The front page
…for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.
[William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act II, Scene 2]
Hamlet is discussing the state of Denmark with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet sees Denmark as a prison, so that is what it is for him. They don’t, so for them it is not.
This site isn’t just about prisons or Denmark or ethical relativism or even Wittgenstein’s duck-rabbits. But it is about thinking, broadly speaking.
There are three main threads so far. It would be great to get your thoughts on any of these:
Thinking about religion
Karen Armstrong
If you’re interested in places where ethics, religion and evolution might intersect, please take a look at The ethics of belief. (Or start with Is religion immoral? or Does faith make us better?)
There are some reflections on Karen Armstrong’s The case for God: What religion really means in Karen’s on the case.
This has also spawned a couple of posts on George Steiner’s Language and silence, beginning with Whispers of the gods #1.
For a riposte to Antony Flew’s There is a god: How the world’s most notorious atheist changed his mind please see Another Flew over the cuckoo’s nest.
Richard Dawkins: The God Delusion
There are also a number of responses to books and articles written in answer to Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion:
Eagleton on Dawkins [‘Lunging, Flailing, Mispunching’ by Terry Eagleton]
Touched by an angel [Darwin's angel: An angelic riposte to The God Delusion by John Cornwell]
This has also spawned a series of posts on George Steiner’s Real presences, beginning with Whispers of the gods #3.
Delusion delusion [The Dawkins delusion?: Atheist fundamentalism and the denial of the divine, by Alister McGrath]
When Kathleen met Richard [Challenging Richard Dawkins: Why Richard Dawkins is wrong about God by Kathleen Jones]
Serious about delusion [Why there almost certainly is a God: Doubting Dawkins by Keith Ward]
Thinking about mimesis
If the phenomenology of representation is more your thing, please give Brecht and mimesis a whirl.
Thinking about business process
Topics in business process architecture:
Searching for the real business process
Business processes and business rules
Business process architecture and business change
Go to My blog for the latest. Or use Browse by Category on the right. But please let me know what you think.
© Chris Lawrence 2008, 2009.
No I hadn’t – so thanks again!
Chris Lawrence
19 July 2009 at 11:41 pm
Chris – You might also be interested in this article in the New Scientist as well. If you haven’t already seen it.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327176.800-comment-the-dawkins-dogma.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news
Terry
Terry Sissons
19 July 2009 at 11:25 pm
Thanks Terry – just found the review (Philip Ball?) & read it. Looks an interesting book, which I’ll try & get hold of. Chris.
Chris Lawrence
19 July 2009 at 4:52 pm
Chris -
I just read a review in the London Times of Fern Elsdon-Baker’s The Selfish Genius: How Richard Dawkins Rewrote Darwin’s Legacy. The review is mixed, but says Elsdon-Baker makes an interesting assertion – that it is Dawkins’ theory of evolution which is out of date. She also finds the nature of his “combativeness” unacceptable. I’d be interested in your own read.
BTW, I am among those who have to fight through a distaste for Dawkins’ rudeness in order to try to evaluate his position objectively. I think it’s this that many find offensive and is at the root of accusations that Dawkins’ own thinking is “fundamentalist.”
Terry
Terry Sissons
19 July 2009 at 4:25 pm