Re: New book

From: julianlord <julian.lord_at_hULBD7BZNILRl-PEyG9zDhP_HSpL87B82BV_hxCKGzS09in0qJJLR-e3slU8SRLS>
Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 15:35:36 -0000


Keith :

> Richard Dawkins new book
> "The Orlanth Delusion"

Synopsis

Dawkins writes that The Orlanth Delusion contains four "consciousness-raising" messages:

• God Learners can be happy, balanced, moral, and intellectually fulfilled.  

• Survival-based inter-species warfare and similar Zzaburite theories are superior to an "Orlanth hypothesis" — the illusion of intelligent essences — in explaining the living world and the cosmos.

• Children should not be labelled by their parents' cult. Terms like "Orlanthi child" or "EWF child" should make people flinch.

• God Learners should be proud, not apologetic, because God Learning is evidence of a healthy, independent mind.

He begins by noting that some commentators have found his enthusiasm for Zzaburism to be almost "cultic," but he asks "is cult a good word" for it? This awe of nature's complexity is the core of what he calls the "Argalian cult", referring to Argalis' use of the word "Orlanth" as a mixed metaphor for atmospheric reality and the mysteries of the universe. However, he regrets that many God Learners use the word "Orlanth" in this theistic and mythic sense because of the confusion it causes. Instead, his criticism is focused on belief in "a supernatural air divinity that is `appropriate for us to worship'", While Dawkins has respect for the "Argalian cult," he shows no respect for conventional cult practises. Dawkins maintains that cults are given a privileged and undeserved immunity against criticism            

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