My Introduction to the Writing of Sam Harris.
If I may proffer another link, I first read Sam Harris on the Huffington Post. His essay, The Politics of Ignorance, is directed at Bush's endorsement of teaching "intelligent design." But he impressed me enough that I bought his book that day.
Okay, bring on the hate mail.
posted by Eric 3.0 @ 8:39 PM
6 Comments:
Uh, what happened to the other post? And to the comments I floated?
I deleted the post and all the comments. I was not prepared for the deluge: friends telling me how much I hurt them by raising the subject, friends ready to argue with me when I wasn't ready to argue, comment spam (a new and insidious form of advertising) and downright ad hominem responses.
I have too much to deal with in my life at the moment to answer all these issues effectively. Emotions aren't the issue; time is the issue. In the future I'll post less explosive propositions and respond less to those I post.
I'm sorry to disappoint you, Trusty. We can debate after you read Harris's book.
Well damn, I am disappointed. That was quite possibly the beginning of what looked to be the most spirited debate I've had in a long, long time.
I hope I didn't give you the impression that I was hurt, 'cause I wasn't. I was actually *interested* in the subject (despite my vigorous dissent), which I thought was quite a good one, btw, even though some would be likely to be offended by it ;^)
As to the time, I hear you. My personal issues are having the same effect.
Let's get together soon, if you can find a free moment, eh?
Trusty, you're not the one I apparently hurt. And I know you were looking forward to a vigorous debate. I just wasn't ready for it; at that moment, I was 30 pages into Harris's book, and messing around with my fall schedule, and always fretting about losing my salary. :-)
Agree with him or disagree, Harris is interesting reading. I've just moved from Jewish superiority to Christian anti-semitism to Nazism and am starting the first chapter on Islam, which is a religion in arrested development (since the 15th century or so.) Oh yeah, somewhere in there we tortured "witches," too, and thoroughly enjoyed the Inquisition.
Interesting essay; even more so the comments that followed. It appears to me that he received the same wide range of response that you did.
I'll add my disappointment to Trusty's--I was looking forward to lurking away and drinking in the Great Debate.
I do hope you'll continue to post the "controversial/explosive" issues--leave the status quo to others.
M.
M--
When I have time. :-)
e2.0
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