perspective. But they are tion and policy. purely secular issues, simply because efforts to limit, keep illegal, The present political landscape pits religion against secularism or make unconstitutional both same-sex marriage and women’s as components of the Right vs. Left confrontation, even in areas personal choices in reproductive health are purely religious initia- where it is clearly not relevant. Carbon policy is not even a little tives. It turns out that when we look more closely at the Occupy religious or nonreligious—except for the small detail of recogniz- and environmental movements, we find religious vs. secular ing the reality of hundreds of millions of years of Earth history dur- overtones there too. Based on anecdotal information from ing which carbon has on average been sequestered. This stands friends who are part of my local Occupy campaign (in Minne - opposed to a biblical view in which such deep history is impossi- sota’s Twin Cities), it seems that many of the “usual” non-dog- ble. Nonetheless, the of politics confront secularism matic religious groups and individuals are involved. There are squarely. Climate policy is in part a fight over religion, and science Unitarian Universalists in some of those tents. While the Twin education policy is a fight over separation of church and state. Cities is surrounded by evangelical mega-churches, the urban I’ve recently been involved in political work for the Minnesota core of is peppered with radical-Left congregations Democratic Farmer Labor Party (what Minnesotans call “Demo-

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crats”). This has been a very interesting experience. I work with organizing principle for the politics of about half the people in many people who are religious, a number of people who proba- the United States. However, the degree to which this needs to be bly aren’t religious but who feel the need (right or wrong) to cry true depends on historical accident as much as philosophy. But “bless this nation” or “thank God” for this or that in campaign then, historical accident, not rational and careful thinking, is the speeches, and an even smaller number of individuals who are a- primary determinant of our extant political and social landscape. theistic but quiet about it, yet overtly annoyed at the constant There is one more point of a different form that I would like reference to faith and blessings by some of our colleagues. This to make regarding politics within the secular movement. We are has led me to recognize what I believe is an entrenched mostly a progressive movement, even though we also reach out “Democratic denialism.” People who are in a Left-ish party, who to more conservative factions and there are plenty of Repub- are politically progressive, who are in favor of separation of licans, libertarians, and other nonprogressives in the movement. church and state, are often religious if they are traditional But, ironically, many progressive features are not well inculcated Democrats; yet if they are not in favor of church-state separation into modern secularism and the related communities of atheism they tend to keep quiet about it. The very fact that there is a and skepticism. This is illustrated by a major event that occurred sleeping secularism in the progressive movement makes the role some weeks after the “Moving Secularism Forward” conference of politics among secular activists both important and potent. at which our panel was held. As the outcome of the Center for This should be developed further in forthcoming activist cam- Inquiry’s first “Women in Secularism” conference and conversa- tions that occurred there, every atheist, secu- lar, and skeptic organization that has confer- ences or conventions that I can think of has “Climate policy is in part a fight over religion, either created an anti–sexual-harassment pol- icy, upgraded or modified an existing policy, or and science education policy is a fight over dusted off a preexisting policy to give it more separation of church and state.” exposure. This is a sign of progressive thinking coming to the fore and becoming normal, though not without pushback. And that is a good thing. But it is also a little surprising that paigns. Closeted seculars must be given aid and comfort to help this feminist awakening is coming in the second decade of the them make their views overt and their muttered annoyances twenty-first century. It has been said that feminism is the longest louder and clearer. battle ever fought. Feminism was old when Juliet Mitchell called It need not have been this way. I can imagine that if the history it the longest revolution in 1966. Gloria Steinem used this phrase, of politics in the United States had been different, the laundry list still accurately, in a recent lecture tour. The overlapping and of positions adhered to and promoted by each of the two major related communities of secularism, activist atheism, and skepti- political parties could have been different, and religiosity could cism are supposed to be thoughtful. It is good that addressing have become a virtue of the same party that promoted the envi- sexism at public gatherings is being done, but it is disconcerting ronment and policies normally considered socially progressive. This that this has taken so long. Similarly, secularism, atheism, and has, after all, been the case at other times and places. Modern-day skepticism are mainly white activities. Organizations that explic- American conservatives have little to say about slave labor result- itly seek to involve existing African American and other nonwhite ing from globalization of industry, while the more secular progres- groups and to develop new groups in these movements have sives have a great deal to say about it. Yet it was the equivalent of, recently reemerged or are forming as we speak, and this is prob- essentially, the religious Right in nineteenth-century Britain that ably the next great dynamic in our shared and overlapping fought so valiantly, and sometimes effectively, against spheres of activity. This is all enigmatically late, but at least it is while at the same time denying Darwinism. happening. In present-day American politics, we see party-line reaction- As promised, I have not spoken about humanism at all. But let ism on both sides of the literal or metaphorical aisle, so that one’s me briefly note that it is a philosophy having a lot to do with social position on a given issue is often determined by the letter next to justice, which is political. In modern America, the secularist is your candidate’s name (D or R), and not so much because of any required to be not only political but actively political and, I would underlying or consistent philosophy. This is why it is possible that say, even aggressively political. Without such a commitment, sec- the SCA’s plan for across-the-aisle lobbying on behalf of secular ularism has little meaning in the current social and political cli- issues may have a chance. mate. Secular humanism is political, or it is nothing.

o that is my argument: secularism is central to many political Greg Laden blogs on Scienceblogs.com and writes for other websites. He frequently fights—and a key feature of many political positions—mainly S appears as both an interviewer and guest for Talk Radio but not entirely as a reaction to religion’s having become an

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What Humanism Might Learn from Hip Hop

Anthony B. Pinn

e humanists have made our presence felt. Often our and in need of inspiration. Mindful of this, I want to propose a rhetoric is self-assured. Vividly displayed is our willingness source of assistance worthy of consideration—hip-hop culture. Wto confront the theism-bias embedded in the workings of What I have in mind extends beyond an appreciation for the the United States. Despite all this, humanist activities still appear outstanding work of humanistic hip-hop artists and instead entrenched in an apologetic mode—a significant expenditure of includes attention to the pedagogical possibilities offered by the resources meant to say, “We are here, and by the way, we are larger . So, no need to worry; I’m not asking good people.” Even more aggressive forms of humanist engage- you to turn your baseball caps backward or forget about your ment—those meant to challenge the religious and convert them sensible shoes and conservative clothing choices. I’m not calling through strong confrontation and mockery—betray, from my on humanists to become hip-hop advocates or fans. Rather, I am perspective, the same apologetic tone. Neither what some derogatorily call a “conformist approach” (accommodationism) nor the more self-righteous confrontational approach pro- vides a sufficiently constructive and robust depic- tion of what humanistic orientations promote. “. . . We are still playing by the rules offered This type of posture toward our work doesn’t by theists.... There is embedded in our approach an allow for the accomplishment of our full agenda effort to get theists to appreciate (perhaps even like?) to diminish the theism-centered discourse (and structures of interaction) guiding so many humanists. But why worry about that?” dimensions of public life. And this is because we are still playing by the rules offered by theists. That is to say, there is embedded in our approach an effort to get theists to appreciate (perhaps even like?) humanists. But why worry about that? Furthermore, is suggesting that hip hop provides a particularly compelling this type of regard even achievable? heuristic. My aim is to encourage recognition of hip hop as an It can still be problematic to embrace humanism openly. Yet interpretative tool by means of which we might learn how to do our typical approach does little to change this dilemma, in that better what we say our humanism is all about—and to do it in our marginality is embedded in the very rhetoric of the nation— ways that appreciate the creativity lodged in our relative margin- and has become, tragically, the grammar of the public sphere— ality and despised status. while it is guided by the temperament of the uninformed. Even if A link between humanism and hip hop is not as absurd as this weren’t the case, being liked hasn’t done much to change one might initially think, not when one considers the common the outlook for other marginalized groups. What it can produce epistemological root marking much of the thinking that under- is paternalism—patronizing attitudes that actually stymie girds them both. That is to say, both humanistic sensibilities and advancement and inclusion. hip-hop culture share a human-centered and earthy ontology. Perhaps we might aim to be disliked but respected. But what Both stem from a similar perception of evidence-based free- does “being respected” entail for us? What’s the look, the tex- thought (although there are nuances to this) and a signifying of ture, of this respect? And what does securing and keeping it supernatural claims and trans-historical assertions. Furthermore, require of us? in U.S. culture, both humanists and members of the hip-hop com- munity are labeled as marginal, problematic figures whose activ- Help from an Unlikely Source: Hip Hop ities and beliefs fly in the face of normative moral and ethical Needed at this point is more attention to the construction of an structures of life. alternative grammar of life, along with new modalities of ethi- I propose that we embrace this epistemological connection cal/moral insight and practice that speak to the benefits of and pay attention to all that can be learned from the successes of humanistic thinking and doing. We have demonstrated some hip-hop culture. While it has its problematic dimensions—ele- creativity in generating this message, but we still seem a bit stuck ments of violence, homophobia, misguided materialism, and so

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on, as borrowed from the storehouse of American culture— and more graphic modes of expressing life-meaning within the there are ways in which this cultural force has offered important context of absurdity, hip hop marks a demand for visibility in a challenges to the “American way of life.” It has outlived calls for world more comfortable with invisibility. It has offered a way of its demise and pronouncements of its fad-like quality. Even those speaking about and speaking to the tragic nature of human exis- who fear or dislike hip hop have been forced to recognize it and tence without surrendering to the nihilism that theistic intellectu- to address life in this historical moment in light of it. als like Cornel West fear. Instead, it provides comfort with para- Lodged within the decaying infrastructure of urban life in New dox and imagining of marginality as place for transformation. York City during the late 1970s, hip-hop culture—the music, aes- Whereas hip hop has turned its status as a despised and trou- thetic, dance, and the visual art known as tagging or graffiti—pro- bling but short-term fad into a powerful tool for shaping cultural vided a mode of communication and exchange for typically disen- worlds across a global geography, humanist movements have franchised young people. Hip hop is not the first cultural form to not been as fortunate in their effort to create status and more wrestle with the existential and ontological difficulties and limits transnational influence. marking the (post)modern period. Yet, it does so with a type of rawness and through images that push thought about, and expe- A Hip-Hop Posture for Humanists rience of, the world beyond affected representations. The traumas Humanists are trying to fix this situation through public conver- and angst of the world are expressed in graphic form. In certain sation and praxis and through organizational infrastructure ways, hip-hop culture offers a new language, an alternative gram- expanding beyond North America. However, there is a flaw in mar and vocabulary for articulating the nature and meaning of life. this approach in that such effort tends to involve strategies tied (at least loosely) to the methods and logic associated with the civil rights movement of the mid-twentieth century. These methods and this logic require acceptance of an assumption that moral outrage made visible constitutes the means for advancement. There “. . . Our marginality is embedded in the very rhetoric is in this arrangement belief that progress is of the nation—and has become, tragically, the grammar somehow linear and human history purpose- of the public sphere—while it is guided by the driven. I am not pushing for rejection of the civil rights movement, and of course, human- temperament of the uninformed.” ists aren’t alone in appealing for inspiration to this process and this particular moment of struggle. After all, some important shifts in policy resulted from that movement. Yet, there are ways in which appeal to mid-twenti- eth century techniques may not be the best strategy for the godless. In other words, the various genres of rap—what might be For instance, popular imagination regarding the civil rights described as status rap, socially conscious rap, and gangsta rap— movement is overwhelmingly (but not of necessity) connected to offer perspectives on this basic arrangement: How does one make a romanticizing of certain communities of struggle—particularly life meaningful within the context of an absurd world? the churches. And the rhetoric used to articulate that civil rights Within rap music, there are strong representations of this struggle draws from the language of those communities. In addi- absurdity, with perhaps the most compelling being death. tion, left in place after the civil rights movement is an ethical pos- Humanists are well aware of death; we know the science behind ture toward the world based on a privileging of supernatural it and are quite reasonable and logical with respect to it. Yet, we claims and assumptions—a spiritual ontology, as well as an live in cultural worlds that are not fully explained by means of sci- accompanying sense of sanctity afforded to theism that human- entific formulas. Our living toward death requires a particular ists otherwise reject. Why maintain an approach to the transfor- cartography, a peculiar map that marks out the cultural contours mation of thought and quality of life that historically has privi- of our existence. And for this, we should turn to hip hop, in that leged some of the very things humanists hope to eliminate? there are ways in which hip hop promotes significant attention Instead, humanists might take seriously as a source of infor- to the tensions and paradox associated with efforts to map out mation and strategy the best of hip hop’s framing of, and pos- life structures within a context marked by the look, feel, and smell ture toward, sociocultural and political struggle. This process of death. It offers a compelling way of describing and addressing might begin with several considerations related to our posture the grotesque dimensions of our demise that are much too toward the nature and meaning of the humanist movement, as graphic for most polite humanist conversations. well as its self-understanding and its work. I’d like to offer three Through a creative signifying of dominant strategies for life examples of this rethinking.

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Example 1: ‘Thick’ Diversity in ways to lessen the negative impact it has on quality of life. If you think I’m wrong, think again. The “look” of the typical Hip-hop culture has demonstrated an impressive ability to trou- humanistic gathering—and the perpetual asking of the “How do ble rigid cultural boundaries of nation-states and in this way to we recruit people of color?” questions—do more than suggest promote diversity of expression, opinion, and the like. To speak of that I’m right. Deconstruction of theism’s flaws is required, but hip hop is to mention an array of racial and ethnic groups, each that must be followed by constructive projects and conversations with celebrated contributions to its development. There is a that actually offer alternatives. Smash the idols, yes; but replace depth and thickness to diversity as modeled by hip-hop culture— them with deeply human and compelling meaning-making despite some of its shortcomings. And while humanists voice an opportunities and platforms. interest in diversity—and in certain ways promote it—such effort Our approaches have suffered from an underlying assump- tends to produce what I will call “performative diversity.” By this tion that there is one way to promote humanism, but this is wrong I mean symbolic appreciation for “difference” as a marker of because people are messy, and communities are difficult to cap- strength. It produces more visible “minority” communities of ture. And so, we should think in terms of multiple approaches to humanists but does little to change decision-making and the our work—an array of strategies that mirror the complexities of array of concerns promoted within these move- ments and how these concerns are arranged and ranked. Yet, as hip-hop culture has demon- strated, more substantive diversity requires pro- duction of an organic system of symbols and “My aim is to encourage recognition of hip hop as signs that draw from the sensibilities of an interpretative tool by means of which we might a wide-ranging group of participants. Adherents, so to speak, have to see themselves reflected in learn how to do better what we say our humanism is all the workings of movements, to see themselves as about—and to do it in ways that appreciate the creativ- having real potential for involvement (such as ity lodged in our relative marginality and despised sta- leadership positions that shape the form and content of movements), and to see the humanist tus.” movement’s lexicon come to reflect their lan- guage of life. Getting to this point requires changes to our internal workings and also our recruitment strategies. In some cases, direct confrontation has our social arrangements. Thinking this way and acting in light of increased our numbers; however, the assumption that such tac- such a philosophy of engagement might also cut down on the tics work in every context is a type of arrogance that shows disre- amount of infighting we experience on occasion. But again, this gard for cultural nuance. Not many African Americans leave requires an organic language—a vocabulary and grammar robust churches because of direct confrontation. To think that they and descriptive enough to capture the imagination of humanists should shows ignorance concerning the late-twentieth-century across various lines of tactical difference and constructive enough patterns of growth for black churches—patterns that have little to translate to those outside our groups. to do with theological commitment and more to do with net- working opportunities and cultural connections. Simply Example 2: Significance of the Ordinary* denouncing and ridiculing Christian theology and belief does lit- It is often the case that in order to expand our presence and tle to persuade. What do we offer as alternative sources of net- counter the foolishness of theistic orientations, we highlight the working and cultural community? The assumption that reason unusual, the atypical and grand figures and moments within the can trump theology also fails to recognize the manner in which history of our movement. Or, when the ordinary is highlighted, it theology mutates and theism can transform itself. Its contempo- is juxtaposed to what we consider the markers of greatness. I rary manifestations are less rigid than the pre-Enlightenment would suggest such a move does not serve us well. Instead, we theologizing we tend to target in our critiques. Talk of “the end should give more attention to the significance—the invaluable of religion” also fails to acknowledge regional differences and importance—of the mundane and the ordinary. I am not sug- ignores new (and successful) religious formulations such as the gesting that we fail to ritualize major life developments and chal- Prosperity Gospel and the mega-churches that adhere to it. These lenges; rather, I am arguing even these rituals must remain com- churches do not fall victim to our typical critiques in that the most examples of bad thinking are softened; instead, they highlight the Bible as a tool for advancing one’s economic goals. *Attention to the ordinary presented here draws from my The End of Theism is flexible and does not die easily. While attempting to God-Talk: An African American Humanist Theology (New York: dismantle it, we must also recognize the short-term need to work Oxford University Press, 2012).

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mitted to the importance of the mundane, and in this way pro- illusion expends a lot of mental energy, generates a lot of social vide means by which to appreciate (as individuals and in commu- anxiety, and doesn’t impress “racial minorities”—which are, after nities) the wonders of everyday life. This is one of the strong con- all, minorities only if we fail to think globally. tributions we make to social existence—an unwillingness to look beyond the stuff of mundane existence, an unwillingness to Example 3: Measured Realism demand the extraordinary as the only valuable marker of impor- In place of outcome-driven systems, a humanist ethical outlook tance. This has been one of the lasting contributions of hip hop might locate success in the process.* That is to say, we continue to to the construction of cultural worlds. It is preoccupied with the work. We maintain this effort because we have the potential to ordinary, with the everyday and mundane patterns and effect/affect change, and we measure the value of our work not moments of life; and it seeks to provide a lexicon for discussing in terms of outcomes achieved but in the process of struggle itself. and moving through those moments. In this way, it tackles head- Regarding this, I am in agreement with ethicist and senior Insti - on the moments of discomfort, of paradox, of uncertainty that tute for Humanist Studies fellow Sharon Welch. There is no foun- trouble us—and by so doing, it provides means by which to dation for moral action that guarantees that individuals and groups will act in “productive” and liberating ways, much less that they will ultimately achieve their objectives. Therefore ethical activity is risky or dan- gerous, because it requires operating without the certainty and security of a clearly articulated “prod- “. ..In U.S. culture, both humanists and members uct.”† This is a more sober—some might argue a less passionate—approach to ethics. It understands that of the hip-hop community are labeled as human relationships (with self, others, and the marginal, problematic figures.... ” world) are messy, inconsistent, and thick with desires, contradictions, motives, and a hopeful hopelessness. Humanistic ethical engagement should mirror the complexity and layered nature of the issues at hand. But as it currently stands, we share with tradi- tional theists an unfortunate and unsupported pos- address the complexities of life. What such a move might allow is ture of optimism. The reason for this optimism differs for these an earthy basis for our ethics. Hip hop teaches valuable lessons— two camps: for them, it is God; for us, it is science and reason. I am both positive and negative—concerning the people involved in not pointing to the equation of God with forms of scientism these efforts and the sociocultural arrangements by means of (although this type of poor depiction of science does exist). which these people move through the world. Rather, I am suggesting that both traditional theists and human- Bodies are real in that they live and die, and humanistic ethics ists assume beneficial effects to our actions. For them this is based should be concerned with the consequences and connotations on the balancing work done by the divinity; for us it is premised of this real-ness. Our message, borrowing some cues from hip on the assumption of science and reasonable thought as slow hop, might be the beauty of our ordinariness, the value of simple but steady resolutions to our problems. Isn’t it in part because of moments and events—and the need to appreciate this dimen- this assumption that so many humanists proclaim the demise of sion of our existence—as individuals and in relationship. Doing so religion and the reign of reason? Both positions are too opti- will trouble some humanists because it means forgetting some of mistic; but hip-hop culture offers a more balanced perspective— the images of our godless liberalism. For example, on too many something I have on many occasions referred to as “measured occasions, nontheists will proclaim that they “do not see” race; realism.” they do not give attention to difference in that way. They wear Hip-hop culture provides important lessons on the need for this proclamation like a blue ribbon, not realizing that it is a state- measured realism—a sense that human progress involves a para- ment representing a problem, not a solution. Anti-black racism dox, advancement within a larger context of pain and misery. and other modes of embodied discrimination aren’t challenged There must be awareness that human progress is not victim-free, and fought by ignoring them, as if difference itself must be cast and it is not inevitable. That is to say, leave certainty to the theists; as a problem. Hip-hop’s approach to difference is much healthier, let their mythological protectors espouse overly optimistic pro- much more realistic, in that hip-hop culture understands differ- nouncements of future glory. We should be in a better position ence not as a dilemma to solve but as a benefit that serves to than they are to see the world as it is and to adopt a more mature enhance creativity, expand knowledge and perspective, and posture toward our work in the world. We have not yet met the shape cultural connections in healthier and productive ways. So, challenge, but we should. What is the look of ethical conduct see race. We gain nothing by pretending not to see “colors.” This when our efforts are just as likely to fail as to succeed? Hip hop

*Some material in this section draws from the discussion of perpet- †Sharon Welch, A Feminist Ethic of Risk (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, ual rebellion found in my Terror and Triumph: The Nature of Black 2000). Religion (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003), 153–54.

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provides a way of thinking about this question, of moving Foreman, Murray and Mark Anthony Neal, eds. That’s the Joint! through life without guaranteed outcomes. Like hip-hop culture, The Hip-Hop Studies Reader. New York: Routledge, 2004. we might learn to embrace the tragic quality of life and take from Neal, Mark Anthony. Soul Babies: Black Popular Culture and the it a sobering regard for both our potential and our shortcomings. Post-Soul Aesthetic. New York: Routledge, 2002. From this approach we might just come to a better and deeper Pinn, Anthony B. “Handlin Our Business.” In Noise and Spirit, appreciation of our humanity. edited by Anthony B. Pinn. New York: New York University Press, 2003. Finally… Rose, Tricia. Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Some readers will disagree with my assessment, and some will Contemporary America. Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan Uni- resist giving hip hop such a prominent role in our thinking. Even versity Press, 1994. this disagreement, if seriously engaged in and interrogated, might point us in the direction of new and creative approaches to our humanist thought and efforts. My goal is merely to sug- Anthony B. Pinn is the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and gest the importance of a particular conversation, to point out the Professor of Religious Studies at Rice University. He is also director of weak spots in our mechanisms for understanding and acting out research for the Institute for Humanist Studies. He is the author or editor our humanism. And for those willing to entertain this conversa- of twenty-six books, including By These Hands: A Documentary History of tion, those who are curious enough to want to know more, I end African American Humanism (Palgrave Macmillan, 2001); African with a few suggested readings. American Humanist Principles: Living and Thinking Like the Children of Nimrod (New York University Press, 2004); and, The End of God-Talk: An George, Nelson. Buppies, B-Boys, Baps & Bohos: Notes On Post- African American Humanist Theology (Oxford University Press, 2012). Soul Black Culture. New York: Harper Perennial, 1994.

Irving Louis Horowitz (1929–2012)

figure in introducing the term third citation from the Carnegie Endow - world into our vocabulary. ment for International Peace and her- Horowitz was the founder of the alded his arrival on the scene of soci- Transaction Society and the head of ology studies. It was his 1994 book, its publishing arm, Transaction Decomposition of Society, that aired Publishers, and its journal Society, his concerns over the state of modern which disseminates scholarly articles sociology. His final book, Hannah on sociology, politics, and social criti- Arendt: Radical Conservative, was cism. His goal was to subject the social published this past spring. sciences to scrutiny according to rigor- Horowitz served on numerous ous, scientific standards, and he wor- boards and held positions at aca- ried that sociology was becoming neg- demic institutions all over the world, atively influenced by leftist ideology. including in Argentina, Canada, India, One cannot discuss modern sociology “You do not get good science by being Israel, and the United States. Since without understanding the contribu- politically correct,” he famously said. 1992 he was the Hannah Arendt tions of Irving Louis Horowitz. One of A prolific author, Horowitz wrote Distinguished Professor Emeritus of his best-known accomplishments is and edited more than fifty books as Sociology and Political Science at the system he created for measuring well as numerous articles and essays, . quality of life in societies by compar- including for FREE INQUIRY. (His last arti- In 1997, he established the Irving ing a state’s aggressiveness toward its cle for FI, “Human Rights in China and Louis Horowitz Foundation to sup- citizens in terms of rates of imprison- Japan: The Pot Calling the Kettle port the work of social science schol- ment and more-violent actions such Black,”appeared in the June/July ars. Horowitz was a long-time friend as executions as opposed to the civil 2011 issue.) His 1957 book, The Idea of the Council for Secular Humanism. liberties granted. He was also a key of War and Peace, earned a special —Andrea Szalanski

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The Manic Triumphalism of Richard Rorty

Stephen J. Gallagher

ome philosophers are not safe to approach until one is This reformist Left put in an enormous amount of tedious, quite certain they are dead. American neo-pragmatist dirty effort, and it accomplished a lot. No one can deny that when SRichard Rorty is one of them; like Jacob Marley, he is most the old reformist leftists exited the stage (or, rather, were uncer- assuredly and unequivocally dead. Five years in his grave and the emoniously booted off), they left an America that was so much man has lost little of his power to intimidate. The sheer breadth better than the America they found as to render it almost unrec- of Rorty’s oeuvre, and his willingness to engage with ideas that ognizable. But it needs to be said—and Rorty himself admits as are generally viewed with resentment (or worse) in mainstream much—“most of the direct beneficiaries of its initiatives were American academia, seem to inspire equal parts grudging admi- white males.” Women’s needs were dealt with in passing, if at all, ration and bitter envy. What he does not seem to have inspired— and efforts to improve the lot of Americans of color were (at at least, not yet—is any sustained attempt to come to grips with best) ignored. And as for homosexuals? They simply didn’t exist his foundational ideas and their underlying assumptions. This in the America of the old-school reformist Left. As Rorty puts it, essay is an attempt to confront an aspect of his philosophical out- “the pre-Sixties Left may seem as callous about the needs of put that enables us to dig deep and see what strange philosoph- oppressed groups as was the nation as a whole.” I think one can ical ore waits to be mined. legitimately challenge his use of the word seem, but that is an avenue best left unexplored if we are to have any hope of covering the ground ahead of us. So the sixties arrived with a combination of a “What [Richard Rorty] does not seem to have bang and a whimper. The new Left arose full of piss and vinegar, determined not only to question inspired—at least, not yet—is any sustained attempt everything but to bring everything crashing to come to grips with his foundational ideas down. If the defining characteristic of the and their underlying assumptions.” reformist Left was admiration for a flawed but perfectible nation, the defining characteristic of the new Left was a righteous indignation born of contempt for “the system” and an almost venge- I’d like to analyze some implications of Rorty’s remarkable ful desire to overthrow it. Where the reformist Left thought in work of political philosophy, Achieving Our Country. As we shall terms of “laws that needed to be passed,” the new Left thought see, this short but important book operates on two layers. The in terms of “a culture that needed to be reinvented.” The myth of topmost layer—the surface crust, if you will—is a fairly mundane an America that could be achieved, which was “ubiquitous on the essay on the American Left. Digging deeper, we see that American Left prior to the Vietnam war,” was pushed aside by a Achieving Our Country is really about the nature—and, more new, young, angry Left—a Left with a whole new set of myths and controversially, the value—of truth. aspirations. Rorty proposes that the history of the Left in America can be What was lacking in the new Left, despite the kabuki “street broken down into two streams: the old Left (which he usually theater” of the massive war protests, was any sense of funda- refers to as the “reformist” Left) and the new Left. He views the mental solidarity. Members of the new Left and their assorted reformist Left as that movement—really, a collection of move- hangers-on may have come together for the intermittent rituals ments and campaigns—that flourished in the period from 1900 of the march and the protest, but beyond that they shared only to the mid-1960s. The defining characteristic of the reformist Left the most tenuous of connections. They were, in a new and very was its focus upon enacting laws, regulations, and “reforms” radical sense, individuals. One no longer saw oneself as “a mem- intended to gradually reduce those aspects of social and eco- ber of a community, as a citizen with civic responsibilities.” This nomic inequality that affected the largest number of Americans. lack of genuine solidarity and a solipsistic focus on hedonistic The old Left saw the American system as basically sound and pursuits were emblematic of the rampant cult of “what makes good and viewed its task as nothing more revolutionary than me feel good is all that matters,” always present in American life polishing a few rusty knobs and oiling a few hinges. The value of as a low background noise but brought to full discordant volume the system as such was never called into question. in the sixties.

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In the nature of such things, the new Left evolved. Those who basic issue, and the source of so much potential danger, is his felt that “the system” needed to be brought down eventually assertion that the truth-value of any of our various American graduated from college, did their postgraduate work, and got myths is irrelevant. Rorty has no interest in whether any of his their PhDs. And then—one could have almost seen it coming— uplifting stories about Whitman and Dewey and the power of they became academics. Rorty reserves what seems to be a special great literature to revive and invigorate the Left have a single contempt for these radicals-turned-professors; as a lifelong mem- drop of truth in them. Rorty assures us that “we can still be old- ber in good standing of academia himself, Rorty would have had fashioned reformist liberals even if, like Dewey, we give up the endless opportunity to study them in their natural habitat. He rips correspondence theory of truth and start treating moral and sci- into these academic leftists with even greater scorn than he has entific beliefs as tools for achieving greater human happiness.” shown (in Achieving Our Country and elsewhere) for Marxists. Give Rorty his due: as an admirer of Nietzsche’s famous perspec- Rorty at least gives Marxism credit for having actually imple- tivism, he openly draws the inevitable conclusion and states it mented its grand visions, though to universally catastrophic without or equivocation. We are free to manufacture effect. The metaphysical pretensions and ingrown, hermetic mut- whatever edifying myths will most contribute to “achieving our terings of the Academy are, in Rorty’s view, corrosive to the larger country,” and there is no reason to worry about whether they are society and dangerous to the common good. They are in turn poi- true or not because “calling a story ‘mythical’ or ‘ideological’ sonous and silly; they have “no projects to propose to America, no would be meaningful only if such stories could be contrasted vision of a country to be achieved by building a consensus.” The with an ‘objective’ story.” The disciplines of history and philoso- new Left has been reduced to a gaggle of aging academics writ- phy can now be safely ignored, because “stories about what a ing only for each other about things that no one else cares about.

trangely enough, Rorty is not too concerned Sabout the current state of affairs. He “Rorty’s ... Achieving Our Country is really about the —or writes as if he believes—that the nature—and, more controversially, the value—of truth.” American Left has run into nothing more seri- ous than a speed bump and that it can regain its former momentum if “each new generation were able to think of itself as participating in a movement which nation has been and should try to be are not attempts at accu- has lasted for more than a century, and has served humankind rate representation, but rather attempts to forge a moral iden- well.” Rorty seems to be suffering from a vague nostalgia for a tity”: the historian as poet; the philosopher as rhetorician. relevant and vigorous reformist Left that perhaps never existed in Thinking like this cannot help but lead us to that bleak anything like the form he imagines. Enamored of the visionary endgame described by Camus, where there is no meaningful rhetoric of Walt Whitman and John Dewey, Rorty believes that if distinction between comforting the afflicted in a leper colony the new Left and the reformist Left simply rallied in typical can- and stoking the crematorium fires in the death camps. Our do American fashion, everything would sort itself out. But when choices are nothing more than a matter of what “stories” we it comes to practical steps and a meaningful framework, Rorty prefer, after all. reveals a disturbing naiveté. Amazingly, he tells us that all that’s My problem with the Richard Rorty that we encounter in really needed to revitalize and energize the progressive Left in Achieving Our Country is the problem that all thinking Amer- America is for more Americans to read books. He is quite serious icans—indeed, all thinking human beings—should have with about this. Specifically, they should be reading philosophy, nov- him. I find it offensive that America’s foremost twentieth-century els, and poetry. Apparently, devouring the Great Books and philosopher tried to tell us, with a straight face, that it doesn’t forming literary “discussion circles” is just the ticket to get the Left matter if something is true as long as it inspires people to do bet- chugging along again. The informed reader, encountering this, ter, act better, and be better Americans. Rorty has promoted and will be drawn up short. Really? In this sad new age of cultural defended—with a philosophical finesse all the more dangerous (and, increasingly, actual) illiteracy, Americans can “achieve their for its power and subtlety—two of the most toxic ideas that post- country” by reading Jane Eyre, The Iliad, and The Critique of Pure modernity has given us: that the truth does not exist and that Reason? I love the great classic literature of the West as much as even if it does, it really doesn’t matter very much. One wishes that anyone (more than most, I’d wager), but the Rorty had spent less time among those academics he despised so that inform this proposed project stagger the imagination. Rorty, much and more time out among those human beings who are not even aware of the degree of elitism he reveals, tells us that if engaged in the hard, practical, reality-based work of building a we fail in this project, “all the resentments which badly educated more sane and humane world. Americans feel about having their manners dictated to them by college graduates will find an outlet.” Though he wrote this in Stephen J. Gallagher is an essayist who lives and works in North Carolina. the late 1990s, Rorty cannot have been unaware that this blow- His work has appeared in FREE INQUIRY, The Humanist, American Atheist, back from the “badly educated” was already well underway. and the Journal of Philosophy. An accomplished playwright, his plays have Such ideas, while alarming and a little bit sad, are not the real been performed in Boston, Raleigh, and New York City. problem with Rorty’s prescription for Achieving Our Country. The

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Overgeneralization: The Achilles Heel of Apocalyptic Atheism?

R. Georges Delamontagne

Theory without data is myth: data without theory is madness. prone to serious errors, the most common and flagrant being —Phil Zuckerman that of overgeneralization. According to these authors, theism in any and all forms is irredeemably malignant and dysfunctional ince my emancipatory introduction to secular humanism for individuals and societies and must ultimately be eradicated through FREE INQUIRY about eight years ago, I have immersed for the betterment of humankind. In , Dawkins Smyself in the literature, having read authors from A (Bob states, “As long as we accept the principle that religious faith Avakian’s Away with All Gods!) through Z (Phil Zuckerman’s must be respected simply because it is religious faith, it is hard to Atheism and Secularity and Society Without God). My readings withhold respect from the faith of Osama bin Laden and the sui- have also included works by Richard Dawkins, Daniel C. Dennett, cide bombers. The alternative, one so transparent that it should David Eller, Tom Flynn, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Robert need no urging, is to abandon the principle of automatic respect G. Ingersoll, Susan Jacoby, Paul Kurtz, Michael Martin, David Mills, for religious faith. This is one reason I do everything in my power Thomas Paine, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, , and Victor to warn people against faith itself, not just against so-called Stenger. ‘extremist’ faith. The teachings of ‘moderate’ religion, though not extremist in themselves, are an open invitation to extremism.” Really? First, it is not hard to withhold respect from Bin Laden’s version of faith, and to equate his interpretation of Islam with all religious faith is pre- posterous, an overgeneralization unworthy of the “Although I have the utmost respect, scholar who has authored The Greatest Show on admiration, and appreciation for the contributions Earth: The Evidence for Evolution.Where is the of eminent scholars such as Dawkins, Harris, empirical evidence to support the claim proffered in his last sentence? Furthermore, could not the same and Hitchens ... from the perspective of social be said regarding “moderate atheism,” as compared science many of their claims are not substantiated.” with the extremes of, say, Stalin’s version of commu- nism/socialism? The apocalyptic tenor of the critique of religious beliefs and practices of all forms is articulated even more melodramatically by Harris in The End of Faith: “One of the central themes of this book . . . is that religious moderates are themselves the bearers of a Recently, I focused on applying the perspectives and methods terrible dogma: they imagine that the path to peace will be of my discipline, sociology, to matters pertaining to religion and paved once each of us has learned to respect the unjustified society and to secular humanism.* Although I have the utmost beliefs of others. I hope to show that the very ideal of religious respect, admiration, and appreciation for the work of eminent tolerance—born of the notion that every human being should be scholars such as Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens and their contribu- free to believe whatever he wants about God—is one of the prin- tions to the literature of secular humanism are important and cipal forces driving us to the abyss.” enlightening, from the perspective of social science many of their Should we rewrite the First Amendment to the U.S. Consti- claims are not substantiated by findings deriving from research tution to accommodate Harris’s own particular form of intoler- applying appropriate social scientific and, thus, are ance? Might there possibly be other factors responsible for soci- *See, for example, Delamontagne, R. Georges. 2010. “High Reli- etal dysfunction, such as the gross inequities and intolerable giosity and Societal Dysfunction in the United States during the First social inequalities that are the consequences and concomitants Decade of the Twenty-First Century.” Evolutionary Psychology 8(4): of global capitalism? 617–57 (www.epjournal.net/filestore/EP08617657.pdf).

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And from the late Hitchens’s God Is Not Great: How Religion ics from national accounting to people-centered policies.” The Poisons Everything: “As I write these words, and as you read HDI has been included in the United Nations Human Develop- them, people of faith are in their different ways planning your ment Report since 1990. As of 2010, the HDI composite measure and my destruction, and the destruction of all the hard-won incorporated three components: human attainments. ... Religion poisons everything” (emphasis • A long and healthy life: life expectancy at birth in original). How can we characterize this if not as ? • Access to knowledge: mean years of schooling and ex - Over generalization? Paranoia? Perhaps the foreword to a pected years of schooling Stephen King novel? • A decent standard of living: Gross National Income (GNI) per On my view, in these examples Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens capita have offered us mere rants, reminiscent of political scientist/soci- ologist Chip Berlet’s discussion of the extreme religious Right. An initiative of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), the According to Berlet, the following are among the styles utilized “American Human Development Project” designed The Modified by the extreme Right in articulating its ideologies and mobilizing American Human Development Index, with scores for the fifty support. U.S. states and Washington, D.C., ranging from 6.30 for Con- necticut to 3.85 for West Virginia (see www.ssrc.org and Dualism ... a form of binary thinking that divides the world www.measureofamerica.org). into good versus evil, with no middle ground tolerated. Religiosity. Reliable state-by-state data on religiosity are avail- There is no acknowledgement of complexity, nuance, or able from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life’s U.S. ambiguity in debates, and hostility is expressed toward Religious Landscape Survey, which involved a representative those who suggest coexistence, toleration, , sample of more than 35,000 adults. Among the dimensions of compromise, or mediation. ... religiosity it examined were denominational affiliation and reli- An Apocalyptic Style.... A handful of people have gious beliefs and practices. Most pertinent to the objectives of been given a warning so they can make appropriate the current study were the following general findings, from preparations. Apocalyptic ... social movements often which I have developed composite measures of high, moderate, combine demonization, , and conspiracism and low religiosity for the fifty U.S. states and the District of with a sense that time is running out, so quick action is Columbia. The percentages of the 35,000+ total respondents needed. ... selecting identified alternatives are presented in parentheses: Conspiracism ... is a particular narrative form of scapegoating that frames demonized enemies as part of • Belief regarding the existence of God or universal spirit. Absolutely a vast insidious plot against the common good, while it certain that God exists (71%); Fairly certain (17%); Not too cer- valorizes the scapegoater as a hero for sounding the tain/not at all certain/unsure how certain (4%); Does not believe alarm. ...* in God (5%); and Don’t know/refused to answer (3%). •Belief regarding interpretation of Scripture [Bible or Holy Book]. Purpose of Study Word of God, literally true, word for word (33%); Word of God, The purpose of the current study is to illustrate by one select but not literally true word for word/unsure if literally true example the potential to apply the sociological perspective and a (30%); Book written by man, not the word of God (28%); Don’t very basic research methodology in order to increase our under- know/refused to answer/other (9%). standing of the complex interrelationships between religion and • Belief regarding importance of religion in one’s life. Very impor- society, particularly the “dysfunctional” effects of the former on tant (56%); Somewhat important (26%); Not too important/not the latter. I hope to demonstrate that the errors of overgeneral- at all important (16%); Don’t know/refused (1%). ization evident in the “broad brush” critiques of prominent athe- • Practice of frequency of attendance at religious services. At least ists such as Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens may be corrected by once a week (39%); Once or twice monthly/few times a year more careful and detailed examination of the relationships (33%); Seldom or never (27%); Don’t know/refused (1%). between religiosity and societal dysfunction. •Practice of frequency of prayer. At least once a day (58%); Once a week/a few times a week (17%); A few times a month (6%); Methodology and Findings Seldom or never (18%); Don’t know/refused (2%). The Human Development Index. Although numerous indicators Disregarding the “Don’t know/refused to answer” selections, of societal health or dysfunction have been used to characterize the first response alternative for each of the above survey ques- a society’s health, one widely accepted measure is the Human tion topics were jointly considered as “high religiosity” responses: Development Index, or HDI. The HDI was developed as an alter- Absolutely certain that God exists; Word of God, literally true, native to economic-based measures of societal development word for word; Very important; At least once a week; At least such as the Gross National Product (GNP) or Gross Domestic once a day. “Low religiosity” was defined by the last response Product (GDP), so as “to shift the focus of development econom- alternative(s) to each question: Not too certain/not at all cer- *”Mapping the Political Right: Gender and Race Oppression in Right- tain/unsure how certain or Does not believe in God; Book written Wing Movements” in Abby L. Ferber, ed., Home Grown Hate: Gender by man, not the word of God; Not too important/not at all impor- and Organized Racism (New York: Routledge, 2004). tant; Seldom or never; and Seldom or never. “Moderate religios-

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ity” included the middle or in-between responses: Fairly certain; ses 1 and 3 but not for hypothesis 2, I next examined another Word of God, but not literally true word for word/unsure if liter- measure of religiosity, namely, denominational affiliation. ally true; Somewhat important; Once or twice monthly/few times In addition to querying survey respondents about their reli- a year; Once a week/a few times a week or A few times a month. gious beliefs and practices, the Pew Survey asked about denomi- Hypotheses 1–3. If we accept the generalizations proffered by national affiliation. Of the sample of 35,000+, 84 percent identi- Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens regarding the dysfunctionality or fied with one of the following major religious traditions: Evan- malignant effect of religion on society, then it is reasonable to gelical Protestant (26%); Mainline Protestant (18%); Catholic hypothesize the following relationships between religiosity and (24%); and Unaffiliated (16%). the American Human Development Index: No “tradition” other than the four above exceeded 10 per- cent. The next largest group self-identified with Historically Black 1. There is a negative association (correlation) between high reli- Churches at 7 percent, with the Jewish tradition at only 1.7 per- giosity and the American HDI; namely, the higher the percent- cent; while Buddhists comprised but .7 percent and Muslims and ages of state populations self-reporting high religiosity of reli- Hindus were .6 percent and .4 percent, respectively. Among the gious beliefs and practices the lower the scores on the Unaffiliated were atheists at 1.6 percent, agnostics at 2.4 percent, American HDI. and “nothing in particular” at 12.1 percent. 2. There is a negative association (correlation) between moder- Hypotheses 4–7. Guided again by the writings of Dawkins, ate religiosity and the American HDI; the higher the percent- Harris, and Hitchens, the following hypotheses are suggested: ages of state populations self-reporting moderate religiosity of religious beliefs and practices the lower the scores on the 4. The higher the percentage of state populations self-identify- American HDI, but this relationship is expected to be some- ing as Evangelical Protestant, the lower the score on the what less strong than that predicted in hypothesis 1. American HDI; a negative correlation is predicted. 3. There is a positive association (correlation) between low reli- 5. The higher the percentages of state populations self-identify- giosity and the American HDI; namely, the higher the percent- ing as Mainline Protestant, the lower the score on the ages of state populations self-reporting low religiosity of reli- American HDI. Again a negative correlation is predicted. gious beliefs and practices the higher the score on the 6. The higher the percentages of state populations self-identify- American HDI. ing as Catholic, the lower the score on the American HDI, with a negative correlation again predicted. My analyses of the data produced evidence supporting 7. The higher the percentages of state populations self-identify- hypotheses 1 and 3 but not hypothesis 2, as shown in figure 1. ing as Unaffiliated, the higher the score on the American HDI. The findings of this analysis do not support hypothesis 2. In A positive correlation is predicted. fact, whereas a negative correlation was predicted, a positive one is observed. The higher the moderate religiosity score, the higher My analyses yielded findings supportive of hypotheses 4 and the score on the American HDI. Having found support for hypothe- 7 but not hypotheses 5 and 6, as shown in the following figures.

Figure 1. Relationship between moderate religiosity and the American Human Figure 2. Relationship between the percentages of state populations Development Index for the fifty U.S. states and Washington, D.C. self-identifying as Mainline Protestant and the American Human Development Index (HDI) for the fifty U.S. states and Washington, D.C. Note: The Pearson’s correlation coefficient, r, of .552 is statistically significant at p = .000. Note: The r of .014 is not statistically significant.

These results provide evidence that stands in refutation of hypoth- esis 5. There is no relationship between the percentages of state populations self-identifying as Mainline Protestant and the American HDI. 40 FREE INQUIRY OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 secularhumanism.org FI Oct Nov***_FI 8/30/12 9:50 AM Page 41

the social inequality variables of income, educational attainment, and race, reveal that the former two account for or “explain” 93 percent of the variation in HDI scores, while introducing the reli- giosity variable increases the amount of explained variation by only an additional 2 percent. The direct, confrontational, no-holds-barred assault upon organized religion by contemporary atheists is misguided—a ter- rible waste of time, precious talent, intelligence, and energy and has little chance to help bring about the realization of a life for humankind guided by humanist ideals of the Enlightenment: reason, science, compassion and the several other normative standards articulated in “The Affirmations of Humanism: A State- ment of Principles” and in The Humanist Manifesto. While we should continue to pursue a policy of zero toler- ance for pedophile priests and terrorists inspired by religious extremism, we should simultaneously advocate for more aggres- sive measures to decrease currently intolerable levels of income, Figure 3. Relationship between the percentages of state populations wealth, and educational inequality. If we expect substantial pro- self-identifying as Catholic and the American Human Development Index (HDI) portions of our population to live lives guided by reason, science, for the fifty U.S. states and Washington, D.C. and compassion, our national budgetary priorities must change Note: The r of .642 is statistically significant at p = .000. in a manner that more closely approximates those of the more egalitarian and less dysfunctional social-democratic European Whereas Hypothesis VI predicts a negative association be tween nation-states. the percentages of state populations self-identifying as Catholic and the American HDI, these results clearly demonstrate the Acknowledgments opposite finding: The higher the percentages of state populations I am grateful for the substantive reviews and editorial suggestions pro- self-identifying as Catholic, the higher the score on the HDI. vided by confidantes Nancy D., Peter D., John D., and Joan H., and I am indebted, especially, to William H. Miller, professor emeritus at Iowa State University, for access to his OpenStat multivariate statistical pack- age. Finally, I thank Tom Flynn for his infinite patience and especially for Summary and Conclusion his assistance, through insistence that my findings be described in a fashion more suitable to an intelligent and informed general reader- In summary, reviewing empirical evidence bearing upon the truth ship and less in the format of a specialized quantitatively oriented or falsity of seven hypotheses deriving from the writings of athe- research journal, distinguished by detailed and admittedly laborious ists Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens, we have found evidence in sup- statistical analyses, a style to which I am naturally predisposed. A sub- stantially more detailed version of this paper is available from the port of four but in refutation of three others. Although it certainly author; send requests in care of this magazine. may be asserted that “Four out of seven ain’t bad,” my analyses support my original contention that Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens have committed the egregious methodological error of overgen- eralization. While they are apparently correct in characterizing as malignant or dysfunctional the effects of high religiosity and self- identification with the evangelical Protestant tradition on the American HDI, and also in hypothesizing positive or functional effects of low religiosity and self-identification as unaffiliated on the HDI, their errors of overgeneralization are evidenced by the following three findings that refute hypotheses 2, 5, and 6: •Moderate levels of religiosity are associated with high scores on the American HDI, so that the effect is positive or functional, not malignant or dysfunctional. •Higher percentages of state populations self-identifying as “R. Georges Delamontagne” is the nom de plume of a retired university Mainline Protestants is unrelated to scores on the HDI. Its effect president and professor of sociology whose interests include religion and is neither functional nor dysfunctional but rather benign. society, secular humanism, social inequality, political economy, and hate •Higher percentages of state populations self-identifying as groups. How “High Religiosity and Societal Dysfunction in the United Catholic is positively associated with scores of the HDI, so its effect States During the First Decade of the Twenty-First Century” was published is positive or functional, neither malignant nor dysfunctional. in Evolutionary Psychology (2010). Other recent publications have ap- It is hoped and anticipated that further social-scientific peared in the Journal of Religion and Society (2010) and FREE INQUIRY research will help to illuminate some of the underlying reasons (Winter 2008/2009). for these findings. My own related analyses, in which I introduce

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Russell Blackford Up With Secularism! continued from p. 9

state is capable of doing some things to maintain this overall settlement (I am rupt governments or simply to replace well. Those things might be more than thinking, for example, of constitutional one government with an alternative that minimal: they need not be restricted to courts), and these can be successful as appears better. For similar reasons, we keeping the peace, enforcing schemes of long as they broadly sustain the confi- might favor laws that require a degree of property, and the like but might extend dence of the public—which needs to openness in government (e.g., statutory to economic redistributions, a social/eco- accept relevant political ideas, perhaps consultation processes and freedom of nomic safety net, and much else that falls including limited government itself, the information laws). within the this-worldly activities of the rule of law, and maybe substantive politi- It follows that we can support politi- modern welfare-state apparatus in, say, a cal principles such as freedom of speech cal principles and constitutional provi- typical Western European country. and freedom of religion. sions that rein in the powers and legiti- This debate has been going on since However, even if the state is limited in mate purposes of the state, while also, at least the seventeenth century, and by this way, through constitutional provi- and for similar reasons, supporting vari- and large it has been settled on the basis sions and/or widely accepted political ous democratic arrangements. There is that the powers and purposes of the ideas and principles, it still exercises vast no contradiction here. state will be restricted, to at least some powers. We have good reason to want Smyth takes a jaded view of Christians extent, partly by constitutional provisions these to be exercised well, and that may in the United Kingdom who approved, in a but also by various widely accepted polit- incline us to favor democratic elections: recent opinion poll, of a separation of reli- ical principles. It is possible to create insti- these provide a peaceful means to gion from government power: “Hard as it is tutions within the structure of the state remove tyrannical, incompetent, or cor- to imagine, it seems that the Christians sur-

Greta Christina Infighting or Healthy Debate? continued from p. 11

they’re not. And they tend to open up old tion to a debate is, “Why are we even kind of evidence would convince them of wounds and divide people into camps talking about this? Why are we wasting this claim and are demanding more evi- based on where they came down in the our time on this topic?” It’s like going to a dence for it than they would for homeop- last debate. If we’re having a new debate, discussion board about golf and asking athy or Bigfoot, it’s hard to see that as a and we’re about to bring an old one into why everyone there is wasting their time healthy, productive debate. A sugges- it, it’s worth stopping and asking our- talking about this boring game. tion: if a debate seems to be getting selves, “Is this really relevant?” Except that it’s not actually all that bogged down, let’s state clearly what Is much of the debate turning into a baffling. It’s a classic “Shut up, that’s why” kind of evidence would change our meta-debate over who was mean to gambit. It’s a way of trivializing concerns minds—and ask the people we’re debat- whom first? Tone-trolling is infighting, that many other people consider legiti- ing to do the same. almost inevitably. If an argument is focus- mate. And it’s a way of derailing the con- Are the arguments being presented to ing on who said what to whom and when versation, so that its actual substance people who can do something about it? and how and in what tone and whether doesn’t have to be addressed. All of this is There was a recent debate on my blog which people were mean or unfair or divisive rather than productive. about sexual harassment policies/codes deliberately misunderstanding each other Is there any evidence that will con- of conduct at atheist/skeptical confer- ... it almost never makes for productive vince us to change our minds? Religious ences, in which one person was objecting discourse. Unless you consider the social believers aren’t the only ones who make vehemently and at great length to one interactions of seventh-graders to be a unfalsifiable claims or who persistently particular piece of wording in the model of productive discourse, that is. If move the goalposts for what kinds of evi- American Atheists’ code of conduct. we see that happening, I think we should dence will persuade them. This is a When asked whether he had expressed try to shift the conversation back to the human tendency, and we all do it. It does- these objections to American Atheists— actual content of the actual topic being n’t make for productive resolution of dis- who have publicly stated that their code discussed. Sometimes this means taking agreements though. of conduct is a living document open to the high road—being the bigger person So if someone is making a not-at-all- change and have expressly solicited feed- and letting obnoxious insults pass. Suck it extraordinary claim, one that’s thor- back on it—he dodged the question and up. Virtue is its own reward. oughly backed up by extensive evi- said that the person arguing with him Is much of the debate turning into a dence—such as the claim that racism was trying to “shame him into silence.” If meta-debate over whether we should exists and is a real problem with observ- you’re more concerned about winning a even be having the debate at all? I find it able bad effects—and people are con- debate in an Internet forum than you are baffling when someone’s sole contribu- stantly for what about making your case to people who

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veyed by [the U.K. market research firm] full of Christians, I would want and expect like this—one seriously run on Christian IPSOS MORI may not have thought this all the government to be run on Christian principles—he’d better not expect to the way through.” I suggest, however, that principles. I wouldn’t like it, of course— start many arguments at all. it is actually Smyth who has not thought but that’s democracy. I would also want A government that thinks it’s the matters through. Those Christians may well to start an argument. I’d want to start lots arbiter of controversies over other- have had good, even if not fully articulated, of arguments.” worldly matters isn’t going to find many reasons to think that the state is not well Seriously, would he really want the reasons to favor freedom of speech. If equipped to decide what is or is not “sin,” country to be run on Christian principles? you think that theocracy—even an conducive to rightness with God, or appro- If so, what would he want to argue elected theocracy—and free speech priate for spiritual salvation. If you think it about? More worrying, why would a make a likely combination, well good all the way through, you might well want populace that thinks its government luck with that one. Meanwhile, I have a to limit the role of the state in acting on should be deciding such things as the cor- bridge to sell you. these motives (even if the limit is only via rect religion and religious canons of con- popular sentiment), while also wanting the duct also think it should allow freedom of government of the day to be accountable speech for the govern- to the people through an electoral process. ment’s decisions on these Russell Blackford is a conjoint lecturer in the School of In the end, Smyth thinks democratic all-important things to be Humanities and Social Science, University of Newcastle, argument can save the day: “If I were to criticized? If Smyth ever Australia. His most recent book is Freedom of Religion and the be the only atheist in a country otherwise finds himself in a country Secular State (Wiley-Blackwell, 2012).

can effect the change you’re advocating, bad ideas. I think smacking down bad cally, is what I think the problem is and it’s hard to see that as anything other ideas is important. In fact, it often has to what we should be doing about it”? That’s than infighting. happen for positive action to take place. an excellent signpost of an unhealthy, Are positive solutions being proposed? Discussions of how best to address racial “infighty” debate. This one, I think, is huge. inequality, for instance, aren’t going to get And that’s a good time to start mak- If a debate is focusing entirely on prov- very far if we don’t first persuade people ing specific, positive, practical suggestions ing other people wrong, to the exclusion of that racial inequality, you know, exists, is a about what we should be doing. proposing actual, practical solutions to the bad thing, and is worth addressing. issues being discussed, that sets off every But what if the en - “infighting” alarm bell that I have. tire debate is focused Great Christina is a prominent atheist speaker and author who blogs I should be very clear about this: I don’t on “here’s why you’re at Greta Christina’s Blog. She wrote the book Why Are You So think positive solutions have to be pro- wrong,” and nobody is Angry? 99 Things that Piss Off the Godless (Pitchstone Publishing, posed instead of simply smacking down saying “here, specifi- 2012).

Leading Questions The Rise of Islamic Creationism, Part 2 A Conversation with Johan Braeckman continued from p. 7

explaining all about evolutionary theory. example. They must say to their commu- reject basic scientific insights. It’s very confusing and conflicting. And so nity that it’s just not the smart thing to MOONEY: Are there any significant most of the students don’t go with the sci- deny science. We have to figure out a way Muslim leaders who do stand up and ence, they go with their group. to be Muslim and ac cept basic scientific say this? MOONEY: What do you do when this is insights. For Mus lims, I think, this is BRAECKMAN: There are a few examples part of cultural identity? extremely important because they are of Muslim people who have spoken up for BRAECKMAN: What we need are people already in a vulnerable place in Europe. evolution, but it hasn’t worked out well who call themselves Muslim—they might They’re a minority; there’s racism; they’re for them. For instance, one -based not even be truly religious people any- not accepted for jobs al though they’re imam said he accepted evolutionary the- more, but they still must be identified as qualified for them. Those are huge prob- ory, and he got death threats. So it’s being Muslim—who have the right cre- lems in their own right, but they only make tough, and there’s not going to be a solu- dentials so to speak, and they must set the it more difficult for themselves if they tion within one generation.

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Joshua Fost On Being a Scientist continued from p. 16

lihood, that our biases and peccadillos causal free will. By virtue of their achieve- a way of investigating just those questions will lead us astray. In this instance the ments and positions these people have that arise in laboratories. We need our sci- questioner, his “identity” notwithstand- presumably demonstrated domain-spe- entists—and, for that matter, everyone ing, approached a claim unscientifically, cific competence. What troubles me most, else, as part of their general education—to and the lapse led him into what is almost as a professor, is that we seem to have regard science as the cognitive stance we certainly a false belief. painted ourselves into a corner in which must take when we interact with objec- Perhaps I should not be astonished science training is so content-focused, so tive reality. This man’s failure to appreci- that an established science educator hyper-specific, that people can get PhDs ate the weakness of his claim demon- would fail so catastrophically at extending while having absolutely no understanding strated professional and disciplinary the lessons of critical inquiry beyond the of the sweep and import of science’s incompetence just as surely as if he’d said domain of his technical training. I knew a broader utility and purpose. the earth was flat. cognitive scientist who was a young-Earth The wayward questioner that evening creationist, a mechanical engineer who mistook the domain of his thought the Apollo moon landings were responsibility as being more Joshua Fost is in the Department of Philosophy at Portland State faked, and an indeterminate number of specific than it really is. University, Oregon. neuroscientists who believe in contra- Science is neither a trade nor

Shadia B. Drury The Decay of American Democracy, Part continued from p. 14

women with the power to rule—to make ples are settled and enshrined in law. But by a sharp rise in fanaticism and a corre- laws, dispense justice, and formulate for- radicals threaten the established laws sponding decline in moderation. Once eign policy. Like any trust, it is conditional and traditions. Moreover, they cannot upon a time, Americans dismissed extrem- on the non-abuse of the power involved. tolerate the slightest divergence from ists such as Barry Goldwater with derision. If power is abused, then it can be en- their point of view; as a result, they Goldwater’s mantra was “Extrem ism in trusted to someone else in the next elec- regard the success of their opponents as defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in tion. The supreme advantage of democ- a catastrophe, against which they are the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” In the racy is to provide peaceful transitions of willing to bear arms. For example, after topsy-turvy world of fanatics, moderation power, which are preferable to the feroc- Egypt’s first free election in history, the is a vice. Realizing that moderation was ity of, for example, the Wars of the Roses Muslim Brotherhood vowed that there anathema to Goldwater, the American (the civil wars between the House of York would be blod in the streets if their candi- electorate refused to entrust him with [white rose] and the House of Lancaster date did not win. Clearly, these people power. He lost the election of 1964 to [red rose] over the throne of England are not fit for democracy. But are Lyndon B. Johnson in a landslide. from 1455–1485). However, the system America’s ruling elites any better? Unhappily, things have changed. Wit- requires the existence of decent and In the March 2012 issue of the Consti - ness the radicals elected to Congress in moderate elites competing for power, tutional Conservative, the newsletter of 2010 in the wake of the Tea Party move- because no one would entrust some- the Republican Party of Greene County, ment. They are as averse to moderation thing of importance to a madman. That’s Virginia, Editor Ponch McPhee advocated as they are to compromise. They regard what makes moderation another impor- “armed revolution” if Republicans fail to compromise as selling their souls to the tant virtue in a democracy. win the election in November. “It’s Rom- devil and moderation as diluting their Wherever fanatical religious or politi- ney or Revolution,” declared The Progres- inviolable principles. In the recent Repub- cal ideologues compete for power, sive with its usual irony when it quoted lican presidential primaries, a plethora of democracy cannot succeed in bringing McPhee in its “No Comment” section. So, extremists competed for power. The either peace or freedom. Democracy how can America teach the world about eventual winner, Mitt Romney, was chas- should be akin to a friendly debate where democracy when its ruling elites are tised by his opponents for being moder- the triumph of one point of view over hardly more sophisticated than the ate. Instead of accepting the charge as a another is not a matter of great conse- Muslim Brotherhood? compliment, Romney has done every- quence because the fundamental princi- America’s political elites are plagued thing in his power—including repudiat-

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Nat Hentoff Obama Drones Come Home to Roost continued from p. 15

Leaks?’”June 16–17, 2012), Peggy Noonan care rationing, and disappearing doctors, the governors? Will enough Americans reports that David Sanger—in his new along with media and so-called represen- have the courage to remain free?” book, Confront and Conceal: Obama’s tative constitutional government we Heading the epilogue was an associate Secret Wars and Surprising Use of can’t trust. of Ralph Waldo Emerson, feminist American Power—discovered that “Some How many Americans would refuse to Margaret Fuller: “The country needs to be of those who operate the unmanned vote for Obama because he is the father of born again.” bombers are getting upset. They track vic- homicidal drones? And how many will I am not optimistic. Not unless real-life tims for days [from their screens far from bother to try to find out whether President civics classes—encompassing both our his- the killing grounds]. They watch them play Mitt Romney would continue to idolize tory and active student participation in with their children. ‘It freaks you out,’ a for- them? their learning and our government— mer drone operator told Mr. Sanger. ‘You I ended my 2004 book, The War on the return to our schools. feel less like a pilot than a sniper. ...’” Bill of Rights and the Gathering Resistance But will our having drones among us (Seven Stories Press), here at home make us gradually less trou- with two questions. “The Nat Hentoff is a Universal (UClick) syndicated columnist, a senior bled by their presence as we become critical test for our future, fellow at the , and the author of, among other books, increasingly acquainted with these killer to return to Mr. Jefferson Living the Bill of Rights (University of California Press, 1999) and American ambassadors of gruesomeness [‘The People are the only The War on the Bill of Rights and the Gathering Resistance (Seven abroad? The “new normal” is infectious, sure reliance for the Stories Press, 2004). His latest book is At the Jazz Band Ball: Sixty especially when we have such truly (to us) preservation of our lib- Years on the Jazz Scene (University of California Press, 2010).He real-life invasive concerns as jobs, health- erty’], is: Who will govern is currently working on his next book, Is This Still America?

ing the moderate policies that guided his checks and balances that would produce the importance of virtue in the republic. governorship in Massachu setts—to prove excellent results even if the government It’s unreasonable to ask people to go that he is no moderate. were staffed by devils. In my view, the shopping when the nation is in crisis and The lack of moderation among Founding Fathers were wrong to under- when they are desperate to do something America’s political elites is particularly mine the importance of virtue for the selfless for their country. apparent in the spike in acrimonious republic. They were partly encouraged by It’s time to bring capitalism down speech. The divide between Democrats the rise of capitalism and its faith in the from its pedestal and expose the fanatics and Republicans has reached religious invisible hand that magically ensures that who have turned it into a god. It’s time to proportions. Ironically, this is happening people serve the commonweal just by acknowledge that we need the visible when the difference between the two pursuing their own interests. This vision hand of government regulation, not just political parties is less and less discernible. of society was rightly satirized by Bernard the invisible hand of the market. How- Both parties serve the corporate oli- Mandeville in his Fable of the Bees (1705). ever, since we know that we will never garchs; both parties are committed to Writing at the height of enthusiasm for have all the virtue we need for good gov- America’s gun culture; both parties are capitalism that has only been matched by ernment, we had better not abandon the committed to faith-based initiatives; both the religious fervor with which it is effort of the Founders to create a system parties call on God to bless America. The preached in our time, Mandeville’s two- in which devils would find it hard to oper- only difference between them is that one volume poem took sarcastic jabs at a soci- ate. Unfortunately, we live in a time with party is more radical in its allegiance to ety in which private vices such as greed, neither respect for virtue nor respect for God, guns, and oligarchs. It is no wonder self-indulgence, and love of luxury checks and balances. We live in an age that Cornel West has characterized the yielded public benefits: that believes in greed, not virtue; in dereg- election of 2012 as a choice between dis- Though every part is full of Vice ulation, not checks and balances. aster (Barack Obama) and catastrophe Yet the whole mass a Paradise (Mitt Romney). Such were the blessings of The trouble with emphasizing virtue that State Their crimes conspired to Shadia B. Drury is Canada Research Chair at the University of as the foundation of a republic is that the make them Great. Regina in Canada. Her most recent book is Aquinas and American Founding Fathers were not Modernity (Rowman & Littlefield, 2008). She is currently inclined to do so. Instead, they hoped to Mandeville’s point was that it’s working on a book titled Chauvinism of the West. create a system of government with unreasonable to undermine

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Church-State Update

Overpopulation, Climate Change, and November 6 Edd Doerr

n the early 1950s, I was a guest on a mate scientists have been sounding the didates for offices—high and low—are Sunday evening talk-show in Indian- alarm about climate change and global mostly likely to get serious about the Iapolis discussing the overpopulation warming. highlighted the matter problems summarized above, not only in problem. World population then was less with a book and a television program, the privacy of the voting booth but in than a third of today’s seven-billion-and- also using the hockey stick metaphor. But every possible way that we can influence counting. The following morning’s news- climate change, which is due in large the elections. paper headlined a hysterical rant about measure to human activity, is loudly the audacity of discussing something so pooh-poohed by conservatives, Repub- Labels and Bottles controversial in anything above a whis- licans, and fundamentalists. Polls this summer showed that about 19 per. The talk-show host was fired. During its 1972 and 1973 terms, the percent of Americans report being reli- Even earlier, UNESCO director, scientist, U.S. Supreme Court, in a pair of related rul- giously “unaffiliated.” So, what does that and humanist Julian Huxley had been ings (Baird v. Eisenstadt and Roe v. Wade), mean? Here are some observations based pushing for international action on over- ac knowledged (not created) the constitu- on my decades of involvement with this population, even using the familiar tional right of all persons, married or single, large area of interest. “hockey stick” metaphor, although world to practice family planning (“artificially,” in “Unaffiliated” means just that: not population in 1950 was just 2.2 billion. Paul contrast to the relatively useless “natural” affiliated with any religious organization. Ehrlich and other scientists began churn- method approved by the Old Boys’ Club It tells nothing about what an unaffiliated ing out books and articles on the subject. In on the Tiber) and to terminate problem person believes. It is not synonymous with 1975, the Republican ( gasp!) Ford admin- pregnancies through abortion. Since then, unbelief. In any event, everyone is a non- istration produced the National Security fundamentalist-tending religious “lead- believer in whatever conflicts with what Study Memorandum (NSSM) 200 report, ers” (Catholic, Evangelical, Jewish, and he or she believes. Fundamentalists are confirming what Huxley, Ehrlich, and other Muslim), aided by public apathy and con- unbelievers in evolution. Protestants are unbelievers in the authority of the pope, scientists had been saying about overpop- servative political opportunism, have been and Catholics tend to be unbelievers in ulation and recommending United States maneuvering to strangle abortion and contraception rights—or access—through “sola scriptura.” Humanists believe in one and worldwide action to stem population legislation in Congress and the states. (We fewer deity than Christians. And there are growth by making contraception univer- might note that these religious leaders are folks who say “I am spiritual but not reli- sally available. It even noted that popula- also pushing to get all taxpayers to support gious,” whatever that might mean. tion growth could not be reined in without pervasively sectarian private schools, most Unaffiliated is not synonymous with widespread legalization of abortion.* of which promote a misogynist antichoice humanism or secularism or atheism. Un - Then a curious thing happened. The ideology.) belief is not necessarily humanism. There NSSM 200 report was stamped “classi- It should be abundantly clear that fail- are atheists who agree with the Vatican, fied” and deep-sixed until nearly the eve ure to deal with overpopulation and cli- the bishops, televangelists, and Repub lican of the 1994 United Nations Cairo confer- mate change, and to do so now, will leaders that abortion is to be condemned ence on population, when it was pub- inevitably mean catastrophe: Four- and outlawed. There are atheists, like the lished with commentary by population Horsemen-of-the-Apocalypse horrors for late Milton Friedman, who support having scientist Stephen Mumford—and even billions of humans (shortages of fresh government force all taxpayers to support then was generally ignored. (I seem to water, fossil fuels, good farm land, forests, pervasively sectarian private schools have been one of the few writers to have important ecosystems, and so on) and through school vouchers. Friedman’s reviewed Mumford’s important NSSM possibly the end of civilization. The leaders voucher plan was actually imposed on 200 book.) and enablers of the anti-choice, anti-con- Chilean taxpayers by the brutal Pinochet For at least a quarter of a century, cli- traception, anti-climate change move- military dictatorship. There are atheists *I wrote on NSSM 200 previously in my De - ments are criminally irresponsible. Or per- who are very far from being humanists. cember 2011/January 2012 column. Stephen haps they’re clinically nuts. Nor does “affiliated” necessarily mean Mumford’s article “The Catholic Doctrine and As we approach the crucial November Reproductive Health” appeared in FI, Winter (Continued on page 57) 2001. 6 elections, we need to decide which can-

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Faith and History

Another Holy Horror: The Taipings James A. Haught

istorical awareness is woefully penalty for various vices and imposing in July 1864, many Taipings took poison, spotty. Everyone knows that World strict separation of sexes. Although and others suffered mass execution. The HWar II killed perhaps forty million polygamy was banned, Hong, the sup- final battle killed one hundred thousand people. But few have ever heard of a posed younger brother of Jesus, had a people in three days. bizarre religious war that inflicted similar harem of concubines. Hong’s body was exhumed and slaughter. In March 1853, the Taipings conquered burned, and his ashes were blasted from China’s Taiping Rebellion in the mid- Nanking, killing thirty thousand imperial a cannon to deprive his fanatical follow- 1800s was the bloodiest civil war in human troops and civilians. Hong renamed the city history and possibly the worst conflict of “Heavenly Capital” and built his “Palace of any type, depending on whose casualty the Heavenly King” there. estimate you accept. Most historians tally As the rebellion mushroomed so too the death toll at twenty million, but some did the horrendous death toll. The Tai - speculate that fifty million or one hundred pings soon controlled much of south-cen- million people perished, largely from war- tral China, about one-fourth of the nation “China’s Taiping Rebellion caused famines and epidemics. containing nearly half of the population. The weird uprising began because a The visionary Hong partly withdrew as in the mid-1800s was the Chinese man named Hong Xiuquan read military commander—but he grew suspi- bloodiest civil war in human his- Christian missionary pamphlets, then said cious of Yang’s pronouncements as the tory and possibly the worst he experienced a vision in which God told “voice of God.” He ordered the execution him he was a younger brother of Jesus of Yang and his family in 1856, along with conflict of any type.” (apparently forming a Holy Quaternary: the extermination of Taiping soldiers father, two sons, and Holy Ghost). Hong loyal to Yang. said God commanded him to “destroy Qing Dynasty rulers struggled to demons,” meaning officials and support- defeat the snowballing mutiny that en - ers of the reigning Qing Dynasty. sued. Several local resistance militias were Hong proclaimed the “Heavenly King- organized. The largest was the “Ever- dom of Peace” (Taiping Tianguo) and Victorious Army” led by an Amer ican com- ers of a gravesite where he could be wor- began raising a volunteer army to wage mander, Frederick Ward. After Ward was shiped as a divine martyr. Several hun- the opposite of peace. Oppressed peas- killed in 1862, Charles “Chinese” Gordon, a dred thousand Taiping soldiers remained ants in southern China flocked to him, Briton, took up command. During that in surrounding regions and continued a partly because of his miracle message and chaotic period in China, hiring expert for- guerrilla resistance until 1871. partly because they felt bitterness against eign commanders to lead local mercenary Footnote: Unlucky Chinese Gordon the ruthless northern Qing government. defense armies was thought expedient. would later be afflicted by murderous reli- Early rebel victories against Qing Gradually, the Taipings were beaten gion a second time. In 1885, he led Egyp - troops in 1850 caused the Taiping army to back. But many fought stubbornly, even to tian defenses against a Muslim holy war in swell beyond seven hundred thousand the death. Eventually, they were sur- the upper Nile valley and was killed when soldiers. One of leader Hong’s top aides— rounded in their capital, Nanking. Hong the fanatics overran Khartoum. Yang Xiuqing, who claimed that his own relinquished power to his fifteen-year-old utterances were the voice of God speak- son. Then Hong died of food poi- ing through him—be came a secondary soning from eating unclean veg- James A. Haught is editor of the Charleston Gazette, West commander. Toge ther, they mandated a etables in the starving city. As Virginia’s largest newspaper, and a senior editor of FREE INQUIRY. puritanical society, inflicting the death imperial troops overran Nanking

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Point

Spirited Naturalism A Heretical Manifesto Andy Norman

n a spirited polemic against “spirit”-talk this stance, I risk being branded an apos- still be important to find out whether he (“Excrement Eventuates,” FI, February/ tate, I know, but I do it to aid the church of or she is “in good spirits.” No other words IMarch 2012), Tom Flynn invites us to reason. Just hold off on the excommunica- in the English language are quite right for join him on what he calls the “welcoming tion proceedings until you hear me out. the job. (Compare with “How’s your shores” of a “wholly dis-‘spirited’ natural- First, some common ground: Yes, spirit- mood, Mom?”) ism”—a place where the natives reject all talk is sometimes used by folks deluded We spirited naturalists know that “spiritual security blankets” and sternly enough to think that disembodied spirits “team spirit” can be the difference contemplate the fact that everything in exist. Occasionally, people understand such between winning and losing. It’s hard to life is all just “shit happening.” talk as designating a kind of ghostly meta- say exactly what team spirit is, but we Sorry, Tom. I spent decades on your physical substance or sense of cosmic know it when we see it or feel it—we’ve “welcoming shores” and I found them, meaning. You want an outlook purged of experienced its effects, and they can be well, dispiriting. I write from the sunny, such nonsense. Amen to that, brother. It’s profound. “Spirited” people tend to raise thoroughly naturalistic beach on the high time we outgrew our childish attach- the spirits of those around them, and other side. We don’t mess with cheap ment to imaginary agents and spiritual sub- “dispirited” people tend to depress them. metaphysical comforts here either, but stances. Ectoplasm must go. These are facts. Moreover, “inspiration” is our world appears quite different. The Second, I’ll stipulate that a lot of spiri- a real phenomenon. When we seek it, we difference is hard to capture in words, but tuality-talk is mushy and maddeningly are not seeking nothing; when we find it, you, my friend, have quite inadvertently vague. Too often, it provides cover for we have found something important. shown us the way. Here in the land of flaky New-Age nonsense. Count me an Spirited naturalists also recognize a opponent of “woo-woo,” too. difference between “the letter” and “the Third, you’re right that such talk is spirit” (of, for example, the law). When an sometimes interpreted as referencing unthinking bureaucrat attends only to supernatural entities, even when the the language of a wise regulation, show- intent is perfectly naturalistic. I’ll even ing none of the practical wisdom needed “It’s high time we outgrew our concede the basic premise of your argu- to channel its “spirit,” we are rightly in- ment: every time a thoroughgoing natu- childish attachment to imaginary censed. When someone plays within the ralist uses spirit-talk, we bypass an oppor- rules but is untouched by the “spirit of fair agents and spiritual substances. tunity to “demonstrate . . . that a wholly play,” we don’t want to play with them Ectoplasm must go.” dis-‘spirited’ naturalism within the anymore. Agreements not backed by “a scope of human possibility.” spirit of cooperation” (or dare I say it, You conclude that spirit-talk “does “good faith”) tend to unravel, as do rela- real damage” and that it ought, for that tionships not backed by “a spirit of good- reason, to be abandoned. I’m not con- will.” Good partners are attuned to these vinced that the harm caused is very great, differences, and as Thomas Hobbes but in any case, your conclusion doesn’t pointed out, only a fool ignores them. spirited naturalism, it ain’t just shit hap- follow. For a consequentialist, assessment (Hobbes, whose naturalism was as thor- pening; it is—if you’ll pardon the expres- must look at benefits as well as costs. oughgoing as it comes, was perfectly sion—some happenin’ shit! And you too, And spirit-talk has real benefits. We clear on the importance of such talk; see without delusion of any kind, can experi- spirited naturalists think it’s OK to Leviathan, Chapter XV.) ence this gestalt switch. The trick is to describe someone as being “in high spir- Marcus Aurelius—no one’s woo-woo approach things in the right spirit. its.” Not only is such talk permissible, it’s supernaturalist—distilled an extraordi- No, I will not subject you to a woolly- useful. The difference between being “in nary trove of wisdom to this: “The first rule headed defense of spiritualism. I have in high spirits” and being “dispirited” is very is to keep an untroubled spirit; the second mind a position akin to Alain de Botton’s real. If a family member is struggling with is to look things in the face and know “Atheism 2.0,” admirably expressed in his a protracted illness, you can gather every (Continued on page 51) TED talk by that name. In advocating for objective fact worth knowing, and it will

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Counterpoint

Rebuking the Foul Spirit * Tom Flynn

welcome Andy Norman’s riposte. Still, Here’s dictionary.com on spiritual: ineffable quality,” inhabiting what Doug after several close readings I cannot Muder called “the gap between what you 1. of, pertaining to, or consisting of Iescape three conclusions: spirit; incorporeal. can experience and what you can de- 2. of or pertaining to the spirit or soul, scribe.” For Norman, the objects of spirit- 1. With all good intentions, he underesti- as distinguished from the physical talk are things “[w]e experience . . . quite mates the scope of the problem. nature: a spiritual ap proach of life. directly, and often very deeply—but lan- 3. closely akin in interests, attitude, 2. He inadvertently makes my point that guage remains inadequate to them.” spirit-talk is corrosive of naturalism. outlook, etc.: the professor’s spiritual heir in linguistics. Naturalists—indeed, all philosophical 3. He underestimates how easy spiritual 4. of or pertaining to spirits or spiritual- monists—should have huge problems language is to avoid. ists; supernatural or spiritualistic. with this, because their stance effectively 5. characterized by or suggesting pre- precludes the existence of “ineffable” 1. The Scope of the Problem dominance of the spirit; ethereal or delicately refined: She is more of a phenomena. On their view (and mine), Norman argues that little damage is done spiritual type than her rowdy nothing is inherently ineffable. Natural ism when members of the general public hear brother. admits no necessary gap between what seculars use spiritual language. “Occa - 6. of or pertaining to the spirit as the can be experienced and what can be seat of the moral or religious nature. sionally, people understand such talk as described. All that occurs unfolds within designating a kind of ghostly metaphysi- 7. of or pertaining to sacred things or matters; religious; devotional; the natural realm and is describable using cal substance,” he writes, but “the funda- sacred. natural language. That is not to say that mental role of spirituality-talk” is “to call 8. of or belonging to the church; eccle- you or I will always be able to compose an lords spiritual and temporal. attention to depths of attention that are siastical: accurate description of any given experi- 9. of or relating to the mind or intellect. presently inexpressible.” He seems confi- ence. But that is not to say that my failure dent that most members of our society While slightly friendlier to Norman’s posi- of description—or yours—places its object will “get it” when sophisticates use spirit- tion—items 3, 5 (arguably), and 9 don’t as- outside the realm of the natural. talk metaphorically and that only a few sert supernatural concepts—none comes When Norman divides natural things will walk away thinking they just heard close to the meaning Norman has in mind. describable by language from “spiritual” naturalists confess belief in ghosts. How lopsidedly these definitions skew things whose character language can limn Let’s put this thesis to the, um, highly in the direction of supernatural interpreta- but imperfectly, he implies that reality is not scientific test of checking the first two dic- tion! Granted, two dictionaries is a modest one. To follow this path is to cashier monism tionaries easily at hand—my trusty old sample—but if these are at all indicative of for dualism, naturalism for . . . well, for some- hardcopy American Heritage and the ever- actual usage, they throw doubt on thing that is not naturalism. If not exactly popular dictionary.com. Here’s how Norman’s contention that “The tendency supernaturalism, Norman’s view encapsu- American Heritage defines the adjective to interpret such talk as denoting ghostlike lates a corrosive supra-naturalism that, taken spiritual: entities is withering away.” I suspect he is seriously, would undercut the naturalist 1. Of, relating to, consisting of, or hav- optimistic to expect that spirit-talk will be enterprise. ing the nature of spirit; not tangible or misunderstood as mystical or religious only However inadvertently, by this argu- material. 2. Of, concerned with, or affecting the soul. 3. Of, from, or per- occasionally. More likely, when seculars use ment Norman himself confirms the poten- taining to God; deific. 4. Of or belong- spiritual language, many nonsecular hear- tial of spiritual language to wreak “real dam- ing to a church of religion; ecclesiasti- ers or readers will conclude that they just age” from the naturalistic point of view. cal; sacred. 5. Pertaining to or having caught a naturalist betraying a hypocritical the nature of spirits; supernatural. Whether it be “team spirit,” aesthetic commitment to the supernatural. rapture over a breathtaking sunset, or Every item on this list has a supernatural romantic love, I simply do not agree that referent! Norman’s intended meaning— 2. Spirit-Talk Is Inescapably so-called spiritual phenomena carry the one he expects most people to under- Anti-Naturalistic “depths of experience that are . . . inex- stand when they hear seculars engage in What purpose does spiritual language pressible” or that “currently defy words” spirit-talk—doesn’t appear at all. serve? Norman claims it “calls attention to in any general way. Wonder and mystery *With apologies to Mark 9:25. a class of phenomena that have a strangely are valuable goads to inquiry, but we gain

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Counterpoint Rebuking the Foul Spirit

nothing by apotheosizing them. Nor- man’s romantic view encodes assump- 95 Ways Not to Say Spirit tions profoundly at odds with naturalism, which most would rightly consider insep- “Spirit” in the sense of life “Spirit” in the sense of mood arable from an atheistic or humanistic worldview. animation consciousness attitude disposition dash energy feeling frame of mind 3. Spirit-Talk Is Easily Avoided essence feeling humor temper If the resort to spirit-language is harmful, spark vitality tenor it is also unnecessary. Norman says it does vivacity a job “that no other words in the English “Spirit” in the sense of the sublime language are quite right for.” But spirit- “Spirit” in the sense of vigor admirable affecting talk is far from indispensable. In fact, it’s ardor enthusiasm amazing astonishing surprisingly easy to avoid—or replace. gusto liveliness attractive charming Writing eighteen years ago, thesaurus resolution spunk dazzling elegant in hand (“We Need Some Exorcise!,” zeal elevated enticing Secular Humanist Bulletin, Fall 1994), I gen - excellent exciting erated ninety-five synonyms to reach for in “Spirit” in the sense of courage exquisite grand place of spirit, spiritual, and cognate terms. audacity dauntlessness harmonious imposing Avoiding spirit-language is easy enough determination firmness impressive inspiring that you can do it with a word list, I fortitude grit inspiring lofty asserted; moreover, the modest effort re - pluck resolve magnificent majestic quired to jettison spiritual meta phors steadfastness tenacity marvelous matchless often enhances the vigor and clarity of our moving noble language. “95 Ways Not to Say Spirit” was “Spirit” in the sense of nature outstanding overwhelming reprinted eight years later in FREE INQUIRY peerless piquant (“When Words Won’t Die,” FI, Sum mer character drift (as in, “You poignant provoking 2002). I still hear from people who keep a get my drift”) radiant resplendent copy by their keyboard as an aid to compo- essence gist seductive sensual sition. (It’s reprinted once more at right). quintessence substance sparkling splendid Language-puzzles that Norman views “Spirit” in the sense of intent stately stimulating as signposts to the ineffable yield rapidly to stirring stupefying the “95 Ways.” Want to know whether intention meaning superb thrilling Mom is “in good spirits”? Ask if she is filled purport resolution touching unsurpassed with enthusiasm, vivacity, fortitude, or grit. sense significance venerable virtuous Marcus Aurelius celebrated the “untrou- wonderful wondrous bled spirit”; naturalists might better keep an untroubled mind or outlook. “Spirited people” are less equivocally described as ardent, energetic, or resolute. Moreover, potential allies. That’s a valid concern, but plenty more people living “dis-spiritedly,” these three words have subtly different I think it is outweighed by the far-greater and doing it with such clarity that anyone meanings; rejecting spiritual metaphor benefits we can seize when we model can see that’s what they’re doing. empowers us to choose exactly the one speaking, writing, and living wholly with- Andy, step away from your meta phors. that captures the connotation we intend. out “the spirit.” Apologists for religion Row back to my cooler, less presumptuous To his credit, Norman provided exam- insist humans can’t “make it through the shore! What struck you as “dis-spiriting” ples of more nuanced spirit-talk that my night” without transcendence or the spiri- was simply the determination to engage list doesn’t fully address. Someday I must tual. There’s no more powerful counterar- with reality as it is, not as we might wish it expand it to “125 Ways.” That should suf- gument than our demonstration-by- fice to ensure that it will offer explicit alter- example that we lead loving, satisfying to be. natives to a word like inspiration or a con- lives free from any hint of spirit or mysti- As I wrote in 2002, “Let us call courage cept like the spirit of the law. cism. Naturalists may be all over the courage, call vigor vigor, and call the sub- Norman objects that when we criticize Internet, but most Americans still think lime sublime. But let us dig a grave for users of spirit-talk, we risk alienating they’ve never met one. We still need spirit ... bury it, and make an end.”

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Point Spirited Naturalism continued from p. 48

them for what they are.” The second understand me.” These people are natu- formance, a spirit of goodwill, the feeling imperative expresses the same stern natu- ral allies. We need them. And they’re of being in high spirits. We experience ralism that Flynn champions. The first is a struggling to express something impor- these things quite directly and often very gem: insightful, succinct, genuinely useful tant to them. To make our shores truly deeply—but language remains inade- for promoting wisdom, and—to my ear at welcoming, we need to listen to them. quate to describe them. Spirit-talk func- least—perfectly expressed. There is also Really listen. tions, in part, to express this very fact. wisdom in Aurelius’s ordering of these I’ve really listened to these folks, and it No doubt the neurological basis of principles, for a troubled spirit invariably turns out they have much to teach us. the underlying brain states will someday distorts one’s perception of reality. They just need help articulating it. be well understood. Of course it’s all just But perhaps I am being unfair. After all, Fortunately, thinkers like Doug Muder matter and energy—at one level of Flynn had in mind a particular class of spirit and Jonathan Haidt have done the heavy description. That’s not the issue. The lifting for us. Chapter 9 of Haidt’s fascinat- talk—variations on “I’m not religious, but I point is that, despite the human animal’s am spiritual.” I don’t speak this way myself, extraordinary capacity to share intention- but many in our movement—true kindred ality through gestures and symbols (the spirits—do. Does this do “real damage” to latest theories of human cognition give our cause? I doubt it. The tendency to intentionality-sharing a central role in the interpret such talk as denoting ghostlike evolution and character of the human entities is withering away. (Nouns, of mind), certain experiences stubbornly course, needn’t denote substantial entities “. . . Awareness that resist linguistic expression. Words fail us. to play a legitimate role in linguistic prac- thoroughgoing naturalism Wordsmiths, poets, filmmakers, and tice—if this were a requirement, secular- is a real possibility is now ism, time, and reason would be equally musicians constantly push the bound- impermissible.) Moreover, awareness that nearly universal. Resolute aries, but somehow, experiential depth thoroughgoing naturalism is a real possi- exemplars abound ... and keeps receding, like the horizon. This is bility is now nearly universal. Resolute the value of adding one more fortunate, for insight, inspiration, and exemplars abound—they’re all over the wonder all spring from these very depths. Internet—and the value of adding one is marginal.” People who are “spiritual but not reli- more is marginal. gious” like to gaze into these depths and The refrain “I’m not religious, but I am savor what they find there. When they spiritual” is quite common, though, engage in spirituality-talk, they invite us among those in the process of moving to peer into these depths with them. away from traditional religion. I’ve talked That is the fundamental role of spiri- to many people in this category, and their ing book The Happiness Hypothesis (Basic tuality-talk: to call attention to depths of intent is usually naturalistic. To interpret Books, 2006) likens a world without spiri- experience that are presently inexpress- such pronouncements in nonnaturalistic tual depth to a “flatland” and argues that ible. Of course words can perform this terms, under such conditions, is at best there is a “dimension” of experience that task only clumsily. Still, spirituality-talk uncharitable. (And if uncharitable inter- we seculars are prone to miss. Or consider merits toleration. It calls us to cultivate pretation does not violate the letter of Muder’s proposal in his excellent “Before attentiveness and attend carefully to UUWorld the reasoning game, it certainly violates Words” ( , Summer 2011): that aspects of experience that currently defy we think of spirituality as “. . . an aware- its spirit!) words. Such attentiveness generates ness of the gap between what you can If you ask a “spiritual person” what he much of the insight, wonder, and inspira- experience and what you can describe.” or she means by “spiritual,” of course, he tion that fuels science. And that is some- I find this definition remarkably in- or she will often struggle to explain. What thing we naturalists should embrace, if are thoroughgoing naturalists to do in sightful. Like all good definitions, it is sen- only because it stretches the boundaries such cases? We can fault them for vague- sitively tuned to its concept’s intent and of what is expressly understood. ness or dismiss them as flaky. We can con- functioning. As a rule, spirit- talk calls attention to a class demn them for aiding and abetting the Andy Norman teaches philosophy at Carnegie Mellon University of phenomena that share a enemy. But such responses just drive bud- and speaks regularly on the philosophy of humanism, the foun- strangely ineffable quality: ding naturalists back into the clutches of dations of ethics, and the teaching of wisdom. His work has ap - inspiration, team spirit, a dogmatic religion. “To heck with these peared in FREE INQUIRY, Essays in the Philosophy of Humanism, playful spirit, a spirit of atheists,” they’re likely to think. “At least and dozens of scholarly journals. the folks at church make an effort to camaraderie, a spirited per-

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Living Without Religion

Why I Am Not a Jehovah’s Witness James Zimmerman

was genetically designed to be a with non-Witnesses. Above all, they are “own agenda.” I was embarrassed and Jehovah’s Witness. I say that because, directed to visit their neighbors, unin- crushed. I had made it my goal to do as Iunlike so many others, I did not join the vited, by knocking on their doors and much as I could for the religion, and my religion at the behest of a smiling face sharing their faith with them. eagerness—my zeal—had been inter- knocking at my door one morning but I went door to door, tagging along- preted as presumptuousness. rather because my parents were Jeho vah’s side my parents quietly until, at around I prayed fervently for forgiveness, but I Witnesses. And they were both Jehovah’s age seven, I began delivering my own couldn’t shake the overarching discourage- Witnesses because their parents were doorstep sermons. Witnesses hold three ment that resulted from being criticized by Witnesses. There was no other route—no assemblies during the year in which sev- the very elders who were supposed to be other reality—in my world than that of eral congregations meet together in a viewed as “hiding places from the wind” the Witnesses and the publishing com- large auditorium. During these assem- (Isaiah 32:2). Additionally, Jennifer and I pany that dictates their doctrine, the blies, elders interview exemplary members were having financial difficulties. If I Watchtower Society. I was taught from an of the local congregations. When I was worked extra hours one week, I fell behind early age that the Watchtower’s teach- eight years old, I was interviewed. The on knocking on doors. Conversely, when I ings were the truth, even to the point of next year, I was interviewed again. In fact, took a few days to catch up on the door-to- calling them “the Truth.” there was scarcely a year that went by door work, we found ourselves short on when I was not interviewed. Peers in the cash. I believed that God would care for his congregation joked that I was “Assembly servants, and I wondered why he was not Boy,” as if it was not a bona fide assembly caring for me, especially when I was donat- unless I was on stage being applauded for ing so much of my time to him. Soon, we my zeal. had to stop Pioneering. “My wife and I had concluded At age sixteen, I began Pioneering, In an effort to bolster my faith, I be- that a worldwide deluge was which meant that I committed to going gan studying the Watchtower’s teachings impossible. We kept this to door to door for one thousand hours a in greater depth than before. I was par- year. Combined with the meetings and ticularly fascinated with the idea of ourselves, as dissenting other religious assignments, Pioneering becoming an expert on Noah’s Flood. I opinions are prohibited by the left no time for college or full-time work. I read everything the Watchtower Society Watchtower Society, and we did got by on part-time employment. At age wrote on that topic, and I soon discovered seventeen, I was appointed as a Min- that they are woefully silent on one key not wish to be shunned by our isterial Servant (deacon) in the congrega- subject: which animals boarded the ark. family and friends.” tion, a privilege usually reserved for men As I thumbed through their publications, over twenty years old. I realized I had never given this matter A few years later, I moved to my much thought. If Noah needed to bring fiancée’s congregation. The elders there two of every species of land-dwelling ani- often made arbitrary rules, and when mal onto the ark, he would need to make they decreed that a limousine and a “Just room for over a million animals. Noah, Witnesses are strongly encouraged to Married” sign hanging from the back of even with the help of his seven family engage in extensive personal Bible study. the vehicle would be inappropriate at a members, would be unable to even visit They are told to prepare for the five con- Witness wedding, I was too disheartened every animal every day, much less provide gregational meetings held every week by to continue there. A week after our wed- food and sanitation. reading the Watchtower articles in ding, my wife, Jennifer, and I moved to a Anticipating this dilemma, the Watch- advance and looking up the cited scrip- new congregation. The elders wrote a let- tower’s bible encyclopedia Insight on the tures. They are instructed to be different ter to the elders in our new congregation Scriptures provided a tantalizing answer: from “the world.” In order to do so, they saying that they felt I should not continue “Some investigators have said that just 43 must refrain from celebrating birthdays as a Ministerial Servant. They said I had ‘kinds’ of mammals, 74 ‘kinds’ of birds, and holidays and limit their association been too presumptuous—that I had my and 10 ‘kinds’ of reptiles could have pro-

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duced the great variety of species of these harmonizes with the context from which were not taken into consideration and the creatures that are known today” (327). they were taken” (225). And the February attending midwife rudely overrode the I disliked the ambiguity of the word 1, 2004, issue of The Watch tower exhorts plan my wife had set out for the birth. In kind. Is it a species? An order? Something readers to conduct re search and provide the midst of labor, Jennifer had to fight in-between? The text didn’t say. So I wrote “accurate information so that others against the bureaucratic hospital staff—an to the Watchtower Society requesting might know full the certainty of the things especially challenging task for a woman clarification. that he had written” (30). I wrote them raised to be submissive. The response, arriving five months again with further evidence against their We left the hospital with a healthy, later, referred me to an article in a 1951 claims. They did not respond. beautiful son but a gloomy countenance. issue of their Awake magazine, which sim- By this point my wife and I had con- During the following days and weeks, ply restated the above quotation. How - cluded that a worldwide deluge was Jennifer spiraled down into a world of ever, it also provided a reference to Clarke’s impossible. We kept this to ourselves. post-traumatic stress disorder and a Commentary, an eighteenth-century book Dissenting opinions are prohibited by the depression worse than any I had ever written by a minister. He did not list the Watchtower Society, and we did not wish seen. The Watchtower’s cure-all for de- animal “kinds” either; he merely offered to be shunned by our family and friends. pression is to pray more, to attend all the the numbers without any rationale. Accepting that the Watchtower meetings, and to do more in the door-to- I was discouraged at discovering this, Society did not have a monopoly on truth for it meant that the Watchtower Soci- was distressing. I did not want to think ety’s claim regarding the ark’s passenger that I had risen early in the morning, list was unfounded and outdated. I re - donned a suit, and knocked on doors all searched the Flood further. I concluded day for nothing. I did not want to think that it could not have been global. This I had submitted to the authority of the “My wife recalled that the elders belief ran contrary to the Watchtower’s elders when I could have dismissed them and Watchtower Society had oft-repeated claims,* so I wrote to them as powerless. I wanted the Witnesses to again, supplying references to the origi- have the truth lest it invalidate decades of given repeated warnings against nal Hebrew word for “Earth” such as hard work. going on the Internet to research those found at Exodus 9:33 and 2 Chron - I likewise wanted my belief in a future the religion, and she wondered icles 36:23 and pointing out that the paradise to be true. Living forever on a word need not always indicate the entire beautiful Earth in perfection was far more why they were so scared about planet. appealing than lilting on the clouds play- their members fact-checking.” Their response included a reference to ing the harp, going through an endless a 1956 New York Times article postulating cycle of rebirths, or having no hope of an the former existence of a Europe-to- afterlife at all. Greenland land bridge. This was of fered Above all, though, I assumed it was not as proof that the animals could have ven- hurting anyone if I remained a Witness. tured from the ark to the thousands of This is what I told myself, sometimes land masses on Earth today. Addi tionally, multiple times a day. I continued repeat- door work.* But this had no positive they lifted text from a 1960 Saturday ing it as a silent, stupid mantra, even after effect. Indeed, we often left the meetings Evening Post article, using it to bolster a good friend was shunned because of his more frustrated and saddened than their teaching that mammoths died a homosexuality, even after my cousin was when we arrived. watery death. My nine-page response wrongfully expelled from the congrega- My wife suggested seeing a therapist detailed these and other issues and culmi- tion on baseless charges, and even fol- to help her cope, but I nixed this on the nated in five questions I im plored the lowing the news that some young boys in basis of the Watchtower’s frequent criti- Watch tower Society to answer. the congregation had been molested by cism of mental health professionals. In Worse than their insistence that the an adult Witness who had often been time, however, there was no other re- Flood was global was their devious nature touted as an exemplary member of the course. Eventually, her depression less- of providing support for their claim. In congregation. Benefit from Theocratic Teaching, the ened to the degree that she was able to function and enjoy life somewhat. But as Watchtower Society states: “Make sure ut after five years of such self-repression her depression waned, anxiety seeped in that your use of quotations and statistics and hypocrisy, remaining a Wit ness was B to fill the gap. Witnesses teach that a mas- becoming taxing. During our son’s birth at *For example, see The Watchtower, August 1, 2001 (p. 14); January 15, 1983 (p. 22) and the county hospital, the nurses and mid- *See the September 8, 1981, Watchtower February 15, 1981 (page 19). wife treated my wife callously; her needs article “How You Can Fight Depression.”

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sive destruction is imminent, during the When I arrived home, I was nervous. I course, I had known for years that the reli- course of which God will murder 99 per- had spent the whole summer fretting gion was not true, but only that weekend cent of the Earth’s population. This that our hold on our religion was grow- had I finally and honestly acknowledged destruction is to be so complete that not ing dangerously tenuous. I feared that we its falsehood. even all Witnesses will survive, and Jen- would drift away from the Watchtower I rolled over to discover that my wife nifer felt certain that she would be and lose everyone we loved. I did not was already out of bed. I hobbled into the among those killed. Following each meet- want to talk about anything but the most living room, rubbing my eyes into focus. ing, I spent an hour or more calming mundane topics. But when we went for a Jennifer was sitting in the rocking chair Jennifer down, assuring her that her fears walk that evening, Jennifer asked: “How reading a magazine and nursing Owen. were unwarranted. But she countered my would you feel if I said that the religion “Good morning,” she said. condolences by arguing that if the reli- wasn’t true and there was no paradise?” “Hi,” I said, yawning. gion’s teachings were true, then her fears I thought about this. The answer was “So are you going to the meeting?” were valid. simple enough—after all, I had contem- I sniffed and put my hands on my hips. plated it for years. But expressing it ver- “No,” I said. Jennifer let the magazine bally, out in the open, forced my cognitive droop in her hands, and she looked up into “Though I balked at her dissonance to collapse. I had to answer my eyes. She raised her eyebrows, and I insubordination, I could not Jennifer as there was no way of ignoring took that as an indication she wanted more the question. than a simple “yes” or “no.” “I don’t want to mount any defenses to her So I told her that I would feel very sad. do it anymore,” I explained. Instead of arguments. Indeed, I knew And for the next four hours, we spoke spending another morning in Watchtower most of what she was telling about the religion freely. Jennifer con- , we devoted the time to dis- fessed to visiting websites that exposed cussing my slow realization of the facts and me already. I knew the the falsehood of certain Watchtower the largely pernicious nature of our reli- religion was wrong.” teachings. Though I balked at her insub- gious upbringings. ordination, I could not mount any de- Jennifer and I kept our new lives secret fenses to her arguments. Indeed, I knew for several weeks as we processed our most of what she was telling me already. new awakenings. Soon, we divulged our I grieved in private over God’s com- I knew the religion was wrong. apostasy, first to our non-Witness relatives plete disregard for my pleas on behalf of Jennifer concluded that she would no and then to our Witness friends and rela- my family. Jennifer, meanwhile, slipped longer be a Witness. I grew nervous at her tives, nearly all of whom summarily further into a sinkhole of anxiety and, by declaration: What would become of our shunned us, most without inquiring about the following summer, she was unable to relationships with our family and friends? our reasons or even saying good-bye. function. She resolved to start over; if she Jennifer pointed out that even more In time we reconnected with former was going to spend all her energy panick- important than those relationships was friends: people we had shunned for years ing over the teachings of the religion, then that we not live our lives hypocritically and after they had left the religion. They wel- she felt that it was incumbent upon her to not subject our son to the same harmful comed us, literally, with open arms. They check the facts. My wife recalled that the teachings to which we had been sub- held no grudges. They were empathic to elders and Watchtower Society had given jected. “I want to go to college,” Jennifer our plight and understood that all repeated warnings against going on the said, “I want to live my life the way my con- Witnesses, especially those who were Internet to research the religion, and she science tells me, not the way some old genetically designed to be Witnesses, just wondered why they were so scared about guys writing the Watchtower tell me to need a little time and knowledge to come their members fact-checking. So, while I live it.” to the truth. was at work and our son was napping, That Sunday, my alarm clock went off, Jennifer went online. She wanted to verify waking me up as it faithfully had every whether the things that she had been Sunday of my life. But some- taught were true (Acts 17:11). thing was different. For the James Zimmerman lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with his wife, Within a matter of hours, Jennifer first time, I couldn’t picture son, daughter, and cat. He works for a major medical device reached the conclusion that her religion myself getting out of bed, corporation and volunteers his time as editor of The Minnesota was not true. Her anxiety dissipated on putting on a suit, and head- Atheist and host of the Atheists Talk television show. the afternoon breeze. ing off to the meeting. Of

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Humanism and the Arts

A Linguistic Consequence of Music Appreciation John A. Frantz

usic appreciation is almost impos- time of the sound at the two ears. Tiny dif- The varying ways we respond to dif- sible to explain as a product of ferences in the sound experienced by the ferent pieces of music probably has a sim- Mevolution, as illustrated by this two ears are noted by the brain and the ilar basis. Familiar music is comforting, so quotation from Charles Darwin in The meaningful calculations are made auto- we feel pleased and reassured on hearing Descent of Man: “As neither the enjoy- matically. However, this explanation is still a tune that we recognize and have long ment nor the capacity of producing musi- a long way from identifying a biological enjoyed. Work songs lighten the burden cal notes are faculties of the least use to basis for music appreciation. The follow- of hard labor; marching music keeps the man . . . they must be ranked amongst ing anecdote describes a possible break- military tromping through difficult situa- the most mysterious with which he is through in thinking about this problem. tions. A further point confirming that endowed.” The sophisticated ability to music appreciation might relate to our analyze and appreciate music (even by Learning the Language Doesn’t Mean nonmusicians) defies the direct rationali- Mastering the Accent zation of having survival value for its own When my wife and I went through Peace sake. Rather, it must be piggybacking on Corps training in 1968, our fourteen-year- some other biological imperative. What old daughter chose to take training for can this imperative be? teaching English as a second language with the college graduate volunteers. As “The sophisticated ability Recognition—Friend or Foe? the Peace Corps encouraged flexibility, to analyze and appreciate music The instant recognition of faces is a hard- she was permitted to do so. Ten years wired ability with obvious survival value in later, having had no further contact with (even by nonmusicians) defies terms of distinguishing friend from foe. one of her fellow students, Norman, she direct rationalization of having This ability has been well studied by stu- answered the telephone in a Manhattan the survival value for its own dents of animal behavior. I was especially home where she was a houseguest. It was intrigued by a 2001 study of face recogni- a wrong number, but she recognized sake. Rather, it must be tion among sheep. Twenty sheep were Norman’s voice and replied to him in- piggybacking on some other trained to recognize pictures of sheep or stantly in Farsi, their mutual exotic lan- biological imperative.” human faces that were placed at junc- guage, and they were both astounded. I tions in a maze. Subjects received food am sure that we have all had similar, if less rewards for correct choices. The sheep striking, episodes of sudden recognition became very adept. of voices out of context in the absence of The evolutionary implication is that helpful clues. humans and sheep must have had a com- Reflecting on this event, I realized that mon ancestor some tens of millions of this ability is automatic, that it is not years ago already in possession of this learned, and that it has enormous survival hardwired human IFF system is the com- brain circuitry. Voice recognition, our next value. It is the biological equivalent of the monplace fact that songs are much easier topic, is also part of the recognition of electronic Identification Friend or Foe to memorize than even the most rhythmi- friend or foe. Perhaps this ability also (IFF) equipment in military aircraft that is cal prose. With a given musical piece, the enables us to appreciate music. programmed to recognize other aircraft melody is easier to remember than the In my medical-school physiology class, from afar as friendly or otherwise. The words. Learning tunes can even be inad- we did informal experiments to demon- minute details of the sound of the same vertent, as anyone knows who has heard strate our ability to localize the direction words as spoken by different individuals, a melody and then can’t get it out of his of origin of a sound. Apparently this abil- which we perceive so readily, could serve or her head. ity is hardwired, not learned. Babies can a similar function. Thus, this capability for It is of interest that trained musicians do it very early on. It turns on detecting voice recognition could undergo selec- are less likely to have absolute pitch than differential loudness in the two ears and tion for survival, while music appreciation the rest of us, and virtually all primitive, illit- even more on sensing the different arrival might be its accidental by-product. erate people possess this trait. Bird songs, if

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not many others, are identifiable not only Next, I offer a speculative conse- tering the new tongue’s vocabulary, gram- by the tune but also by the pitch, which is quence of music appreciation that might mar, and syntax, performative mastery of absolute, thus helping primitive man to change the way we all learn languages— the language’s phonemes may forever interpret the sounds of the jungle more if we choose to utilize it. evade the adult learner, who may find it promptly. Other animals may also have difficult or impossible to speak (and often, absolute pitch. Modern musicians are con- An International Anthem, or a Perfect even to hear) phonemes or tones not fronted with the transposing of many Accent for Students of all Languages acquired in early childhood. pieces to make them easier to sing for a This could be an “ultimate project” for A few examples should make this particular group. Besides, the frequency of some skunk-works posse. (A skunk-works problem clear. Consider the stereotypical posse is a group, usually of engineers, difficulty many speakers of Asian lan- whose members pursue a problem on guages encounter in distinguishing (and their own time—or, at least, on time for also pronouncing) the distinct r and l which they do not have to account in the sounds in spoken English. Imagine the ordinary way—in hopes of achieving an difficulty of native English speakers who unorthodox solution with minimal man- master Spanish but cannot roll their r’s, agement interference.) My idea concerns however hard they try—or who try to how to teach all human languages, even master a language that uses tonality “Music appreciation, which has to adults, with a near-perfect accent. Let extensively, or one that employs the glot- no innate survival benefit, me offer a brief account of how it talized clicks present in many African lan- occurred to me. guages but wholly absent from English. is clearly piggybacking on some I tried to learn Farsi (Persian) at age Their lack of performative mastery keeps high-priority survival trait, forty-four. My vocabulary was good many from being fluent in languages and friend-or-foe voice recogni- enough for ordinary conversation, but they have mastered intellectually; that illiterate Farsi speakers couldn’t under- was surely my problem with Farsi. tion is the logical suspect.” stand me (they thought I was speaking Thirty years after that humbling expe- English). My eight-year-old daughter rience, the following idea occurred to me. knew fewer words than I, but she had a It is simple to express, but may be quite perfect accent. The uncanny thing was difficult to carry out. I will appreciate any that she could be my “translator” with the comments readers may offer. locals, even when she did not know the My idea is to develop and popularize a words I was using. She had grasped the children’s play song that includes all the “music” of Farsi—the sounds from which phonemes used in human language. The the “standard A” has been increased by its words were constructed—in ways that hope is that children who grew up singing some committee a couple of times in my my adult brain could not. this song will grow into adults who would lifetime. Have modern musicians shot The reason is simple enough. A great not be encumbered from acquiring any themselves in the foot, so to speak? number of phonemes—basic speech other language by “performance issues” In summary, music appreciation is an sounds, like the hard b in ball or the trill of that inhibit their speaking or recognizing extremely sophisticated activity that the double-r in Spanish—are employed the new language’s phonemes. In the places heavy demands on already-sophis- across the range of human languages. All end, all humans might be empowered to ticated neural circuitry that evolved to tongues use only some of them; this is learn each other’s languages with a per- enhance identification of sounds, espe- surely true of English. Babies come into the fect accent, even starting as adults, cially voices. Music appreciation, which world capable of forming each of these because in childhood we would all have has no innate survival benefit, is clearly phonemes—otherwise they couldn’t form mastered all the phonemes the human piggybacking on some high-priority sur- part of any language. As young children vocal apparatus is capable of forming. vival trait, and friend-or-foe voice recog- acquire their first language, they gain Children all over the world sing play nition is the logical suspect. Without this performative mastery of its particular songs. From my childhood I remember preexisting ability to gain so much infor- phonemes (and tones, in the case of tonal jumping rope to “’Pendicitis said the doc- mation from sound, music appreciation languages). In many cases, as they leave tor, ’Pendicitis said the nurse, ’Pendicitis would not have developed. In many ways early childhood they lose the capacity to said the lady with the alligator purse. ...” I it resembles our human capacity to ap- form or even recognize phonemes or remember it clearly even now, though the preciate literature, which seems to have tone patterns not employed in the first verse is close to nonsense. Meaning can be arisen accidentally out of our capacities language. This greatly complicates the imposed upon nonsense, as illustrated by for language and literacy without requir- project of learning new languages in later Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky—or by a joke ing any new biological evolution. life. In addition to the challenges of mas- that never stops bouncing across the

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Internet: “Q. How do we know that porated into a scaffold of languages and Once complete, the song would be Mahatma Gandhi had bad breath? A. woven into the text. Some might ap- played on radio and television, made avail- Otherwise, how could Mary Poppins have proach surface comprehensibility in one able in libraries, distributed online, and— sung, ‘super-calloused, fragile mystic or more languages. The song might be one hopes—sung by a generation of the hexed by halitosis?’” (Say this out loud, in accompanied by commentaries in many world’s children. Ultimately, international cadence.) languages, giving a key to the text’s travelers could join children in their songs Writing a song that is both catchy and meaning, as Lewis Carroll did in Alice at play, enhancing the unity of our comprehensive would be no easy task. It through the Looking Glass. Still, most of species—a truly international anthem. It would fall to a skunk-works posse, a self- the song will be near-nonsense for most assembled group of experts that in this who would learn to sing it. would be appropriate to publish this sug- case would include much more than engi- Our posse might prefer, if all the gestion in many places in order to recruit neers. Our posse would need to be com- phonemes could be sufficiently and con- appropriate volunteers for the posse. posed of experts from diverse fields, cisely included, to use proverbs from My hope is that this idea will take on a including a well-known and competent many cultures as a nonsense equivalent. life of its own, and that I will become merely coordinator (such as a recently retired edi- Many proverbs would be needed. Those one of the volunteers while a dynamic coor- tor of Science), multilingual literary people with universal messages would be parsed dinator recruits coleaders from the linguis- (Isabelle Allende comes to mind), numer- into their phonemes for computer pro- tic, literary, musical, and computer science cessing to find a combination concisely ous linguists, and others to be recruited as fields, to ensure that no vital phoneme is needed, such as leaders from UNESCO and incorporating most of the phonemes. If inadvertently omitted. the various religions and perhaps even there are leftover phonemes that cannot computer scientists. A newly composed be incorporated in this fashion, they Further Reading melody compatible with all cultural tradi- could form a chorus of total nonsense. Kendrick, Keith M. et al. “Sheep Don’t Forget a tions would be highly desirable. Of course, these details merely illus- Face.” Nature, November 8, 2011. 414 A lab school could provide children’s trate how our posse might organize its (6860):165–66. voices for the recording. No child should task—originality would be needed in every Levitan, Daniel J. and Susan E. Rogers, Susan E. attempt any phonemes that he or she aspect of this effort. Its coordinator might “Absolute Pitch: Perception, Coding, and Controversies.” Trends in Cognitive Sci - could not pronounce—digital mixing deem it desirable to arrange some grants ences 9 (1) 29, 2005. would easily smooth it all out. for administrative expenses and perhaps to bring key peo- Though the lyrics would be surface John A. Frantz practiced medicine from 1946–2006. He ple together in person for crit- non sense, meaningful humanitarian, taught internal medicine as a Peace Corps volunteer from ical discussion or to supervise conservation-related, and even universal 1968 to 1970. religious precepts could be subtly incor- recording of the sound track.

Church State Update Overpopulation, Climate Change, and November 6 continued from p. 46

much. Over 80 percent of Americans may essary to attend a Baptist church to survive. labels. We need to look beyond labels to claim a religious affiliation, but well under Then, too, there are humanists who see what people really stand for. There are half of those attend religious services regu- are not troubled by the word religion and many people with “religious” labels who larly. And a religiously affiliated person, some who are. The late Unitarian minister are more humanistic than many people whether he or she attends services regu- Paul Beattie used to say that “Secular who loudly beat their chests, like gorillas in larly or not, may or may not be a traditional humanism is my religion.” But Beattie a Tarzan movie, and shout about their believer. Many Catholics, Protestants, Jews, would probably have been a fan of Paul atheism. With November 6 looming, we and others, whether they attend services Ryan politically. Go figure. cannot allow mere labels to fool us into or not, are for all practical purposes really Here’s the bottom line. As Korzybski doing something really stupid. humanists. They may attend services or said, “The map is not the territory.” My accept a religious label for any of a wide phrase would be, “The label tells you very range of reasons—family, business, politi- little about what might be in cal, social, geographical, professional, the bottle.” In fact, the label Edd Doerr is president of Americans for Religious Liberty and habit, and the like. For example, if you live may be deceptive, ex tremely so. a past president of the American Humanist Association. in a small town in the south, it may be nec- We have to be skeptical of

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Reviews

Required Reading for Seculars Phil Zuckerman

ne of the classes that I teach within the secular studies program at OPitzer College is called “Secularism: Local/Global.” A major goal of the class is to understand and analyze the political Nonbeliever Nation: The Rise of the Secular Americans, by David and cultural aspects of various contempo- Niose (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012, ISBN 978-0-230- rary secular movements, both within the 33895-1) 240 pp. Hardcover, $27.00. United States and around the world, in such diverse societies as India, Turkey, Britain, Israel, Mexico, Scandinavia, the former , and others. I’ll be teaching the class in the 2013 spring term, and the first book that I will be assigning as required reading is David the Con gressional Prayer Caucus, wide- “right on!” and “yes!” and “that’s so true!” Niose’s Nonbeliever Nation. It is an excel- spread stereotypes that equate atheism throughout—to the mild bemusement lent, straightforward, accessible articula- with immorality, anti-intellectualism, a (annoyance?) of my wife and children, tion of what contemporary American sec- mainstream media that panders to reli- who wondered why I kept uttering such ularism is all about: its goals and aims, as gious Americans, politicians that fear things as I was reading the book. But even well as its quite reasonable gripes and upsetting their religious constituents), and on that front, the book was successful: it grievances. Niose clearly explains what he then forcefully articulates what organ- led to a long discussion with my wife about ized American secularists are against (fun- the important historical significance of the damentalism, faith-based initiative pro- Treaty of Tripoli, as well as an equally long grams, “God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, conversation with my kids about the David Barton, and Antonin Scalia, for phrase Under God in the Pledge of Alle - starters), as well as what they are for (build- giance. The point: I liked this book a lot. “Niose is convinced that as ing greater public awareness and accept- So let me sing some specific . more and more Americans ance of secularity, the separation of church First off: the tone/style is laudable. It is disaffiliate from religion, and state, democracy, rational debate con- knowledgeable and authoritative and yet cerning public policy, and more). highly accessible, and it is flavorfully pep- and as more and more of The book is a sound, lively, intelligent, pered with interesting anecdotes, vig - these secular Americans conversational, and at times passionate nettes, court cases, current events, and ‘come out’ and get active and statement presenting the raison d’etre of compelling examples that serve well to groups like the American Humanist Asso- illustrate a given point or argument. organized, real change— ciation, of which David Niose has been Second, the scope/breadth of the discus- political and cultural—will the president since 2009. Reading it as a sion is impressive. Niose may not be a histo- take place in America....” reviewer for FREE INQUIRY was a little awk- rian, but he does a very nice job of convey- ward, perhaps because it was simply too ing important historical antecedents and fun and easy. For one thing, I share developments of American secularism. He Niose’s fears and criticisms of the religious may not be a sociologist, but he compe- Right. I also share his general secular ori- tently discusses key sociological trends and entation and cultural outlook, and fur- processes concerning the rise of the thermore, I deeply admire his social and “nones” and their increased activism. He is American secularists want: government political activism. He is fighting to make a lawyer by training, and his discussion of neutrality when it comes to religion, more America a better, more rational country, the legal aspects of church-state issues is secular Americans to “come out” and and I am inspired by his efforts. solid. Third, the personal passion infusing proudly assert their secularity, a stronger Thus, being a genuine fan of the man, every page makes the book really come to secular presence in politics, and more. He I read his book with a general sense of life. Niose cares deeply about the issues he astutely decries the forces that prevent glee, finding almost nothing to critique, writes about and that makes the book feel such a state of affairs (the religious Right, rebut, or rebuke. Instead, I just kept saying all the more engaging.

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Do I have any criticisms? Well, if I positive vision of a progressive secular active secular Americans. To such men must, sure, I can offer a few—although I agenda. and women, I can see this book being a am doing so not so much because I find Also, there were other times when I wake-up call. I hope they will read it, and these flaws significant but simply to strive paused and asked myself: Who is this I hope it will spur them to get involved. for some evenhandedness. For one thing, book for? Who is the intended audience? Ultimately, this is an optimistic book. there were times when I felt that the On the one hand, I doubt that those who Niose is convinced that as more and more book was focused too much on the reli- are strongly, conservatively religious or Americans disaffiliate from religion, and gious Right. There were several long are sympathetic to the religious Right will as more and more of these secular Amer - stretches where Niose talked about what be swayed by Niose’s arguments. And as icans “come out” and get active and we need to fight against, what we need for strongly secular Americans, Niose’s organized, real change—political and cul- to be wary of, and what we need to con- book may simply be preaching to the tural—will take place in America, change demn. While I generally agreed with his choir. However, I eventually realized who that engenders reason over faith, skepti- assertions, I sometimes felt that these pas- I think would most benefit from this cism over credulity, science over special sages overshadowed a more positive book: those millions of mildly or passively interests, and human rights over religious message of what secular Americans are secular Americans out there—or secular- dogma. for, what we should be supporting, and leaning Americans—who don’t think too what we should be valuing and pursuing. much about church-state Highly, happily recommended. In other words, this book sometimes issues, who underestimate Phil Zuckerman is professor of sociology and secular studies at seemed to spend more time critiquing the power of conservative Pitzer College in Claremont, California. He is the author of sev- conservative religious religion in America, or who eral books, including Society Without God (NYU Press, 2008) and its political and cultural presence are unaware of the growing and Faith No More (Oxford University Press, 2011). than voicing, outlining, and defending a potential of organized and

Judeo-Islamic, Indeed Tom Flynn

ow and then a self-published book demands inclusion in FREE INQUIRY’s N review section, even though we can’t find space to consider all the deserv- ing works from mainstream publishers. With A Judeo-Islamic Nation, materials A Judeo-Islamic Nation: The Evolution of America’s Political scientist and occasional FI contributor Theology, by Thomas Mates (Minneapolis: Mill City Press, Thomas Mates offers an elegantly written 2011, ISBN13 978-1-936780-76-1) 239 pp. Paper, $14.95. account of America’s fevered religious his- tory and the state of faith on today’s polit- ical scene. Drawing from a variety of aca- demic sources, he assembles a compelling narrative that brings clarity to such ques- tions as: Why did the First Great Awaken- gions, it is Judaism and Islam, not the pas- In the early days of the Republic, ing fizzle, while the Second enduringly sive and pacifistic Christianity, whose church membership was low. Roger Finke changed the nation? Whatever happened teachings offer blueprints for governing. and Rodney Stark documented this, but to the once-zealously held (and indu- (Though the Massachusetts Puritans con- Mates sets it into a narrative. The biblical bitably biblical) Christian doctrine of pre- sidered themselves the truest Christians in doctrine of predestination—which most destination? How have conservatives con- all history, they patterned their theocratic churches of the Revolutionary era still vinced themselves that America is a community almost entirely after Old embraced—was ill-suited to the young Christian nation, when the religion Jesus Testa ment Israel.) Indeed, Mates suggests, nation. A God who arbitrarily determined preached was an ethereal creed for one reason American society secularized from the beginning of the world who dwellers in the last days that made a virtue as it did was that Christianity was so ill-fit- would be saved and who would burn was of political powerlessness? ted to the challenge of wielding worldly far too kingly for a people who had done As Mates unfolds the tale, America is power. Others have told this story, but away with kings. And a nation with a far less a Christian nation than it is a Mates expounds it with extraordinary clar- frontier to conquer valorized grovelers Judeo-Islamic one. Of the Abrahamic reli- ity and vigor. before God less than hardy citizens who

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reshaped their surroundings with their to decide our futures, and . . . became for their possession of scriptures that actu- own hands. With the Second Great anti-intellectual in the process. Finally . .. ally support their theocratic leanings” Awakening, new sects arose that dis- our frontier heritage helped to make our (214). But that’s exactly the problem: carded predestination and taught the religion especially political, moralistic, and unlike Christianity, Islam is built on the profoundly unChristian doctrine of salva- anti-socialistic. These are understandable expectation of temporal power. Its scrip- tion through one’s own efforts. They uses of religion but they remain gross mis- tures and traditions overflow with harsh grew so precipitously that by the mid- constructions of Christianity” (138). but unquestionably pragmatic guidance nineteenth century, church membership Mates is a moderate humanist, more for autocratic rulers. I think it’s still an open had for the first time become part of the interested in helping believers and nonbe- question whether truly zealous Muslims American norm. Mates makes the irony lievers live together than in atheist victo- can live comfortably and peaceably in inescapably clear: Christianity attained its ries over faith. He closes with thoughtful Western-style democracies. dominant social position only by jettison- recommendations. A few of them may That caveat aside, A Judeo-Islamic ing most of the teachings that had made have little shelf life after the 2012 presi- Nation is a lucid and sagacious book that it recognizably Christian. dential campaign, but most reflect real offers a coherent alternative interpreta- Space permits me to quote just one wisdom. However, I find Mates far too tion of America’s religio-political history. brief summary that captures how many sanguine regarding American Muslims. Highly recommended. threads of American history Mates suc- He hopes that “politicized Christians” might come to ceeds in tying together. “Protestantism Tom Flynn is the editor of FREE INQUIRY and the executive direc- made itself popular . . . two centuries ago see Muslim militants as “peo- tor of the Council for Secular Humanism. by stripping God of His biblical freedom ple just like themselves, save

Why Not a Mormon for President? Andrea Szalanski

efore this review can proceed, we must accept two assumptions: an Bavowed secularist has no chance of becoming president in this election cycle, and Mormon Mitt Romney is likely to be one of the two candidates with the best Could I Vote for a Mormon for President? An Election-Year chances for winning. So, like all other Guide to Mitt Romney’s Religion, by Ryan T. Cragun and Rick elections for the presidency of the United Phillips (Washington, D.C.: Strange Violin Editions, 2012, States before this, many secular voters ISBN 978-0-9837484-5-8) 132 pp. Paperback, $12.95. will have their choice limited to two churchgoing men. With a sigh we plod on (might not we change things up a little some year with a female or even a nonChristian candidate?) and dutifully Should that be extra cause for con- tranged” they are still strongly tied to the study the party platforms to make an cern? No, say authors Ryan T. Cragun and church through their families. But they are informed decision. But how many of us Rick Phillips in Could I Vote for a Mormon also sociologists who have brought a this fall will pause a bit longer before for President? An Election-Year Guide to scholar’s eye to the examination of Mor - plunging in because one of the candi- Mitt Romney’s Religion. The authors’ goal mon doctrine, teachings, and practices. dates is a Mormon? is to “demystify” Mormonism for the They liken their position to observing a American public—finding that only Islam stained-glass window from within and ranks lower in public opinion of religions, without. From inside, it is a thing of beauty but that may be due in large part to unfa- to behold as daylight illuminates the colors miliarity with the facts of the faith (the and design. From outside, it is the frame- “The authors’ goal is to authors argue that any religion might work and how the panes of glass fit seem wacky to anyone coming upon it for together that are more noticeable—“not ‘demystify’ Mormon ism for the first time). And the mainstream media so pretty but more informative.” the American public. ...” has done little to enlighten us. Cragun and Phillips divide their book The authors are uniquely positioned to into five parts and eighteen brief chapters enter into this study. They come from plus a conclusion as they discuss what Mormon backgrounds, and though “es - they consider to be some of the most bla-

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tant misstatements about Mormonism, left the United States for Mexico in the greater pull from the Republican Party presented by “the soundbite” and mid-1800s when the federal government than the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- answered by “the details.” They encour- began to impose sanctions on Mormon day Saints. And it is because of that—not age readers to check their work and do polygamists as Utah moved toward state- Romney’s Mormon ism—that these their own research in the “suggestions for hood. Romney’s father George was actu- authors have made a personal choice not further reading” section that ends each ally born in Mexico (his candidacy for the to vote for him. chapter. presidency in 1968 was hampered but not The authors acknowledge that they In sections titled “The Basics,” “Prac - done in by this fact because his family had got this book out “in a hurry” to fulfill tices,” “Theology,” “Social Issues,” and never relinquished their U.S. citizenship, its purpose as an election guide. Oc - “Look ing Ahead,” the authors discuss the although he did drop out of the race be - casionally that shows, as when words religion’s history and beliefs (Is it a cult? Is it fore a final ruling on the matter). contain hyphens that shouldn’t be there Christian?), polygamy, Mormon missionar- What would Mitt—a man who was (“physi-cian”)—evidence of former line ies, dietary restrictions, attitudes toward taught that God resides near a star breaks. But they can be forgiven, for they abortion, homosexuality, women’s rights, named Kolob, that men can become have produced an insightful, often racism, and even followers’ underwear. gods, that a woman’s place was in the humorous, and informative resource to They analyze how these shaped Mitt home—do as president? Cragun and aid our 2012 leadership selection. Romney and how they might inform his Phillips postulate that Rom- ney is and will continue to decisions and actions as president. He has Andrea Szalanski is the managing editor of FREE INQUIRY. deep roots in Mormonism: his ancestors be a politician who feels a

On Leading Cats into Standing Up for Cats Ed Buckner

erb Silverman is quite well known to all insiders of the secular humanist, Hatheist, freethought, rationalist, Brights, Ethical Culturalists, and Human istic Jewish movements. His autobiography— Candidate Without a Prayer—is entertain- Candidate Without a Prayer: An Autobiography of a Jewish ing, lively, instructive, witty, engaging, and Atheist in the Bible Belt, by Herb Silverman (Charlottesville, readable. I recommend it to anyone—in - Va.: Pitchstone Publishing, 2012, ISBN 978-0984493289) side or outside the above movements and 255 pp. Hardcover, $22.95. organizations—who cares about and is interested in American secularism. Silverman enlightens and delights the reader with rich details and insights of the sort that can be brought to life only by Many stories and good lines are worth role as a mathematician and college pro- someone with a long, significant personal retelling, and in this book Silverman fessor gets short shrift, but enough of it is history—and by someone unafraid to be obliges. It is focused heavily, as one would described to make one want a whole book corny when it is really, really needed. Those expect, on atheism and humanism. But he from him on that matter alone. His battles of us who know him anticipated his describes many other aspects of his life and alongside his wife on behalf of peace, civil answer when he was running for governor our society as well. The cultural “enrich- rights, and, especially, thoughtful social tol- of South Carolina and was asked in media ment” that befalls a Yankee Pennsylvanian erance are stirringly recounted. interviews what his first action would be: who takes root in South Carolina gets full But Silverman’s autobiography is not “Demand a recount.” And we knew why play, playfully. His family life, especially his flawless, and the key problem is not an he answered that way (as readers of his marriage to Sharon Fratepietro and the life omission but more of a failure to include book will learn). And we also know they have shared, is depicted with passion, enough information about a major effort enough about Silverman and South humor, and joy. His sartorial good taste in his own life that has proved to be of Carolina to know why he began his book (not!) is savored and explained. (The pho- prime importance to secularism. Silverman with an 1860 quote from Congressman tographs of Silverman in formal attire has often cited one of his favorite quota- James L. Petigru: “South Carolina is too debating at Oxford or in a suit and tie at tions from Harry Truman: “It is amazing small for a republic and too large for an the White House are both jarring and what you can accomplish if you do not insane asylum.” shocking to any who know him at all.) His care who gets the credit.” I fear that he

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has taken Truman’s bromide too seri- his listeners that he was right, but a key inevitable process led by many. Harry ously. Silverman has led a fascinating life, subgroup—most national leaders, includ- Truman’s ghost apparently kept Silverman full of fun and serious accomplishments, ing me, at least at times—resisted at every from risking being seen as boastful. The and he touches on most of them here. But turn. We had, or claimed to have, good, truth is simple (but deserved at least sev- his most important, singular achieve- strong, practical, or philosophical reasons eral chapters of details): no Herb ment—his legacy that will, I hope and I why Silverman’s vision was positive but Silverman, no Secular Coalition; no Secular think, outlast all of us in atheism/human- “just not practical” or sounded good but Coalition, no astonishing progress for sec- ism/free thought—gets too little atten- “glossed over somehow impossible-to- ularism and steady increases in the num- tion. The eventual formation of the bridge crevasses.” Silverman bucked this bers of openly, consciously, proudly irreli- Secular Coalition for America (SCA) was a tide and wore us down, pointing out gious Americans. victory that he wrought with help from (maybe it was the mathematician in him) Silverman’s book is well worth getting hundreds of others, but no one would that baking a much bigger pie is far better and reading, even without as much on the have come close to succeeding if he had than fighting your friends and natural development of the SCA as I would have not invested thousands of hours and allies over who gets which piece of the liked. He does share with us in this book effort (and not insubstantial sums of tiny pie you have now. Herb Silverman, what he expects his last words will be (see money as well) and exercised his leg- not quite single-handedly but quite my above comment on his willingness to endary dogged persistence. single-mindedly and against big odds, suc- be corny). But perhaps he can relay his Silverman liked to say, “my two cats ceeded. experiences between now and then, and put aside personality differences, past His book does describe the develop- more details on the SCA, in a sequel—titled grudges, and turf protection when I feed ment of the Secular Coalition for America My Life Goes On, perhaps? I hope so. them cat crunchies out of one bowl.” Dur- and touches, although too obliquely, on ing this battle, he visited and spoke to his role in bringing it Ed Buckner is a board member and former president of American dozens of gatherings of us irreligious about. But reading the Atheists, as well as a former executive director of the Council for “cats” who refused to be herded. He two or three pages about Secular Humanism. He and his son, Michael Buckner, are the always mixed his sermons with wit and its origins makes it sound authors of In Freedom We Trust: An Atheist Guide to Religious geniality, but preach he did. He easily and as if it were a straightfor- Liberty (Prometheus Books, forthcoming December 2012). quickly persuaded the great majority of ward, natural, maybe even

Old Religion for a New World Robert M. Price

ho but Tom Flynn could have written such a book? Anyone Wfamiliar with his keenly insightful and humorous essays will discover in these pages that his skills as a teller of tales exceed even these talents. The The Messiah Game: A Comedy of Terrors, Book I, by Tom Flynn Messiah Game (adapted from Part 1 of his (Tucson: See Sharp Press, 2012. ISBN 978-1-937276-04-1) previously published Galactic Rapture) 245 pp. Paperback, $11.95. has a fantastic scope reminiscent of Frank Herbert’s Dune and certainly of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation trilogy. Flynn, the editor of FREE INQUIRY, is, as you may know, a media wizard. His techno-savvy enriches this specimen of as espionage agents but as living cameras Catholicism. In this future, the church primitive media, a printed book, because recording titillating adventures for inter- thrives as a hybrid of pre-Vatican II piety one of the foundation stones of his narra- galactic audiences of jaded voyeurs eager and ultra-advanced exo-theology (not to tive universe is an inspired extension of for new thrills. All this is set in a distant mention new forms of corruption made today’s reality television fad—only the future in which Earth has been welcomed possible by new technological options). author came up with it more than a into something like Star Trek’s United The Jesuit Order stands accused of heresy decade ago. Some of his major focal char- Federation of Planets. for disputing the received doctrine that acters are undercover “Spectators,” par- Besides the Spectators, Earth’s chief all the humanoid races of the galaxy were ticipant observers on far-flung worlds not export to the wider universe is Roman sprinkled by a primordial group of Johnny

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Appleseeds called the “Harvesters.” One technology gives him access. But don’t let proofread the text was none too careful. of the major tasks of the Universal me mislead you into thinking that The No meaning is lost, but the reader is Catholic Church (a bit of a redundancy, Messiah Game is top-heavy with concepts inevitably distracted momentarily. no, since the two adjectives mean the masquerading as characters. Characters Splitting the huge Galactic Rapture same thing?) is to locate and to authenti- are diverse, sparkling, and imaginatively into multiple segments will make the cate new claimed incarnations of the son sketched. As for their adventures, Flynn is work less intimidating to some readers of God upon ever new inhabited worlds. somehow able to weave together head- who may quail at the prospect of tackling One of these turns out to be Arn Parek, long action, patient narration, and taken- so mammoth a volume. But once one former student of Willim Dultav, once a for-granted references to advanced tech- starts to read and becomes engrossed, college professor of sociology, philoso- nology that are unfamiliar enough to rein- the danger (for the publisher) is that the phy, and religion. Their world lies in ruins force the futuristic setting without break- reader will not be patient enough to wait from an alien attack, and the pair makes ing the spell or interrupting the flow. for the next book in the series and will just its way in the shattered world as a couple At one point Flynn’s Mormon evan- locate a copy of the whole thing, the orig- of itinerant medicine-show charlatans gelist discusses with a reporter the inal Galactic Rapture! unwittingly preparing themselves for a embarrassing grammatical goofs marring greater destiny. Such characters are con- the first printing of the Book of Mormon, vincing mouthpieces for Flynn’s educated henceforth corrected and suppressed. cynicism about religion, as well as his sym- Just the opposite has tran- pathy for the all-too-human needs that spired here, for The Messiah Robert M. Price is professor of theology and scriptural studies create it. Game appears to have been at Colemon Theological Seminary and the author of several Flynn has studied Mormon origins quite scanned from a printed copy books on theology and the historicity of Jesus. He holds sev- extensively, and he puts this expertise to of the earlier Galactic Rapture eral positions with the Center for Inquiry: he is a research fel- good use in these pages. One of his major rather than taken from the low at the CF Institute, a fellow at the Committee for the characters is a neo-Mormon media evan - author’s computer files, and Scientific Examination of Religion, and the host of CFI’s new gelist eager to export his faith through the the text suffers from numer- podcast, The Human Bible. larger universe to which Flynn’s super- ous scanning errors. Whoever

“TRUTH” IS OUTMODED. Game-Changing New Book Argues for a New Standard

Based on our 250 years of progress in epistemology, it is time to abandon the concept of “truth.” It perpetuates authoritarian systems of emotionally seductive irrationality – among them, theistic religions. Instead of asking “Is this ‘true’?” we can more productively ask “Can I coherently qualify this as knowledge?”

Leaving Truth makes this case powerfully …explains how we can legitimately select proposals as knowledge … and then shows how and why our theistic opponents cannot do so for their proposals.

This radically new, potentially conclusive contribution to our ancient science vs. religion debate offers atheists a prospect for definitive victory at the formal/academic level. Our opponents can continue to maintain their beliefs, but with their present vestige of coherent justification finally and clearly removed.

The e-book can be purchased for $3.00 through the Amazon or B&N e-stores, or directly from its publisher: e-BookIt.com.

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Letters continued from p. 13 Lindsay swerved from hitting the obvious pletely embraces a truly progressive stance Humanism and Atheism and went off onto an overly specific path to across the board, humanism will have little talk about International Blasphemy Day to say about what happens next in As a humanist and as an atheist, I must dis- and other atheistic but not necessarily America. If humanism deserves a place at agree with P Z Myers’s attempts to col- humanistic social causes. Here’s what I the table, that place must be a sociopolitical lapse them into a single concept, as he would have liked to have read about one. What else is humanism for, anyway? does in “Atheism’s Third Wave” (FI, instead: Barry F. Seidman August/September 2012). A person who The deeper reason(s) for why there is Oak Ridge, New Jersey rejects the concept of supernatural beings a severe disconnect between the modern and powers is an atheist, whether or not Republican Party (and much of the mod- that person is also a humanist. Contrary to ern Democratic Party as well) and human- Myers’s position, not only is the pursuit of ism has less to do with the social conser- Ronald A. Lindsay Responds: social justice not a consequence of athe- vatism and religious dogma on the Right ism, the pursuit of social justice is harmed The letters responding to my editorial are than the things we are told humanism by inclusion in the definition of atheism. all very insightful. I especially like John does not address very specifically, not As a humanist, I will try to convince Indo’s point that free inquiry is para- really. Lindsay is correct that there are far atheists, apatheists, agnostics, and the mount. Before we commit to anything more important issues involved in run- religious to practice humanist principles else—whether it’s a political position or a ning an ethical society, and it is indeed in their lives by both example and by soft position on the existence of God—we with those issues that both political argument. If I advocate atheism and need to commit to free inquiry. It’s the parties lie too far to the Right to be even humanism as a “package deal” I have lost only reliable way to advance our knowl- marginally considered humanistic. The any chance of advancing either with a edge and improve our conditions. nature of American empire, the fact that huge population that might be open to Barry Seidman’s letter covers a lot of for decades our military has been used one or the other. And in all honesty, I find ground and I can’t really give it an ade- for offense rather than defense, the fact it much easier to advance humanism and quate reply here. I will say that my view of that neoliberal capitalism has bank- leave advancing atheism to situations humanism is that it does have some politi- rupted the nation, sent jobs overseas, where the two aren’t tied to each other. cal implications, specifically humanism and destroyed whatever was left of the Humanism has moral consequences; tries to rectify those injustices that are American dream—once President Rea- atheism does not. directly related to religious dogma (oppo- gan got through with his attack on the I find I can better advance the cause sition to same sex-marriage, restrictions on New Deal—all this and more are indeed of atheism by conducting myself with reproductive rights, etc). In a broad sense, issues humanism has much to say about. honesty and integrity and letting it be humanism is also committed to support- Yet all too often, these things are ignored known that I am an atheist only if the ing social and economic policies that will ... at our peril as a movement and with opportunity presents itself. This usually ensure the best standard of living possible great embarrassment. happens by someone’s tying conduct to for everyone. Moreover, humanism op- I used to think humanism had to take a “Christian principles” or some such. I poses economic and social inequality to far more explicit political position than I do don’t have to insult their beliefs to let the extent such inequalities operate to now; however, if there is anything to be them know I can live morally without the deprive some of equal standing in the taken seriously about the humanist ethical necessity of belief. Nor do I have to con- community and undercut democratic code, it’s that individual liberty is not the vince them that atheism is the path for institutions. The problem is moving from only measure of a free society. Indeed, it is them. The world is a little bit better off if this broad commitment to specific policies. the measure of the far Right and capitalis- we each take from the situation what we It seems apparent to me that neither com- tic Libertarians when the rest of what can and let our separate paths go where munism nor unregulated capitalism is humanism is goes ignored. So, no, human- they do. compatible with humanism, but once we ism is not at all in line with the Republican Herb Caponi eliminate the extremes, there’s room for Party, nor most of the members of the Upper Saint Clair, Pennsylvania reasonable disagreement. Part of the Democratic Party. Humanism is, instead, problem is that economics is a very inexact far more in line with the Occupy move- science at best, so I don’t think we can say ment’s call for inclusive democracy and the This year I expect to get my master’s de- with confidence that, for example, a tax end of the capitalist state as we know it gree in philosophy, for which I’ve written rate of 50 percent for millionaires is the than with either of these antiquated polit- a thesis on atheism. For this thesis I read optimal solution. So although personally I ical structures—structures that only serve some articles in FREE INQUIRY but was often sympathize with some politically liberal the corporate elite here in the twenty-first disappointed about the negativity I policies, I’m not prepared to say that century anyway. found concerning atheism. The focus someone who takes a conservative posi- I am glad Lindsay took on some of the often remained on the destruction of the tion on certain economic policies, e.g., by important facts about humanism and poli- transcendental with little or no interest favoring a flat tax, cannot be a humanist. tics, but unless organized (H)umanism com- shown for the development of society

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beyond that (very necessary) destruction. just a killer tsunami. I hope he will aban- reasons why the state should be recogniz- The main idea behind what P Z Myers don his true faith in socialism—or write ing and promoting marriage. As a group, wrote in his article is the same message as about something else. liberal, well-educated secular humanists the one of my master’s thesis: it’s time Peter C. Hughes generally have happier and more stable atheism goes beyond its classic approach Aurora, Ontario, Canada marriages than the usual conservative of sole negativity and starts to fight defenders of marriage, so why should it be actively for a more human society, e.g. “for hard to defend something we are so equality for all, economic security for all, This is to thank P Z Myers for such a good at? Are we worried that if we say and universally available health and edu- refreshing review on the meaning of that marriage leads to a more stable soci- cation services,” as Myers’s examples go. I atheism. His proposal for a universal, ety and is the best way to raise children, we might offend those with different hope his article will be one of the first in a humanitarian atheism is not only the arrangements, even if it helps make the long and extensive series of articles in FI on right cause to adopt, but it also enables us to, as Myers states, demonstrate our case for same-sex marriage? Can we pro- how the atheistic movement may become opposition to harmful religious beliefs. mote an ideal while remaining tolerant of a more positive one, going be yond its Jim Cranwell and understanding the alternatives? We negative definition. It’s a terrain that still Whitby, Ontario, Canada are supposed to be the flexible, nuanced needs a lot of exploring. ones; they are the rigid ones. Wouter Paardekooper Blackford also has trouble condemn- Zellik, Belgium The State and Marriage ing polygyny, influenced by a handful of “polyamourous” couples in Australia, Tom Flynn hits on a topic that merits lots even though the overwhelming majority PZ Myers’s column begins with a pithy of discussion (“Are LGBTs Saving Mar- of polygynous marriages have been the summary of why religion is nonsense. “It riage?,” FI, August/September 2012). of the Muslim and Mormon variety. It would be hilarious,” he writes, “if it Flynn talks about civil union as a substi- should not be hard to condemn such weren’t for . . . so many believers taking tute for conventional marriage. I don’t right-wing patriarchal relationships, and bad logic so seriously.” Unfortunately, he argue with this. But I would like to point a little math, as well as some movement then abruptly proceeds to advocate what out that there is one type of marriage he beyond his stale academic feminism, must surely be as dangerous an ideology completely overlooks, as does just about would show that it is not only bad for the as religion—albeit a nontheist one—by everyone else. It is the marriage estab- women involved but also for the many proposing that socialism be the “third lished by the common law of England. It is men who will be left out. Just look at the wave of atheism.” He doesn’t quite call it alive and well in the State of Alabama as I many mammal species where the males “socialism,” of course, but he does call it a understand it is in some fifteen other fight for the right to mate with all the “socially conscious, activist” atheism and states. females—and the sad fate of the losers— further makes clear from his ensuing While many people tend to think of to get a preview of (or look back at?) a comments that he does, indeed, mean Alabama as being backward, on this sub- society with widespread polygamy. If full-blown florid socialism. ject it is advanced. Common-law mar- government does nothing else, it should Surely the reader is entitled to expect riage is a wonderful thing. And it is unbe- promote what works well and condemn some airtight logic and some impressive lievably simple to enter into. All a couple what doesn’t. Seldom do we find such data, as he demands of theistic religions. has to do to be married is cohabitate and clear examples. Otherwise, he will produces what would hold themselves out to the public to be Dan Marshall be just more hilarity—were it not so dan- married. They don’t have to prostrate Silverdale, Washington gerous. But neither logic nor data are themselves before an institutional given, just a number of flat statements authority such as a preacher, priest, rabbi, taken from the socialists’ talking points. or a justice of the peace. The marriage is Spreading Humanism Apparently, wishing to keep one’s own created by the actions of the parties. assets from confiscation is greedy, My wife and I have been married by Katrina Voss in “Sloppy-Seconds Atheists” whereas to be given someone else’s by the common law for thirty years. Every- (FI, August/September 2012) wrote force is merely social justice. Don’t we all thing seems to work out fine. The subject about the mating strategy of the want “equity”? And isn’t “equity” really of divorce has never come up. This Australian redback spider and the anal- the same thing as “equality”? All terrible reminds me of something by Nietzsche: ogy to some of us as not being the actual logic! As for data, didn’t we watch the the strongest ties are the invisible ones. vanguards of freethought. I resonate USSR (and several other countries) crush Name Withheld by Request with this feeling. Our task, however, is themselves through socialism (note the more subtle but nonetheless important in second S in USSR) during much of the that we need to be spreading the twentieth century? Current Europe is Russell Blackford, in “The State and the that strengthen freethought. The chal- awash with further examples. Marriage Business” (FI, August/September lenge is being true to this “mission” even Myers’s third wave is, economically, 2012), had a hard time coming up with any though it may not be as glamorous as the

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become an article of faith criticized by Re “Humanists Care about Humans!” by What Your Preacher many, including Christian writers, as nearly Bob Stevenson (FI, August/September Didn’t Tell You impossible to do and easy to use as an 2012, special section): showing people excuse for hatred and discrimination. their natural human capabilities is caring Some preachers like to debate the existence of Winning the argument may take a form of about humans. Deceiv ing someone about God — becuase God’s existence can neither be tough love that does not easily allow for not having ability is unethical. Many peo- proven nor disproven. What they don’t want to “holding onto the person” but can provide debate is whether Jesus believed that he was ple are led to believe supernatural inter- God’s son. John Windsor’s book demonstrates an excuse for using “soft love.” vention is a necessary part of quitting alco- that, according to the gospels, Jesus expected to In his opening editorial (same issue) hol and/or drugs. rule a new “Kingdom of Heaven” that Yahweh Ronald A. Lindsay quotes the Council for I am a licensed alcohol and drug coun- would establish right here “on earth as it is in Secular Humanism as proclaiming that selor and a licensed marriage and family heaven.” He and his disciples expected the king- humanism “is beyond atheism, beyond dom come during their liftimes. therapist in Reno, Nevada—one of the agnosticism,“ adding “being a humanist best places to get addicted or rid oneself of implies not only rejection of deities and The evidence is “hiding in plain sight” addiction. There are many ways to stop re - spirits but also acceptance of certain fun- in the gospels. peated overindulgence of alcohol and damental principles.” He doesn’t say it, but drugs: religious, secular, groups, and indi- atheism has only one fundamental princi- vidually. Becoming addicted to a substance ple, a disbelief in the existence of a deity. I is a natural process resulting from using a agree with Myers (same issue) that atheists substance. Recovery by abstinence is a nat- ought to fight for equality, security, health ural process that anyone can achieve (with care, and educational services, but when he seems to indicate some atheist commu- or without attending recovery groups) if nity should be doing so, I believe he slips they know about it. Abstaining from alco- into the realm of confusing atheism, secu- hol or drugs is a natural human ability that larism, humanism, and freethinking. is part of every person and need not be To me, freethinking is the basis for all. deified. Available Now in Bookstores A freethinker is one who forms opinions William Weber, M.A., M.F.T.,L.A.D.C. and Online and makes decisions on the basis of reason Reno, Nevada independently of authority or revelation or www.no-gods.com tradition. This goes beyond religious issues It’s natural, or course, for all of us, whether and cuts across the board to all issues. we are believers or secular humanists, to suf- task of vanguards. I draw comfort from There are religious freethinkers. fer when our loved ones die. (“Grief Beyond the fact that, while most of us are not in Secularism means an indifference and Belief,” Rebecca Hensler, FI, August- the forefront, the relative tranquility with more a rejection of religion and religious September 2012). However, I am of the which we can go about our task of considerations, in any government action. opinion that we humanists experience the freethought - spreading is a strong There are religious secularists. most sorrow. After all, when we see those indication that the zeitgeist is moving in Bare bones, atheism is the doctrine we love embark on their final voyage, we the right direction and that, while we that there is no god. Many, if not most know we’ll never meet them again. must be diligent, the tide is with us. atheists were raised in religious house- While believers trust they will reunite in John J. Miele holds. We were all raised in a society per- paradise with those they loved, we who do Pennington, New Jersey meated by religion. To get to be an atheist, not believe there is an all-powerful God Humanism with a Pulse or even a secularist, one must first be a reject that fantasy—and simply accept the freethinker. With natural affinities, atheists truth of our limited existence. And the In her introduction to the special section are most likely to work towards Myers’s truth is what sets us free. “Humanism with a Pulse: The New Acti - goals by being part of a secular humanist David Quintero vists” (FI, August/September 2012), Lauren community. Myers himself seems to know Monrovia, California Becker comments “of course we [secular this when he says, “Science without humanists] need to win arguments, but humanist moral standards leads to the point of winning the argument should Mengele or the Hiroshima bombing or the Erratum be winning the person, holding onto the Tuskegee syphilis experiments.” He seems person while he or she lets go of the harm- to acknowledge that even in a deity ruled Author Bob Stevenson’s (“Humanists Care ful beliefs.” This sounds to me suspiciously world, humanist principles provide the about Humans!,” FI, August/September like the Christian meme “hate the sin, but better means of living. 2012) alma mater is the University of love the sinner.” This is a statement not Jim Coufal Pennsylvania, not Pennsylvania State Uni - found in the Bible, but one that has Cazenovia, New York versity.

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We are committed to the application of reason and science We believe in the cultivation of moral excellence. to the understanding of the universe and to the solving We respect the right to privacy. Mature adults should be of human problems. allowed to fulfill their aspirations, to express their sexual We deplore efforts to denigrate human intelligence, preferences, to exercise reproductive freedom, to have to seek to explain the world in supernatural terms, access to comprehensive and informed health care, and to look outside nature for salvation. and to die with dignity.

We believe that scientific discovery and technology We believe in the common moral decencies: altruism, can contribute to the betterment of human life. integrity, honesty, truthfulness, responsibility. Humanist ethics is amenable to critical, rational guidance. There are normative We believe in an open and pluralistic society and that standards that we discover together. Moral principles are democracy is the best guarantee of protecting human rights tested by their consequences. from authoritarian elites and repressive majorities. We are deeply concerned with the moral education We are committed to the principle of the of our children. We want to nourish reason and compassion. separation of church and state. We are engaged by the arts no less than by the sciences. We cultivate the arts of negotiation and compromise as a means of resolving differences and achieving mutual We are citizens of the universe and are excited by understanding. discoveries still to be made in the cosmos.

We are concerned with securing justice and fairness We are skeptical of untested claims to knowledge, in society and with eliminating discrimination and we are open to novel ideas and seek new and intolerance. departures in our thinking.

We believe in supporting the disadvantaged and the We affirm humanism as a realistic alternative to disabled so that they will be able to help themselves. theologies of despair and ideologies of violence and as a source of rich per sonal significance and genuine satisfaction We attempt to transcend divisive parochial loyalties based in the service to others. on race, religion, gender, nationality, creed, class, sexual orientation, or ethnicity and strive to work together for We believe in optimism rather than pessimism, hope rather the common good of humanity. than despair, learning in the place of dogma, truth instead of ignorance, joy rather than guilt or sin, tolerance in the place We want to protect and enhance Earth, to preserve of fear, love instead of hatred, compassion over selfishness, it for future generations, and to avoid inflicting needless beauty instead of ugliness, and reason rather than blind suffering on other species. faith or irrationality.

We believe in enjoying life here and now and in We believe in the fullest realization of the best and noblest developing our creative talents to their fullest. that we are capable of as human beings.

*by Paul Kurtz

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