Dawkins vs. O'Reilly
It was an interesting move for Richard Dawkins to go up against Bill O'Reilly. First of all, Dawkins message does not lend itself to this sort of format. To (badly) paraphrase Chomsky, concision is the enemy of rational thinking. But more than that, the right wing talking head shows are inherently biased toward the viewpoint of the host and O'Reilly is notorious for talking over and shouting down guests.
That being said, I thought Dawkins did remarkably well. O'Reilly primarily employed argument from ignorance, appeal to authority and what I think was a form of the association fallacy (Stalin was an atheist, Stalin had no morals, therefore atheists have no morals). No surprise there as these are common arguments from theists when confronting atheists about their lack of belief. Dawkins held his own though and didn't let O'Reilly faze him. All in all O'Reilly treated Dawkins with kid gloves, was fairly respectful and it was a pretty solid showing for a 4 minute segment.
The only question though is did Dawkins accomplish anything? After all, I find it hard to imagine he even sold more than a few copies of The God Delusion as a result of his appearance much less changed any minds. I don't know though. I think his appearance on O'Reilly's show was a good thing. At the very least a large segment of the American population was confronted with a strong, articulate atheist. That's something Americans don't encounter every day. For many people in the U.S. the only exposure they have to a publicly outspoken atheist are 30 year old memories of Madalyn Murray O'Hair on the Phil Donahue show and as much as Dawkins et. al. are branded extremists, the so-called "new atheists" don't hold a candle to O'Hair in combativeness. So in the sense that Dawkins came off as rational and likable I think it was a net positive.
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tng's blog | printer friendly version
The Wheelman | 2007-04-24 22:20 |
Had a fun day on the Indystar's Msg Board...
A fellow is suing, with the help of that "Evil, Jewish-Run, Anti-Christian" ACLU, the Indiana Bu. of Motor Do-Hickeys over our new "optional" "In GAWD We Trust" auto tags.
Religion doesn't even enter into the suit. Plaintiff states that since he has to pay a "Administrative Fee" of $15 for his Enviromental plate, and the Mythists pay ZERO fees for the IGWT plate, it's not fair. And given the distribution the Churchies are claiming for their slogan plate, at $15 a crack, that represents about $15 Million that ain't going to fix our wonderfully rutted Chippenseal roads.
Well, the discussion took the usual Appeal to the LCD (I swear I was back on DU) with the word "Atheist" being thrown around like it was some kind of cussword, People invoking everything from Jerry Foul-Well to the Northwest Ordinance of 1789 and the Federalist Papers to "prove" that Jefferson and Addams NEVER intended the Church to keep its nose out of the State's affairs, yada, yada, yada...
There was anecdotal statements offered that some License Branches were trying to "push" the plates, either by acting like they were the official plate, Claiming it was the ONLY plate they had, or by "shaming" people into taking them, etc (being Indiana, I can very easily believe such shenanigans are going on) . And rumours that this plate will be the ONLY plate offered in '09. Of course, they have to get that past the World's Worst Legislature first, but Hoosier Dominionists are feeling pretty ballsy these days, Marriage "protection" Amendment going down in flames notwithstanding.
I mean really, somebody thinks they're gonna piss me off by calling me an "Atheist"? Oh, some of us were invited to "Move to either China or the Sudan", too. Why the Sudan, I have NO idea.
I don't get it. Does having one of these plates on your car mean that Jeebus will turn a tank-full of water into E85? Can you fly down I-65 at 90 MPH, close your eyes, and turn loose of the steering wheel, and GAWD will stop being just your "Co-Pilot" and grab the wheel Himself?
Or is it, as I suspect, another fad enjoyed by so-called "Christians" who've never read Matthew 6 along with everything else besides Revelations and Leviticus? The Thumpers were cautioned about trying to argue the Buy-Bull with Atheists "Because I've found that most of them have read more of the Book than most Christians..."
Perhaps we should start TAXING churches. Bet you the Dominionists would get the Clue REAL quick that Jefferson's "Impenetrable Wall" not only keeps them out of the State's business, but keeps the State out of THEIRS as well...
Round and Round it Goes...
tng | 2007-04-24 22:20 |
Nice
I can tell I'm going to be a hit in Indiana.
Anonymous (not verified) | 2007-05-07 10:59 | What the Jews have to do with your matter?
I wonder if you are a smart guy.
procrastinate later | 2007-05-07 11:19 | We'd appreciate it...
...if you used correct grammar and comprehendible sentences.
Anonymous (not verified) | 2007-05-07 11:19 |
I think O'reilly did a great job
Mr. Dakins failed to prove anything.
tng | 2007-05-07 11:29 |
Funny
Richard Dawkins name is spelled correctly several times in the blog post and yet you still manage to misspell it. Good job!
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