Reddit mentions of Everybody Is Wrong About God

Far too many people want to cite the "Sokal Squared" affair as evidence that gender studies and related fields are nothing but ideologically motivated hackery.

That may be true (and there are certainly some cases where it is), but their success in publishing papers is stronger evidence that you can find a journal that will publish something, given enough time and effort.

Edit: I looked deeper into Lindsay's other work. This is one of his major books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Everybody-Wrong-About-James-Lindsay/dp/1634310365

From the Amazon blurb:

> With every argument for theism long since discredited, the result is that atheism has become little more than the noises reasonable people make in the presence of unjustified religious beliefs.

What fucking planet are these guys on? I've read Boghossian's absolutely terrible Manual for Creating Atheists, and it's page after page of intellectual flatulence followed by assertion after assertion about theistic arguments and claims. Neither Lindsay nor Boghossian show the slightest signs of grasping basic philosophical issues.

Thanks for sharing this. I am reading "Everybody is wrong about God," by James Lindsay (foreword by Peter Boghassian) and this is his main theme too. From the Amazon description: He demonstrates that whenever people say they believe in “God,” they are really telling us that they have certain psychological and social needs that they do not know how to meet.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1634310365/

> I want to believe wicca is true, and astrology too. But the evidence is too overwhelimg that they really aren't. I want to feel spiritual again, but I'm too solid in my logical atheist mind. What should I do? Any similar experiences?

Well, you need to ask yourself a fundamental epistemological question: do I want to believe true things?

If you answer yes, then so much baggage is immediately shed: it no longer matters what you wish was true; desires have no bearing on whether something actually makes up reality. Instead you're now free to ask other questions, like: what is the best way to determine if something is true?

I find epistemology to be an engaging and enormously rewarding process. Here's a great place to start if you're interested.

Obviously, it's not all sunshine and roses! Just answering 'yes, I want to believe things that are true' doesn't do away with the fact that there is also still a reason you want astrology to be true, or wicca to be true. Perhaps you like the idea that the position of the heavenly bodies influence your life because it gives you a sense of guidance, or a sense of acceptance for the things that are outside of your control.

There's a book I heard of recently, that I haven't read but sounded interesting: Everybody is Wrong about God.

The reason I'm interested to read this book is that it sounds like it acknowledges something very important:

> The key, author James Lindsay argues, is to stop that particular conversation. He demonstrates that whenever people say they believe in “God,” they are really telling us that they have certain psychological and social needs that they do not know how to meet. Lindsay then provides more productive avenues of discussion and action.

You have reasons you want to believe in these things. These reasons still exist even now that you've decided these things probably aren't true. Your next step is working out what those reasons are, and if there's a way you can meet those needs within a framework that is based in reality.

Of course, if you answer 'no, I don't care about believing true things' then go nuts!