PZ has been stumping, for years, the idea that atheism is the premise and social justice/progressive values/feminism is the logical conclusion. And anyone who doesn’t see this logic, is dishonest or stupid. Libertarians and others do it too, so this is nothing new. But I always find it disappointing.

I’m not necessarily against any specific value, but I don’t think PZ and his group have solved the is/ought problem simply by adding a plus sign to atheism. Maybe they don’t understand the problem… but mostly I think they just don’t care. They want their social justice, damn the torpedoes.

If that’s what you want, have at it, but its because of your heart, not your head. Social Justice is about human compassion, not logic. You can have overlap, but they are not the same.

I’m tempted to think of Atheism Plus as Scepticism Minus – that is, scepticism that extends to theological claims (hence the atheism part) but refuses to critically examine the ideas and evidence that underpin progressive politics. However, if they want to work on building the best possible case for progressivism from an atheist perspective, I suppose that could be a worthwhile intellectual contribution. Personally, I think I’ll continue to take my atheism and scepticism straight-up, no ice or soda water.

Choose your narrative wisely.

In my mind it is a rather odd term for a feminist to use to dismiss opponents. Seems anti-woman to me.

Your sarcasm is always much appreciated… but maybe you can explain to me how Atheism plus is not about excluding people. I prefer inclusiveness. I simply don’t see much value in… yet another atheist label.

Joe Member of Atheism Neutrality