In San Jose for the World Fantasy Convention

I arrived here this morning, local time, which equalled some ridiculous hour of the day by my body's time. Am now hoping to acclimatise as quickly as possible to a new timezone, so as to get the most out of the convention.

So far, I've scarcely looked a the program, but let's see. As a result of laziness or distraction at my end, I am not scheduled anywhere on the program, though Jenny has a couple of items, including the very last one after the World Fantasy Awards, since she is one of this year's judges (and thus one of the very people who knows the winners; and no, I am not one of those people).

I do feel a bit silly not getting myself on the program, but then again (1) it means I'm free to enjoy the convention with no pressure; and (2) it's probably just as well, because, for one reason or another, I've been doing a lousy job of keeping up with events and trends in fantasy and would feel like (and probably appear like) a charlatan. Next time, perhaps.

Flying to the US tomorrow

I'll be away for approximately a week, attending the World Fantasy Convention in San Jose. Just warning everyone that I may be a bit slower than usual in responding to things. I'm looking forward to the convention, but not to the usual travel hassles - I've had about enough of them for one year.

Jerry Coyne on 50 Voices of Disbelief

Jerry Coyne, who kindly gave a back-cover blurb to 50 Voices of Disbelief, expands over here on the occasion of the book's official release in the US. Thanks, Jerry!

Response to Dr Dvir Abramovich

My reponse (currently stuck in moderation, it seems) to an article in today's Sydney Morning Herald.
====

The article by Dr Abramovich reads like a series of random comments, dashed off in unreflective anger. It is so permeated by distortions and misrepresentations that there is no hope of exposing them all in a 300-word comment. I'll be highly selective.

First, Dr Abramovich appeals to the authority of Einstein and Hawking as if the writings of those physicists support theistic beliefs. Both made points by using the word "God" metaphorically, but Hawking is not a theist and Einstein was at pains to explain that he did not believe in a personal deity.

Second, Dr Abramovich displays a total insensitivity to literary tone when he reads the books of Dawkins and others. E.g., he fails to notice that The God Delusion is written thoughtfully, with a light touch, and is frequently humorous. Readers should judge for themselves whether the books that Dr Abramovich condemns match his simplistic and tendentious description.

Third, I am tired of the specious argument that various supposedly "secular" political idealogies also did enormous harm. Yes indeed, Hitler and Nazism were responsible for terrible atrocities. Likewise Stalin and Pol Pot. However, Hitler was no atheist - and in any event, contemporary so-called "New Atheists" (a mere journalistic label) are political liberals and pluralists. They oppose all structures of comprehensive, authoritarian, apocalyptic dogma, including Nazism, Stalinism, and Pol Pot's agrarian communism. Such structures of thought do tend to perpretrate horrors, precisely because they so closely imitate the monotheistic religions.

The article is riddled with error in every paragraph, and its author seems to be totally unaware of the current state of the debate that he is naively attempting to enter. Dr Abramovich is the one who is out of his depth and clearly floundering.

Russell Blackford
Co-editor, 50 Voices of Disbelief: Why We Are Atheists (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009)


===

Edit: Looks like it didn't get through. I tried again with a few words removed to make absolutely certain it wasn't over 300 words, and it's now on the site.

Stephen Law on 50 Voices of Disbelief

Voila!

Some posts on scientific epistemology, etc.

Massimo Pigliucci's post over here at Rationally Speaking.

My long reply at Sentient Developments.

Jerry Coyne's take at Why Evolution Is True (where I've now made a couple of comments).

Enjoy!

Official US release date is 26 October

The official US release date for 50 Voices of Disbelief: Why We Are Atheists is 26 October.

Copies have actually been available via Amazon for a week or so now, and the book also appears to be available already in (at least some) Barnes and Noble stores in America. Still, 26 October is an important official day in the book's life. If you were planning to make some noise about it, that would be a great day to do it, as it gives you a hook: "50 Voices of Disbelief: Why We Are Atheists, ed. Russell Blackford and Udo Schuklenk, published today!!" Got the idea? :)

So, everyone out there who has maybe read the book and liked what they read, have a think about it. Likewise if you just want to raise awareness of the issues, or whatever ... It would be terrific if you could mark Monday, 26 October in your diary as a really good day to have your say - in any way.

Amazon reviews, blog posts, comments in podcasts, contact with local media - whatever it is that you might be able to do to spread the word, it will be very welcome indeed.

Cat registered as hypnotherapist

Who's to say it wouldn't do a good job?

A time of changes, right?

New house in a new (sort of) city. New book out. Meeting lots of new people in foreign places.

Hey, and this will be the new car.

Proof of the existence of ... well something.

I just wrote the following on Twitter: What counts as a genuinely moderate religious person? Well, I'm sure that some of my friends do. I'm sure that Cardinal George Pell doesn't.

This came out at exactly 140 keystrokes. I'm getting very good at doing that, but I think this is the first time I've managed to do it exactly right, first go, with no fiddling at the edges. Proof of some sort of Intelligent Design? Is the Designer trying to tell us something?