Sometimes we hear from atheists that they are the only smart truth-seekers, with the assumption that believers are dumb. A writer at The Atlantic calls this "intellectual snobbery."
She reviews a new book by a British historian that traces atheism through the history of prominent people who were captivated by it. She says the book seems to assume that everybody must adopt atheism because smart and respected people have done so. She has a problem with this, as follows:
She reviews a new book by a British historian that traces atheism through the history of prominent people who were captivated by it. She says the book seems to assume that everybody must adopt atheism because smart and respected people have done so. She has a problem with this, as follows:
"This is problematic for several reasons. For one thing, it suggests that believers are inherently less thoughtful than non-believers. [The atheist book] tells stories of famous thinkers and artists who have struggled to reconcile themselves to a godless world. And these are helpful, in that they offer insight into how dynamic, creative people have tried to live.
"But that doesn't mean the average believer's search for meaning and understanding is any less rigorous or valuable—it just ends with a different conclusion: that God exists. Watson implies that full engagement with the project of being human in the modern world leads to atheism, and that's just not true."
Good point.
"But that doesn't mean the average believer's search for meaning and understanding is any less rigorous or valuable—it just ends with a different conclusion: that God exists. Watson implies that full engagement with the project of being human in the modern world leads to atheism, and that's just not true."
Good point.
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