This guy, who is a strict Materialist,
New Atheist and presumes himself to be a rigorous Determinist seems
like the perfect target for ruminations on the weakness of his
position.
But, he really isn't enjoying it.
It’s just the way his body experiences the various firings of
certain neurons in response to external stimulus according to how
those neurons have been conditioned by Evolution and his particular
experience. Isn't that a joy?
I wish I’d saved the article that
floated downstream on FB about the war between science and religion.
Regarding Religion, of course, I am limiting myself to considering
the Catholic POV. It is worth looking at who the New Atheists attack
as being anti-science. Usually it’s radical Christian
Fundamentalists (Young Earthers, Creationist or whatever pejorative
the NA’s choose to use). Some braver ones, like the late
Christopher Hitchens, also attacked radical Muslims, like ISIS, who
truly are anti-science.
My premise is that science per se is
completely compatible with Christianity per se as represented in the
teachings of the Catholic Church. In a certain way, science could be
considered a sub-set of theology. More on this later, perhaps.
However, many members of the Science community are at war with
religion in general and often with Catholic doctrine in particular.
Often for personal or political reasons. Also often for philosophical
reasons. Their Atheism precedes their scientific opinion and
restricts it to atheistic conclusions. Religion has had a war on
error, ignorance and their particular form in Atheism for a long
time. So, it could be said that the Church has been in conflict with
these atheistic scientists and their fellow travelers in other
disciplines and their cheerleaders in the press for a long time as
well. It is those folks who have, undeservedly, assumed the banner of
Science in their war on Faith and Reason.
In the end, their arguments come down
to this:
“My own opinion is enough for me, and
I claim the right to have it defended against any consensus, any
majority, anywhere, any place, any time. And anyone who disagrees
with this can pick a number, get in line, and kiss my ass.”
And for people who believe they can
believe that they haven’t the power to believe what they choose to
believe, like Coyne, those people can’t even claim a right to an
opinion.
But they are forced, by the ineluctable
rules of biology, I suppose, to foist these particular set of
synaptic activity upon young people whose parent’s evolutionary
instincts have led them to pay woefully large sums of money to
universities.
