Discount Dawkins

[Thinking Aloud]

I picked up TGD at an airport one day, purely out of curiosity, having read a few of his others previously. I'd already concluded (after many years of sliding) that the idea of gods was not a sound one - he referred to Stephen F. Roberts's quote somewhere in the book: “I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.”

It was that quote that, if you like, ticked the "atheist" box in my head. So I'm glad I read the book if only for that moment of personal clarity.

[Animavore]

I read some Christian whining recently that Stephen F. Roberts makes a category error when he says he believes in one god less than the Christian, because the Christian god is not like others, wearing a toga or looking like a man-goat. That his god was a transcendent being above and apart from anything humans have created.

Of course that Christian was begging the question. And he probably believes in a man-god who walked the Earth and flies off into the sky at the end of his visit, so WTF?

[MrFungus420]

BTW are those old sawss
absence of evidences is not evidence of absence and
You can't prove a negative, actual facts or too oft repeated fallacies and sophisms?

Well, the absence of evidence, where evidence should be, IS evidence of absence. If there was an elephant in my room, I would expect, at the very least, to have some visual evidence of that right now. I do not have that evidence. That absence of evidence is evidence of the absence of an elephant in my room.

As for not being able to prove a negative, that depends on the negative. It is possible to "prove" that there is no elephant in my room. It is not possible to prove that no unicorns exist anywhere.

[cronus]

One mans elephant is anothers trunk. Proof is a mute point when the religion is obtained in its neatest form by personal revelation and subjective experience. Not saying there is a elephant in the room, only you can't question someone else to obtain your own experience or vice versa.

[Strontium Dog]

Well, I ain't ever seen no Dawkins make The Works before and it isn't that long since it was published....six months.

I bought The Greatest Show on Earth there a few months ago, in a two for £5 deal.

Poundland is probably where I buy most of my books, though. No Dawkins titles (yet) although he is a contributor to the Genius of Britain book, which I bought from there quite recently. Poundland tends to be better for books on politics, economics and crime than for science. I have also managed to find Hitchens' Love Poverty & War, Mark Henderson's The Geek Manifesto and Douglas Palmer's Seven Million Years there, to name a few off the top of my head.

[cronus]

Well, I ain't ever seen no Dawkins make The Works before and it isn't that long since it was published....six months.

I bought The Greatest Show on Earth there a few months ago, in a two for £5 deal.

Poundland is probably where I buy most of my books, though. No Dawkins titles (yet) although he is a contributor to the Genius of Britain book, which I bought from there quite recently. Poundland tends to be better for books on politics, economics and crime than for science. I have also managed to find Hitchens' Love Poverty & War, Mark Henderson's The Geek Manifesto and Douglas Palmer's Seven Million Years there, to name a few off the top of my head.

Poundland in Liverpool, maybe. The rot hasn't gone that far over this way yet.

[mistermack]

I wouldn't buy Dawkins memoirs for £4.99 or £1.99.

That doesn't reflect on Dawkins. I've only ever read one person's memoirs in my life, and Spike Milligan is dead now.
I can't imagine Dawkins' memoirs being as entertaining as Spike's. I can't imagine anyone's being that good. So I can't imagine ever buying someone's memoirs, or even reading one for free.

[hackenslash]

Interestingly, Spike Milligan is also the only person whose memoirs I've read.

[rainbow]

Interestingly, Spike Milligan is also the only person whose memoirs I've read.

Fascinating.

[Strontium Dog]

I read all seven volumes of Spike's war memoirs this year. An excellent read, and only cost me £7.19 for the lot

[Hermit]

Weird. Until last year Milligan's first five (slim) volumes was the only autobiography I've ever read too.

[Animavore]

I've only ever read Roald Dahl's autobiographies.

Didn't even know Spike Milligan had an autobiography

[klr]

I've only ever read Roald Dahl's autobiographies.

Didn't even know Spike Milligan had an autobiography

Roald Dahl? The famous Gladiator fighter pilot?

Oh, and author as well.

[hackenslash]

Interestingly, Spike Milligan is also the only person whose memoirs I've read.

Fascinating.

You never did get any better at being a troll, did you?

[mistermack]

I've only ever read Roald Dahl's autobiographies.

Didn't even know Spike Milligan had an autobiography

Oh yes he definitely did. It was an un-authorised version.