Abstract
This paper addresses recent examples of militant atheism. It considers the theistic reply that describes atheism as deriving from a “God-shaped hole” in the human soul. The paper will argue that American pragmatism offers a middle path that avoids militant atheism without suffering from this problem. The paper describes this middle path and considers the problem that is seen in Rorty’s recent work: how the pragmatist can remain critical of religious fundamentalism without succumbing to a militant version of atheism. The solution proposed is tolerant acceptance of religion along with melioristic criticism developed within shared norms of inquiry.
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Fiala, A. Militant atheism, pragmatism, and the God-shaped hole. Int J Philos Relig 65, 139–151 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11153-008-9188-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11153-008-9188-3