University of Miami affirms America’s first academic chair for Study of AtheismBut, Atheism is not something! Atheism is just "non-belief" - i.e., nothing! So many people take that position (so convenient for avoiding having to make arguments in support of Atheist worldviews), so how can "nothing" be studied, much less in a scholarly fashion? How can "non-belief" be an academic discipline, complete with laboratories and degrees and office hours?
The Appignani Foundation recently donated an amount of $2.2 million to the University of Miami to endow America's first academic chair for the study of atheism, humanism, and secular ethics.
"The Appignani Foundation, established in 2001, supports secular activities that address significant, viable and long-term human goals. In an interview given to the New York Times, Appignani said that the reason why he would like to have an academic discipline that deals with atheism and secularism established, is to “eliminate discrimination against atheists.” This would pave the way for atheism to be made “legitimate.”
The University of Miami has been cautious and reluctant at first, about the notion of secularism and atheism as a stand-alone academic discipline. Their main concern has been that the discipline would be seen by many people as an advocacy position for atheists. The University has a religion department, however, they do not take an advocacy position while teaching about various religions. The University wanted the word atheism dropped from the title of the chair. They also proposed to call it a chair in philosophical naturalism. Louis Appignani refused. The initiative wouldn’t have been implemented had the University not relented. Thomas J. LeBlanc, Executive Vice President and Provost of the University of Miami, in an interview, made it clear that the University would not be taking an advocacy position while teaching about atheism or secular ethics.
According to Harvey Siegel, a philosophy professor at the University of Miami who helped Appignani to broker the arrangement, they started discussing this idea more than 15 years ago. It took a lot of persuading from their side to make the University agree to their proposal.
Richard Dawkins, the author of The God Delusion, said that it is very important for the study of morality to be shackle-free of religion. The University of Miami has just taken a very bold step in that direction.
The real question comes quickly to mind: will the study of Atheism honestly appraise the consequences of Atheist rejectionism, or will it serve to bolster its false image of superiority in intellect and evidence? Because the long quest to get the academic chair installed was based on the fervent desire to "legitimize" Atheism, skepticism is definitely warranted.
Well, someone must be wrong about Atheism being "nothing", just a non-belief. Otherwise the U of Miami is making an expensive mistake.
3 comments:
Well, at least we know in advance where the whores reside. . .
Show me the money, Honey, and I'll do anything you want! But, would you mind addressing me as a "call girl" or better yet, as a "model," since models are what really drives academia these days?
That's the ticket! Come to UMiami and we'll hook you up with "hot" models in our new discipline of atheism, humanism, and secular ethics.
C.O.Y.O.T.E. of San Francisco would be so (gay) PROUD!
Hello!!
Now you know why I think even and engineering degree won't be enough??
And that many people may have the same rank with different careers with a piece of paper, then degrees are just as worthless as they are shown to be.
Kind Regards.
Used to be that you could get a mail order PhD and an Ordained Minister Cert for just a few bucks. I considered it. There's this blank spot on my wall...
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