I have already read about 15 of these short essays published by Edge. It's hard to stop, because the answers are especially thoughtful and well-articulated. Daniel Dennett's response is representative of the quality of these responses. Here is an excerpt from Dennett's response, entitled: "The Evaporation of the Powerful Mystique…
“He who begins by loving Christianity more than Truth, will proceed by loving his sect or church better than Christianity, and end in loving himself better than all.” Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Aids to Reflection, “Moral and Religious Aphorisms,” no. 25 (1825)
Not after reading this article about pig-farming in Rolling Stone. This is the teaser at the top of the article: America's top pork producer churns out a sea of waste that has destroyed rivers, killed millions of fish and generated one of the largest fines in EPA history. Welcome to…
This question is misleading. In 2003, approximately 40% of us opposed the invasion. But it felt like there were only a handful of us.
I was looking through my 2003 writings to recall my rational for opposing the Iraq invasion. I don’t see that I wrote anything much about Iraq back then. I do remember thinking the invasion was a big mistake. I do remember thinking that Colin Powell was blowing smoke at the U.N.
Though I didn’t find much in writing from 2003, I found this 2004 email I wrote to a friend who was very much in favor of the war:
…I’ve been working a lot of hours lately, but I can’t help but feel deep gnawing need to pry myself away periodically to do my small part to stop this insane movement that goes in the name of “conservatism.” Squandering the budget is only one part of it for me. Every day, this lunatic’s rhetoric and actions are causing 100 talented young men from the Middle East to dedicate their entire lives to lighting a nuclear fire so as to melt New York. I truly believe that the short term temporary good that Bush has accomplished in the Middle East is far outweighed, not only by the blood spilled to accomplish it, but by the horrors we will be facing 10 and 20 years from now. This country would never have gone to war had Bush and his team not bald-faced lied about the alleged urgent need
