Changing of the God: The Conceit of Science, the Poverty of the New Atheism, and the Rise of Techno-Fascism

These days, no one should be faulted for feeling a certain overload of the senses and emotions. Good news seems to be hiding under big boulders somewhere. "If it isn't one thing, it's another" is a cliche that doesn't quite get at it.

It isn't just the economy or the environment or the wars and rumors of wars - it's damn near everything. "Hell in a hand basket" doesn't make the grade either. Where is the relief? Even those who hoped that things might brighten up with the ascendancy of Barack Obama are finding holes in their armor of "hope" and "change".

It's as if we were bolted into the tarmac at the intersection of several runways. Toward each one of them a massive, crippled Airbus heads in for a crash landing, landing gear up, engines aflame, air brakes screaming.

Under the circumstances, it's hard to look even at the most immediate questions: "Is my money really gone?" "Will I have a place to live?" "A job?" "Food?" "How long before things are 'normal' again?" "Months?" "Years?" "Ever?" For some, a darkness has already come. For others . . . soon, I'm afraid. It's numbing, that's what it is.

In this context, examining the phenomena described in the title of this article, however onerous and overwhelming, is crucial. It is these issues, rooted as they are in power, which decide what path humanity takes from this crossroad. The implications of these trends and their convergence are serious and immediate. Very little can be "done about them", except making personal and community choices and spreading awareness and insisting on discussion. To the point . . .

[more at P! ...]

ddjango (the "dd" is silent) is a political and cultural writer in exile from Boston. He began writing on the internet with the now-archived blog ddjangoWIrE in 2002, then founded P! in 2004. He has been known to post at American Samizdat, PBA, Peoples Voice, Thomas Paine's Corner, Empire Burlesque, Corrente, and other sites. He is also a published Content Provider at Associated Content and a Sustaining Member of ZNet.

Holding a Master of Education degree, ddjango has served as a community organizer, social worker, therapist, trainer/organizational developer, researcher, and cab driver. He was also an undistinguished singer-songwriter, member of the Boston-Cambridge folk community in the '60s and early '70s.

ddjango writes about post-politics, post-society, freethought, spirituality, singularity, trans- and post-humanism, and techno-fascism.

This article was originally published at P! on 12/21/2008.

Changing of the God: The Conceit of Science, the Poverty of the New Atheism, and the Rise of Techno-Fascism

These days, no one should be faulted for feeling a certain overload of the senses and emotions. Good news seems to be hiding under big boulders somewhere. "If it isn't one thing, it's another" is a cliche that doesn't quite get at it.

It isn't just the economy or the environment or the wars and rumors of wars - it's damn near everything. "Hell in a hand basket" doesn't make the grade either. Where is the relief? Even those who hoped that things might brighten up with the ascendancy of Barack Obama are finding holes in their armor of "hope" and "change".

It's as if we were bolted into the tarmac at the intersection of several runways. Toward each one of them a massive, crippled Airbus heads in for a crash landing, landing gear up, engines aflame, air brakes screaming.

Under the circumstances, it's hard to look even at the most immediate questions: "Is my money really gone?" "Will I have a place to live?" "A job?" "Food?" "How long before things are 'normal' again?" "Months?" "Years?" "Ever?" For some, a darkness has already come. For others . . . soon, I'm afraid. It's numbing, that's what it is.

In this context, examining the phenomena described in the title of this article, however onerous and overwhelming, is crucial. It is these issues, rooted as they are in power, which decide what path humanity takes from this crossroad. The implications of these trends and their convergence are serious and immediate. Very little can be "done about them", except making personal and community choices and spreading awareness and insisting on discussion. To the point . . .

[more at P! ...]

ddjango (the "dd" is silent) is a political and cultural writer in exile from Boston. He began writing on the internet with the now-archived blog ddjangoWIrE in 2002, then founded P! in 2004. He has been known to post at American Samizdat, PBA, Peoples Voice, Thomas Paine's Corner, Empire Burlesque, Corrente, and other sites. He is also a published Content Provider at Associated Content and a Sustaining Member of ZNet.

Holding a Master of Education degree, ddjango has served as a community organizer, social worker, therapist, trainer/organizational developer, researcher, and cab driver. He was also an undistinguished singer-songwriter, member of the Boston-Cambridge folk community in the '60s and early '70s.

ddjango writes about post-politics, post-society, freethought, spirituality, singularity, trans- and post-humanism, and techno-fascism.

This article was originally published at P! on 12/21/2008.

Changing of the God: The Conceit of Science, the Poverty of the New Atheism, and the Rise of Techno-Fascism

These days, no one should be faulted for feeling a certain overload of the senses and emotions. Good news seems to be hiding under big boulders somewhere. "If it isn't one thing, it's another" is a cliche that doesn't quite get at it.

It isn't just the economy or the environment or the wars and rumors of wars - it's damn near everything. "Hell in a hand basket" doesn't make the grade either. Where is the relief? Even those who hoped that things might brighten up with the ascendancy of Barack Obama are finding holes in their armor of "hope" and "change".

It's as if we were bolted into the tarmac at the intersection of several runways. Toward each one of them a massive, crippled Airbus heads in for a crash landing, landing gear up, engines aflame, air brakes screaming.

Under the circumstances, it's hard to look even at the most immediate questions: "Is my money really gone?" "Will I have a place to live?" "A job?" "Food?" "How long before things are 'normal' again?" "Months?" "Years?" "Ever?" For some, a darkness has already come. For others . . . soon, I'm afraid. It's numbing, that's what it is.

In this context, examining the phenomena described in the title of this article, however onerous and overwhelming, is crucial. It is these issues, rooted as they are in power, which decide what path humanity takes from this crossroad. The implications of these trends and their convergence are serious and immediate. Very little can be "done about them", except making personal and community choices and spreading awareness and insisting on discussion. To the point . . .

[more at P! ...]

ddjango (the "dd" is silent) is a political and cultural writer in exile from Boston. He began writing on the internet with the now-archived blog ddjangoWIrE in 2002, then founded P! in 2004. He has been known to post at American Samizdat, PBA, Peoples Voice, Thomas Paine's Corner, Empire Burlesque, Corrente, and other sites. He is also a published Content Provider at Associated Content and a Sustaining Member of ZNet.

Holding a Master of Education degree, ddjango has served as a community organizer, social worker, therapist, trainer/organizational developer, researcher, and cab driver. He was also an undistinguished singer-songwriter, member of the Boston-Cambridge folk community in the '60s and early '70s.

ddjango writes about post-politics, post-society, freethought, spirituality, singularity, trans- and post-humanism, and techno-fascism.

This article was originally published at P! on 12/21/2008.