Intellectually impoverished atheism
Atheists like to think of themselves as both rationally and intellectually sound. Regrettably, this is not always the case.
Take a moment to call to mind some of the atheists you’ve met. With some luck, you will have come across some wonderful secular humanists, who are kind, reasonable and psychologically well-balanced. But, odds are, you’ve also likely come across another type of atheist: the smug, self-assured jerk who is perhaps not quite the intellectual powerhouse they consider themselves to be.
Now, let me get a few caveats out of the way: I consider myself as either an atheist or an agnostic depending on matters of definitional nuance. I am both a strong advocate of secularism and humanism, and have worked for various humanitarian organisations over the years. And I do not believe it is particularly difficult to be ‘good without God’ (given certain pre-conditions).
What I would like to critique here is a particular kind of atheist — arrogant, argumentative, and intellectually incurious. You’ll often find them wielding statements like “religion is a disease” or “God is a delusion” like magical talismans removing the need for rigorous argumentation.
To these individuals, I would like to suggest that citing Richard Dawkins memes does not constitute adequate intellectual effort in the question of…
