Re: [Marxism] Review of Ron Aronson's *Living without God: New Directions for Atheists, Agnostics, Secularists, and the Undecided*

["Paula" <Paula_cerni@xxxxxxx>]

Jim, thanks for this useful review. I haven't yet  had a chance to read 
Aronson's book; these comments are only on the basis of your article.

The weakness in Aronson's argument, if I understand it correctly, is that he 
presents us with a choice of 'perceptions'. Should we perceive ourselves as 
isolated individuals, or as interdependent people? But the way we perceive 
ourselves inevitably arises out of the way we actually are.  The autonomy 
myth, like all myths, is not just a myth. It is the ideological expression 
of a social reality that in actual practice sets one against all.

What Aronson and the New Atheists don't seem to realize is that modern 
religion is largely a practical response to this social fragmentation. 
Believers form communities and help each other through their churches and 
organizations - because they can't easily do it anywhere else. It's a 
welfare system by another name.

The intellectual critique of religious 'perceptions' has been done many 
times already. We may update or add details to it, but it will never be 
enough, because religion is generated by social faults and not by faulty 
perceptions.

(In case you missed it, here's a piece I wrote about this: 
http://www.stateofnature.org/atheismIsNotEnough.html).

Paula 


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