File 025636
Email Chain: Lawrence Krauss and Noam Chomsky Discuss Fanaticism and Religious Dogma (File 025636)
Email correspondence between Lawrence Krauss, Noam Chomsky, and Jeffrey Epstein discussing an article about scientific atheism, fanaticism, and religious dogma, dated September 2015.
Summary
Lawrence Krauss shares a New Yorker article titled "All Scientists Should Be Militant Atheists" with Noam Chomsky and Jeffrey Epstein. Chomsky responds with his views on confronting dogma, distinguishing between religious and secular fanaticism, and arguing for rational argument over ridicule. Krauss follows up with personal anecdotes about visiting Epstein's Caribbean island and discussing a movie actor who is also a guitarist.
From:Sent:To:Subject:Attachments:Lawrence Krauss9/18/2015 6:26:27 PMjeffrey E. [jeeyacation@gmail.com]Re: an article you may both hate. or like.DA866543-7401-4A5A-8E50-FD32E33A5OEC.pngImportance: HighWhen I was with him yesterday I told him we were going to caribbean and he asked where.. He has an island inbahamas, making you two the only people I know who own islands..:) will ask him if he is free then. He isremarkable in new movie, though the film itself is not fantastic.. he is also a pretty good guitarist., his showwith alice cooper and joe perry in la was great.Lawrence M. KraussDirector, The Origins Project at ASUCo-Director, Cosmology InitiativeFoundation ProfessorSchool of Earth & Space Exploration and Physics DepartmentArizona State University, P.O. Box 871404, Tempe, AZ 85287-1404Research Office: , Assistant (Jessica):Origins Office (Cynthia):origins.asu.edu I twitter.com/Ikraussl I krauss.faculty.asu.eduMil OriginsPROJECTARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITYOn Sep 18, 2015, at 9:08 AM, jeffrey E. <jeevacation@gmail.com> wrote:you can invite depp to visit us when you are in the caribeanOn Thu, Sep 10, 2015 at 4:10 PM, Lawrence Krauss <111). wrote:Ps. My piece argued against fanaticism.Lawrence M. KraussDirector, The Origins Project at ASUFoundation ProfessorSchool of Earth & Space Exploration and Physics DepartmentArizona State University, P.O. Box 871404, Tempe, AZ 85287-1404Research Office: Assistant (Jessica):Origins Office (Cynthia):origins.asu.edu I twitter.com/Ikraussl I krauss.faculty.asu.edu<DA866543-7401-4A5A-8E50-FD32E33A5OEC.png>Sent from my iPhoneOn Sep 10, 2015, at 12:02 PM, jeffrey E. <jeevacation@gmail.com> wrote:I think religion plays a major positive role in many lives. . i dont like fanaticism on either side. . sorryHOUSE OVERSIGHT 025636On Thu, Sep 10, 2015 at 7:52 PM, Noam Chomsky < > wrote:Thanks for sending. A wide area of agreement, but not total.On confronting dogma, I of course agree — though in my opinion the secular religions — nationalist fanaticism, etc. —are much more dangerous. And if some find rational discussion offensive — as, for example, mainstream academicsfind dismantling myths of "American exceptionalism" or "Israeli self-defense" or Obama's mass murder campaign,etc., offensive — so be it.But I don't see why that should extend to ridicule. That includes astrologists. Astronomers can refute astrology, whilerecognizing that perfectly honest and deluded people may believe it and should be treated with respect, while theirbeliefs are confronted with evidence. I also don't see why we should ridicule religious dogma, just as I don't think weshould ridicule the much more pernicious secular dogmas. Rather, we should respond to irrational belief withargument and evidence, while recognizing that their advocates (like most of the intellectual world in the case ofsecular dogma) are people who we should be responding to but without ridiculing them. It may be hardsometimes. For example, when the icon and founding father of sober non-sentimental Realism in International Affairsinforms us that the US, unlike other countries, has a "transcendental purpose," and the fact that it constantly acts incontradiction to its purpose doesn't matter because the facts are just "abuse of history" while real history is "theevidence of history as our minds reflect it," then it's hard to avoid ridicule. But we should. There's no point ridiculingvirtually the entire IR profession and the major journals, even though such extraordinary irrationality leads to majorhuman disasters.On Davis, I frankly think that's a non-issue. If she decides she cannot do her job as the conditions of employmentrequire (including following the law), then she can quit and look for another job. As in any other such case.NoamFrom: Lawrence Krauss [mailto: ]Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2015 1:51 AMTo: Noam Chomsky jeffrey E. <jeevacation@gmail.com>Subject: an article you may both hate. or like.hope all is well.Lawrencehttp://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/all-scientists-should-be-militant-atheistsLawrence M. KraussDirector, The Origins Project at ASUCo-Director, Cosmology InitiativeFoundation ProfessorSchool of Earth & Space Exploration and Physics DepartmentArizona State University, P.O. Box 871404, Tempe, AZ 85287-1404Research Office: Assistant (Jessica)HOUSE OVERSIGHT 025637Origins Office (Cynthiaorigins.asu.edu I twitter.com/Ikraussl I krauss.faculty.asu.eduplease noteThe information contained in this communication isconfidential, may be attorney-client privileged, mayconstitute inside information, and is intended only forthe use of the addressee. It is the property ofJEEUnauthorized use, disclosure or copying of thiscommunication or any part thereof is strictly prohibitedand may be unlawful. If you have received thiscommunication in error, please notify us immediately byreturn e-mail or by e-mail to jeevacation@gmail.com, anddestroy this communication and all copies thereof,including all attachments. copyright -all rights reservedplease noteThe information contained in this communication isconfidential, may be attorney-client privileged, mayconstitute inside information, and is intended only forthe use of the addressee. It is the property ofJEEUnauthorized use, disclosure or copying of thiscommunication or any part thereof is strictly prohibitedand may be unlawful. If you have received thiscommunication in error, please notify us immediately byreturn e-mail or by e-mail to jeevacation@gmail.com, anddestroy this communication and all copies thereof,including all attachments. copyright -all rights reservedHOUSE OVERSIGHT 025638