Interesting Lecture on "New Atheism" by John Gray

[Dave Allen]

The New Atheism: Theos/LICC lecture by Professor John Gray -Times Online

I'm reading a lot of John Gray at the moment and, whilst a rather unsettling and pessimistic philosopher, I find that I'm getting a lot out of his books.

I rather like this lecture he recently gave in criticism of the "New Atheism" that seems to be generating a lot of column inches at the moment. Whilst John Gray is a sceptical thinker with little time for religion (bar Taoism which he seems rather fond of) he does devote a deal of his writings to opposing atheism as well, and seems to regard Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchins et al as being as dogmatic as religious evangelists.

I don't quite agree with Gray in regards to certain details (I don't think the "New Atheists" are in the process of deifying humanity, for example) but I find his defence very interesting and he has a lot to say about the role of certain philosophers such as Nietzsche and Spinoza in this lecture.

I was wondering what other people here think, if they've read any of his books or what they make of the content of the lecture.

[Didymos Thomas]

I'll have to watch this when I find some time. I'm happy to hear that there are some atheist scholars out there who are mature enough to recognize Dawkins and Hitchins for what they are.

[Solace]

with little time for religion (bar Taoism which he seems rather fond of)

I just recently read the Tao Te Ching and there is no doubt that someone could copy a lot of passages from it, paste them in the Bible and attribute it to Christ, and few Christians would be able to tell the difference. I don't mean this to suggest that they'd be fooled, only that much of what is written in the Tao Te Ching is echoed in the Bible, some of it nearly word for word. I think that people, both religious and non, would do well to see past Christian dogma and pay attention to what scripture is actually teaching.