Search



Comments

« Christian ministers turn to cyber dating • Home • Mountain Park Baptist Boarding Academy »

Who's driving the anti-Enlightenment?

• Skeptics & Atheists

From a review of Francis Wheen's How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World: A Short History of Modern Delusions.

Listening to Wheen talk about crazy creationists who spin yarns about the beginnings of mankind and politicians who ought to know better begs a question: who's driving the anti-Enlightenment? Is it outside forces, virulent strains in the body politic like creationists and other assorted anti-modernists and sects? Or has there been a corrosion at the centre itself, a loss of faith in the 'gains of the Enlightenment' among the political elite and intellectuals which has allowed irrationality to flourish?

A brief history of bollocks

Richard Evans Lee
May 28, 2004 •
BlinkList • del.icio.us • Digg it • Furl • ma.gnolia
RawSugar • Shadows • Simpy • Spurl • Yahoo MyWeb
Top↑

Comments

These anti-enlightenment, non-science tendencies I think stem from the following: The miserably poor state of science education throughout society is a large contributor. As applied science has become the realm of the researcher even educated people are absolutely mystified by things like floating exchange rates, futures markets, derivatives or concepts like the conservation of mass and energy. We lack the internal understanding of the underpinnings of todays technology driven world. In addition, acceptance of all kinds of kooky ideas from astrology to nutritional additives, talking to plants, Atlanteans in pre-colombian america one could go on. Increasingly fundamentalists of all religions also add to the attack on enlightment principles of balance and reason. Many of these tendencies have been around but large numbers of these people are now politically active. So its not enough to be a Creationist but they try to force the local school board to teach it instead of evolutionary Biology. Thus the line between sense and nonsense has blurred beyond all hope.

Posted by: limon | June 25, 2004 6:02 PM

How do you feel?

Feel free to share your feelings about Who's driving the anti-Enlightenment?. Please stick to the theme of the entry. Disagreement is fine. Homophobia, racism, and kindred expressions of hatred will be deleted. This site is one of my hobbies. I genuinely enjoy hearing from people and hate moderating or killing comments. Forthright disagreement is fine as long as it is civil.
My thanks,
Richard

Monthly Summaries

March 2007, February 2007, January 2007, December 2006, November 2006, October 2006, August 2006, July 2006, June 2006, May 2006, April 2006, March 2006, February 2006, January 2006, December 2005, November 2005, October 2005, September 2005, August 2005, July 2005, June 2005, May 2005, April 2005, March 2005, February 2005, December 2004, November 2004, October 2004, September 2004, August 2004, July 2004, June 2004, May 2004, April 2004, March 2004, February 2004, January 2004, December 2003, November 2003, October 2003, September 2003, August 2003, July 2003, June 2003, May 2003, April 2003, March 2003, February 2003, January 2003, December 2002, November 2002, October 2002, September 2002, August 2002, May 2002, April 2002, March 2002,

Recent Posts



Thematic Archives

Powered by
Movable Type 4.0

Syndication


Edifying Spectacle
Index
Skeptics & Atheists
Who's driving the anti-Enlightenment?
Top of page