Episode 13: How the Right Ruined Atheism

Stupid Anthropology

The gang talks atheism. Specifically, Aaron leads Robert and Rachel through some historical tidbits about atheism - did you know Diogenes ruled? - and then drags them down through the utter muck and sewage of Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, and Sam Harris. Everyone has a terrible time and wishes nothing but “the best” for those three dudes. Digressions include dog training tips, more chats about how the English ruined the world, and other fun stuff.

Music by Daniel Griggs.

Reading list:

• The Nation - The New Atheists - 2007: https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/new-atheists/
• The Nation - Among the Disbelievers - 2007: https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/among-disbelievers/
• Salon - Godless grifters: How the New Atheists merged with the far right - 2021: https://www.salon.com/2021/06/05/how-the-new-atheists-merged-with-the-far-right-a-story-of-intellectual-grift-and-abject-surrender/
• The Atlantic - Richard Dawkins Gets into a Comments War with Feminists (2011): https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/07/richard-dawkins-draws-feminist-wrath-over-sexual-harassment-comments/352530/
• The Guardian - Richard Dawkins loses ‘humanist of the year’ award over trans comments: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/apr/20/richard-dawkins-loses-humanist-of-the-year-trans-comments
• 20 Ways to Save Labour: https://www.newstatesman.com/long-reads/2009/06/labour-government-public
• Sam Harris’s Islamophobia bullshit: https://twitter.com/mehdirhasan/status/1112829995167215617
• From the Enlightenment to the Dark Ages: How "new atheism" slid into the alt-right: https://www.salon.com/2017/07/29/from-the-enlightenment-to-the-dark-ages-how-new-atheism-slid-into-the-alt-right/
• Harvard Political Review - Sam Harris, Maajid Nawaz, and the Illusion of Knowledge: https://harvardpolitics.com/sam-harris-maajid-nawaz-illusion-knowledge/
• The Guardian - Sam Harris, the New Atheists, and anti-Muslim animus: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/apr/03/sam-harris-muslim-animus
• Stanford - Vasubandhu overview - disproof of a Creator God: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/vasubandhu/#DisCreGod
• Atheism and Skepticism in Ancient Greece: https://www.learnreligions.com/atheism-and-skepticism-with-greek-philosophers-248345
• Hindu atheism - Mimamsas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_atheism
• Brief introduction to Purva Mimamsa Sutras: https://www.mimamsa.org/articles/brief_introduction.html
• Was Spinoza Actually An Atheist?: https://philosophynow.org/issues/151/Was_Spinoza_Actually_An_Atheist
• Tablet - The Tenth Man: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/arts-letters/articles/the-tenth-man-2
• Jewish Ideas Daily - The Trouble with Hitchens: https://www.jewishideasdaily.com/1026/features/the-trouble-with-hitchens/
• Sam Harris (is not a Nazi): https://idontspeakgerman.libsyn.com/episode-22-sam-harris-is-not-a-nazi
• The controversy around hoax studies in critical theory, explained: https://www.vox.com/2018/10/15/17951492/grievance-studies-sokal-squared-hoax
• Bonus reading on Hitchens: https://old.reddit.com/r/badhistory/comments/xnt9gq/well_youre_not_that_great_yourself_mr_hitchens_a/