Why Dawkins ‘The God Delusion’ is the Worst Work of Popular Philosophy Ever Written
Popular as it was, Dawkins work is riddled with inane school boy arguments, bad philosophy and undisguised prejudice
Dawkins era feels long over. Atheism in popular forms still exists, even if in the the general population a more apathetic agnosticism or benign spirituality has largely won over. But the era in which scientists putting down seven day creationists in debates garnered popularity is long over, the trend of apologetics aimed against the new atheists has dimmed, and the enthusiasm for militant atheism has largely waned. People for the most part, Christian or non-believer, don’t seem to care that much.
Yet at its peak Dawkins work was part of a movement that actually took up a lot of bandwidth in the world of popular philosophy. Dawkins and his co stars became the spokespeople of a generation rejecting establishment religion, their slogans and arguments becoming substitutes for the “up yours mum and dad” attitude towards a previous generation.
Yet part of the problem with this polemic was that like many public debates, the two sides were pitched against each other in a way that never really allowed much sense to be made. You were either with Dawkins, or with the…
