Comments on: What are you Optimistic About? Why? http://natalieshell.com/2007/01/02/what-are-you-optimistic-about-why/ small bites to think talk & walk Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:34:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Anthony http://natalieshell.com/2007/01/02/what-are-you-optimistic-about-why/#comment-5787 Anthony Tue, 02 Jan 2007 20:22:47 +0000 http://natalieshell.com/2007/01/02/what-are-you-optimistic-about-why/#comment-5787 I have to say that browsing one or two of those articles on the edge made me pessimistic! Dennett got under my skin, as usual. He really thinks that not just a belief system, but an entire frame of mind (religion) shared by billions of people worldwide is just going to disappear? And he's *happy* about that? Right. Dawkins has proved you can get time on popular television shows by making statements like that, and so he's following suit. Are these statements constructive and useful? Or, are they divisive and boost book sales? Are these two D's any better than the straw men they criticize? I hope that condescending blowhards will stop getting so much time and space in our media outlets and we will get back to more level and reasoned public discourse about such important and pervasive topics as the role of religion in American life. I hope that polarizing and dividing speech, not just by the usual culprits but also by our 'scientists' and 'philosophers.' ends. I hope that we generally recognize the contents of our major media outlets as unhygienic and work to clean them up. For the first time in a few years I'm feeling optimistic that this might start happening. I have to say that browsing one or two of those articles on the edge made me pessimistic! Dennett got under my skin, as usual. He really thinks that not just a belief system, but an entire frame of mind (religion) shared by billions of people worldwide is just going to disappear? And he’s *happy* about that? Right. Dawkins has proved you can get time on popular television shows by making statements like that, and so he’s following suit. Are these statements constructive and useful? Or, are they divisive and boost book sales? Are these two D’s any better than the straw men they criticize?

I hope that condescending blowhards will stop getting so much time and space in our media outlets and we will get back to more level and reasoned public discourse about such important and pervasive topics as the role of religion in American life. I hope that polarizing and dividing speech, not just by the usual culprits but also by our ’scientists’ and ‘philosophers.’ ends. I hope that we generally recognize the contents of our major media outlets as unhygienic and work to clean them up. For the first time in a few years I’m feeling optimistic that this might start happening.

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