'The Bonobo and the Atheist'
Details
http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/3/d/e/c/event_94875852.jpeg
The Bonobo and the Atheist
Book Review & Discussion
Speaker: Ronnie Hawkins, Ph.D
In The Bonobo and the Atheist, Frans de Waal asks us to imagine a dialogue between the two as proponents of differing viewpoints, ultimately building a positive case for what he calls humanism, a non-theistic position, while disagreeing with those he terms "neo-atheists," whom he characterizes as taking a dogmatic, anti-religion stance. From his life experience of interacting with other animals, de Waal has developed a nonanthropocentric viewpoint that, I believe, allows him to integrate the insights of science to a much greater degree than those who are constantly pushing them away in order to defend a Cartesian "human exceptionalism."
De Waal reports that, while he was "raised Catholic" in the Netherlands, he "never felt any attraction to religion," nor did he have its notions of sin and punishment imposed on him as would have been done in northern Holland--hence his willingness to try to understand religion as a species-wide social phenomenon that has served an important function in society (just not that of imparting the one and only "truth" about reality). His aspect of religiosity is something that I would like to discuss further, in addition to de Waal's other assertions, in order to consider the possibility of articulating a positive, Life-promoting worldview, based on science--centrally, on biological science!--that would provide an intelligent alternative to the traditional religions and serve the same supportive social function.) De Waal 's 'Bonobo... concludes that the neo-atheist may be acting "as a protester rather than an advocate," while the challenge is for us to "move forward, beyond religion, and especially beyond top-down morality".
BIO:
Received her M.D. from the University of Florida in 1974 and a Ph.D. in philosophy there in 1994. She has taught courses in philosophy of science, environmental philosophy, bioethics, and existentialism at UCF.
Reviews