Probably a terrible idea, but I'll invite everyone nonetheless

[Burnt2]

I'm going to be rereading The God Delusion in April, after brushing up on physics and some biology.....if anyone wants to pick up a copy join me (theist, atheist, agnostic) and talk about it.

Personally, I think Dawkins is the Pat Robertson of atheism (there are far better/more articulate authors, like Pinker, Smith, and Sagan), but since everyone seems to refer to him as the last word, I'm going to work through the book this time, instead of just blazing through it.


Probably a bad idea, since people will get hot and bothered, and the mod hammer will drop on the thread, but maybe I can get some interesting insight out of it before that happens.

I'm coming from a theistic perspective, btw.

[Esper]

I'm going to be rereading The God Delusion in April, after brushing up on physics and some biology.....if anyone wants to pick up a copy join me (theist, atheist, agnostic) and talk about it.

Personally, I think Dawkins is the Pat Robertson of atheism (there are far better/more articulate authors, like Pinker, Smith, and Sagan), but since everyone seems to refer to him as the last word, I'm going to work through the book this time, instead of just blazing through it.


Probably a bad idea, since people will get hot and bothered, and the mod hammer will drop on the thread, but maybe I can get some interesting insight out of it before that happens.

I'm coming from a theistic perspective, btw.

Sounds like a great idea! Wish I time to work through it with you. Still, when you make it through, be sure to post your thoughts and I'll discuss it with you to the best of my ability.

[FORANE]

http://www.infoamerica.org/documentos_pdf/dawkins10.pdf

[SuperSleeper]

I'm in. Should be interesting. Haven't read a non-anesthesia book in a loooooong time.

I'm expecting super-mikey to join in here... ;)

[Teillard]

Awesome...When you're ready go to


http://www.patrickmadrid.com/atheism

to really round out the discussion

[Anthony]

In the last 5 weeks Ive read: Empire of the Summer moon (gwynne), The Last stand (philbrick), Unbroken (hillbrend) , Bloody Crimes about the Lincoln assassination (swanson) and The crusades (asbridge). I'm an history nut and often read several books at once...Maybe Ill try it after Im done with my current stuff... Einsteins telescope and Mandela's biography...

[FORANE]

In the last 5 weeks Ive read: Empire of the Summer moon (gwynne), The Last stand (philbrick), Unbroken (hillbrend) , Bloody Crimes about the Lincoln assassination (swanson) and The crusades (asbridge). I'm an history nut and often read several books at once...Maybe Ill try it after Im done with my current stuff... Einsteins telescope and Mandela's biography...

Anthony, you make me feel like an underachiever.

[srna26]

I would love to read this with you. I need to order the book first however. And seeing as how I'm still in school....I might be a bit slower in my reading than you :) Have you read Sam Harris's latest book? He's got some really interesting books too. His latest one addresses how science can answer moral questions (versus religion). The movie/documentary starring Bill Maher "Religulous" is also very eye-opening/interesting. Really makes you ask some questions. Thanks for the thought provoking topic!

[Skeebum]

In the last 5 weeks Ive read: Empire of the Summer moon (gwynne), The Last stand (philbrick), Unbroken (hillbrend) , Bloody Crimes about the Lincoln assassination (swanson) and The crusades (asbridge). I'm an history nut and often read several books at once...Maybe Ill try it after Im done with my current stuff... Einsteins telescope and Mandela's biography...

I've been wanting to pick up Unbroken, how was it? It sounds like a good read.

[Anthony]

Its good - but I felt like it was half of the story since Zamperini's life was some much more rewarding after his ordeals that its brief mention was almost an afterthought - when it should have been the second chapter. Good read nonetheless. pick it up - you'll enjoy it....


I've been wanting to pick up Unbroken, how was it? It sounds like a good read.

[MmacFN]

Read it, great book. I like dawkins but my favorites are: David Mills, Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris.


I'm going to be rereading The God Delusion in April, after brushing up on physics and some biology.....if anyone wants to pick up a copy join me (theist, atheist, agnostic) and talk about it.

Personally, I think Dawkins is the Pat Robertson of atheism (there are far better/more articulate authors, like Pinker, Smith, and Sagan), but since everyone seems to refer to him as the last word, I'm going to work through the book this time, instead of just blazing through it.


Probably a bad idea, since people will get hot and bothered, and the mod hammer will drop on the thread, but maybe I can get some interesting insight out of it before that happens.

I'm coming from a theistic perspective, btw.

[Burnt2]

I've read Mills, he's a great author - he gets what Dawkins seems to miss in delusion in that physics is descriptive and does not provide causality. Actually I seem to remember (I could be wrong, its been a couple years) Dawkins quoting Mills somewhere in delusion with regards to that and thinking "huh that's weird", because they fundamentally disagree about root causality.

anyways. april's the month. i'm only planning to do a chapter or two a week, so busy people can feel free to take their time too.

[infidel]

I'll re-read it also. But I'm a bigger fan of Harris.

[infidel]

The mod hammer will not fall unless you mention overproduction.

[kirbybunny]

I read it when it first came out, but will put it on the list to reread. Good idea!

[hoyafan]

I wish I had time! Let us know what you think

[MmacFN]

You are correct Sir :P


The mod hammer will not fall unless you mention overproduction.

[armygas]

I just finished World War Z...... loved it :)

Sent from my nookcolor

[infidel]

Might I suggest Michel Onfray's. The Athiest's Manifesto . Translated from the original French.

[Burnt2]

hey guys so it's april....i haven't forgotten about the god delusion, i've just been trying to finish up a couple other books - harris's 'the end of faith', kip thorne's 'black holes and time warps', and 'a brief history of time' by hawking. i'm a book schizophrenic, so as of now i'm disciplining myself just to finish the end of faith (about 2/3 through) before the god delusion.

as an aside, as a christian, i find myself agreeing with a lot of harris's main points so far, although i think even he maybe doesn't realize his argument isn't against religion per se but against 'unreasonableness', which, despite his best effots to argue to be the sole domain of of religion, its humanistic 'panreligious/religionless' boundaries are clearly illustrated by the nazis, pol pot, stalin, etc etc etc. religion is a vehicle for more base human motives. in centuries past, it has been a useful vehicle, but in modern society we have plenty of other, non-religious reasons to be 'unreasonable' (although 'unreasonable religion' does indeed play a large part in human suffering today).

i feel that a pretty convincing case cab be made that you can have a 'reasonable religion' that isn't rooted in 'blind faith' (i actually define faith as 'trust and loyalty' in something, vs a baseless belief -which, granted, a lot of people theist and atheist have). but that's something probably best saved for dawkins.

anyways. i'll get to the god delusion soon enough.