BioEdge notes that “bioethicist” has become a dirty word for some Americans. Now, apparently, atheist bioethicists are starting to flex a bit more muscle:
They recently published an article in the Guardian’s “Comment is free” blog, under the headline, “Stand up, stand up, against Jesus”. They reject accommodationist atheism which cozies up to religious people if they are prepared to support evolution. Schuklenk and Blackford, however, call for more robust criticism:
“Religion cannot be eradicated — that is not a realistic goal — but the many problems with religious dogma can and should be highlighted. As atheists, we should state clearly that no religion has any rational warrant, and that many churches and sects promote cruelty, ignorance, and civil rights abuses.”
They also have edited a 360-page book, Voices of Disbelief. This collects essays from 52 atheists and will be published in the second half of next year. According to Blackford, it is “an exciting and extraordinarily diverse group of people”. And perhaps to confirm the worst fears of some Americans, it includes a number of well-known writers on bioethical issues: John Harris, Marc Hauser, Sheila A.M. McLean, Tamas Pataki, Julian Savulescu, Peter Singer, Michael Tooley, and, of course, Schuklenk and Blackford. They discuss the book in Schuklenk’s blog.
