Have you seen this? First off, these things are generally stupid to begin with. Any sort of top 50 anything just has this grating, Casey Kasem cheese factor sound to it. Also, it feels like I'm back in high school and people are carving their favorite band "rulez" in their desks (hey, I went to public school). On top of that, there's likely going to be at least one person on the list where you scratch your head or worse, scream in frustration like Jethro Tull winning a Grammy for best Heavy Metal band.
Alright, so as bad as all that is, since this is a list of top atheists, I have a special reason to be annoyed. How many times have any of you atheists had to explain to the religious about Stalin, Mao, and the rest of the assholes who happened to be atheists? Now don't you always have to explain that they were simply assholes, that atheism had nothing to do with their actions, and that it's ridiculous to hang their atrocities on atheism? Right, so isn't it then hypocritical to turn around and trumpet atheism for the accomplishments of people who happened to be atheists? Come on now.
Looking at the list you'll see some good additions like Epicurus, Bertrand Russell, and Carl Sagan, but Bruce Lee? Mick Jagger? Steve Wozniak? Are you kidding me? Ok sure, successful people who happened to be atheists. If Stalin and Mao hadn't killed people, would they be on the list as successful people, too?
So I just find this sort of thing surprisingly ridiculous coming from a group which is supposed to trumpet logic and reason. I can understand the little bit of glee one might feel at knowing they share something in common with a successful, famous person, but take this from a redhead, for every Thomas Jefferson I could hold up as redhead superiority, I have to contend with a Carrot Top. 
2009-04-20
Top 50 Atheists?
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23 comments:
I'm surprised that Adam Carolla (funnier than George Carlin) didn't make the list, let alone Charles Darwin, Nikola Tesla (far better innovator than Alan Turing who's Turing Test is a load of crap), or Roger Penrose (he's actually got a better theory than Stephen Hawking, IMO), or David Hilbert, or Henry Ford, or Mark Twain.....etc, or numerous other people.
QF - Darwin was most specific in declaring himself "not an atheist". Instead he clung to a word invented by his pal and bulldog, T.H. Huxley, "Agnostic".
But this all kind of misses Philly's point. That said, I disagree mildly.
I do agree that no one should be on the list simply by virtue of the fact that they were coincidentally an atheist.
However, If a significant portion of their life was dedicated to expounding on the value of an atheistic outlook then, yes, such a list would be a good thing. And maybe that's all Philly is saying, in which case I don't even disagree mildly.
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@Evo: Unfortunately for Philly's point, the actual name of the list is The 50 Most Brilliant Atheists of All TimeI think Bill Gates should have made that list (instead of Steve Wozniac) as well.
In the interests of fairness, perhaps Stalin and Mao could be included on a list of the "Fifty Most Suckiest Atheists Of All Time". Although, in fairness, we should also have a list of the fifty best and worst theist of all time, to balance the equation. Then perhaps we could be a bit more specific - "Top Fifty Atheist Tennis Players", "Top Fifty Catholic Real Ale Drinkers", "Top Fifty Zoroastrians Whose Middle Names Begin With The Letter 'W'"... Hell, you could go on making up lists like this forever, and never have to do any real work ever again...
In case I didn't make it clear enough, it's fucking stupid to celebrate someone who oh by the way happened to be an atheist, ESPECIALLY if you've even once argued with someone over Stalin being an atheist.
I'm fine with a list which has people who actually did something for atheism and critical thinking.
The list is just one more to throw onto the pile of stupid lists compiled by someone who had nothing better to do. If I had all such lists in one place, I could start a bonfire that would keep me warm all winter.
I just saw it as meeting the following two criteria ...
(1) the subgroup of brilliant people within the group of atheists
(2) listed in some kind of loosely quantitative order (perhaps the number of neurons firing in the pleasure center of the list author's brain?) whereby there are 50 at the top of the list.
Lists of 50 anything (or -- to make this clear to you oh-so-literal numnuts -- 10 anything or 25 anything or anything anything) are stupid.
That being said: A list of 50 notable "atheists" should definitely appeal to all those allegedly freethinking sheep who want to feel as if they're in some kind of invisible club. My suggestion is that they go back to church, where they belong.
Me, I don't feel I need to categorize myself. I'd write more, but I'm late for my meeting of the French-Cut-Canned-Stringbean-Haters Club. Our 12 most famous members are: Jodie Foster, Richard Dawkins, Pat Robertson, Jack van Impe, Mick Jagger, Bill Gates, and the guy who does the voice for the Geico gecko. And, of course, Hitler, Mao, and Gandhi. Oh, and Carrot Top. So I'm in some pretty great company, eh?
Ex, You aren't putting yourself on the list?
Well, a list is essentially a data set, of which I think you are all wrong in thinking of as being stupid. I can understand the problem inherent with taking a data sample that doesn't represent the average and variational deviation of the whole group, but I wouldn't go calling lists stupid like that. I think that one of the major benefits of having a list of "50 brilliant atheists" is (1) to counteract the theist argument that atheists aren't brilliant and (2) to show theists some brilliant individuals with alternative viewpoints to their own limited (extremely limited) viewpoints so that it is relatively easy to introduce them to a diversity of ideas.
I wasn't aware theists were attacking our intelligence, QF. If that's true, I don't think we have to do anything to reply, especially when their attacks are probably littered with spelling errors and other choice bits.
Furthermore, at least in this country, religious people don't give a shit about people being brilliant. If anything, there's an unhealthy disdain for brilliant, educated people so your 2 reasons kinda blow.
With that said, I wouldn't mind if someone were to carve "PhillyChief Rulez" into their desks or anything else. ;)~
It is entirely possible for theists to be unaware of brilliance even when they're talking directly to it. I would certainly like to analyze the accomplishments of the 50 Most Brilliant Theists and compare it to the 50 Most Brilliant Atheists....how does one go about doing that?
Does the 50 Most Brilliant Theists somehow get to include Jesus, Moses, and Solomon if the 50 Most Brilliant Atheists include the ancient Greek Philosophers? Do polytheists get to make the list? What about Joseph Smith and Muhammid? How do they go about determining brilliance for Theists!? Miracles?
LOL!!!!
When you get down to it, the 50 Most Brilliant Theists are the ones that don't have any faith in the Supernatural, they most likely are idiots who are playing God of the Gaps with science, but I doubt they invent anything or do anything spectacular....well, with the exception of Francis Collins, but then again that is a result of compartmentalizing reality.
....Okay stupid, I admit, you're right. That is definantly a "Camelot is a silly place" type mistake.
Speaking of that, what's a "pramelot" and how do you push it? I never understood that from the song.
I think the 50 most brilliant theists is more like the awards ceremony at the Special Olympics, celebrating accomplishment despite the obvious handicap. Oh I'm sorry, I meant "challenge", not handicap.
Hey Collins, I went into the woods and didn't see a triune frozen water fall, therefore I have proof there is no god. Go on, challenge me on the logic, fucker. LOL!
It's kinda fun--sometimes, and if I'm already really bored--to think I have something in common with some random, famous or infamous person--good or bad (both Adolf Hitler and I aspired to art school. Eerie, no? I actually got in, but that's neither here nor there).
Maybe seeing lists of famous people who're atheists helps closeted atheists accept who they are. See that they can be successful, smart, have the hot wife, whatever. When I was a teenager, finding out some well-known and/or well-liked personality was gay, lesbian or bi-sexual, made accepting myself much easier. Not just because I wasn't alone, but because these were people who were out and proud, and successful. Seemingly happy.
QF: Adam Carolla? Not funnier than Carlin. If we're talking other comedians who happen to be atheists, and could stand toe-to-toe with Carlin in a laugh-off, Patton Oswalt'd be a better choice than Carolla.
think dating sites had it pretty tough during the crunch
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