I was watching Life, Liberty, and Levin tonight and his guest was David Berlinski, a secular humanist who has battled against atheist ideologies in his book, The Devil’s Delusion: Atheism and its Scientific Pretensions. Here are some of the points he raises:
Has anyone provided a proof of God’s [non]inexistence? Not even close.
Has quantum cosmology explained the emergence of the universe or why it is here? Not even close.
Have the sciences explained why our universe seems to be fine-tuned to allow for the existence of life? Not even close.
Are physicists and biologists willing to believe in anything so long as it is not religious thought? Close enough.
Has rationalism in moral thought provided us with an understanding of what is good, what is right, and what is moral? Not close enough.
Has secularism in the terrible twentieth century been a force for good? Not even close to being close.
Is there a narrow and oppressive orthodoxy of thought and opinion within the sciences? Close enough.
Does anything in the sciences or in their philosophy justify the claim that religious belief is irrational? Not even ballpark.
http://www.davidberlinski.org/devils-delusion/about.php
I think I will read the book to see what he has to say. If these points above express his thoughts I think he hit the nail smack bang, dead on the head. In Life, Liberty, and Levin, Berlinski said a scientist has to reject religion for their religious philosophy to make sense (and I would argue that it does not). He also expressed that secular societies are frivolous and that secular ideologies self protect their belief system. He says that seven million scientists use the same system of thought in pushing their philosophies. Levin states that scientists push their theories out as if they are science rather than philosphies (sceintism) concerning life and origins.
Anyone care to discuss by objections or affirmations to these points?
Peter
Bookmarks