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A first draft of an Atheist Rule Book might be something like:
• Think for yourself
• Keep an open mind, subject to better evidence
• Kindness and intelligence are the two supreme values
• Don't fashion your belief system based on fear, what your parents told you, or what any authority figures, or your culture, has told you
• Continue to develop your mind and your understanding of the universe
A first draft of an Atheist Rule Book might be something like:
• Think for yourself
If you think for yourself, you aren't likely to go in search of a rule book.
I had a student once in a college history course who came to complain about the C I had given her paper. In that I felt I had been exceptionally generous in giving it a C, I stood my ground and told her no. In the course of the argument which followed, she at one point informed me that "My independent thinking coach told me never to accept no for an answer."
Let me rephrase it then: what characteristics do you think constitute the philosophical, emotional and intellectual makeup of a person who, with legitimacy and integrity, self-identifies as an atheist.
If you think for yourself, you aren't likely to go in search of a rule book.
I had a student once in a college history course who came to complain about the C I had given her paper. In that I felt I had been exceptionally generous in giving it a C, I stood my ground and told her no. In the course of the argument which followed, she at one point informed me that "My independent thinking coach told me never to accept no for an answer."
I teach also, and one thing I've noticed is how very differently people process language. It's very, very easy for misunderstandings to advance to the explosive point--particularly online, where you don't have the advantages of tone of voice and body language. Teaching is a special case with respect to personal responsibility, also, because you're tasked with guiding immature minds.
I had a student barge into my studio once while I was having a serious conversation with a talented graduate student, referring to her Mozart G Major Concerto as a "song."
Let me rephrase it then: what characteristics do you think constitute the philosophical, emotional and intellectual makeup of a person who, with legitimacy and integrity, self-identifies as an atheist.
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