03.29.09
Will the new atheists exterminate the old atheists?
Comment on Hyping The New Atheism
This comment shows the reason I am wary of the New Atheism. It seems unfair: a whole class of atheists is unwelcome in that movement of budding fanatics. This post even prefer the extermination of non-conformist atheists.
The Tibetan lamas and their politics are not really relevant to the issue of Buddhist ‘atheism’ (so-called).
We see that the ‘new atheism’ is really a label for a lot more than atheism as such: scientism, Darwinism, reductionism, and a fanatic hatred, as with Nietzsche, of even the slightest signs of a value-oriented universe to guarantee that atheism.
It is important to not forget that cultic fanatics are the most dangerous to those of the same persuasion.
So those traditional ‘atheists’, taking the term loosely, are at risk of the first extermination. Take the warning and change the labels, ditching the term ‘atheism’, which has very little meaning.
And remember the first law of stupid religious movements: they are run by nice guys when they are out of power. When they come into power the nice guys are pushed aside as a new breed takes power.
James said,
March 29, 2009 at 3:23 pm
My feelings here are a bit mixed. Tibetan culture is certainly interesting and I deplore the actions of the Chinese, but the Vajrayana is problematic in terms of being representative of Buddhism in its genuine forms or giving us any insight into an ancient form of “atheism” (my intention is to speak in terms of history and not from the perspective of conservative dogmatism). Even though TB is presented in the West as being the only form of Buddhism, it is such a late entrant into Buddhist history that this perception is rather misguided. It is not my intention to be impolite, but TB shows all of the signs of being a product of the chaotification and egregious mysticism that characterized the medieval period (it seems to be some eclectic mixture of Upanishadism, indigenous Tibetan shamanism, Nath tantra, and Buddhism).
nemo said,
March 29, 2009 at 6:46 pm
I am sure the atheist fanatics could care less about different brands of buddhism.