Monday 24 July 2006

A Little Fluff

It is surprisingly rare to find atheism taken in earnest, even amongst self-professed atheists. More common is to find an airy sub-species of atheism that is keen to stress its own consolations. Consider the words of Mary Warnock, for instance, who in response to the question, “What happens to us when we die?”, replies: “We disappear from existence. But that doesn’t mean that we disappear from other people’s minds and hearts” [1].
.....If we are mortal, then we shall indeed disappear from existence, and the memories of us in other people’s minds will not constitute our continued existence, for such is a feeble consolation based on an equivocation; moreover, even the memories of us will one day fade to nothing.
.....For whom does Baroness Warnock believe these conclusions are too stark that they require the soft edges of fluff? For herself or for her readers?
.....
[1] Mary Warnock, quoted in “Baroness Warnock: You Ask The Questions”, The Independent, 24th July 2006.

4 comments:

dearieme said...

She was never shy of talking de haut en bas.

Croydonian said...

A woman of supreme ghastliness, and her eventual departure might well prompt the occasional grateful memory of same...

Akaky said...

Damn it, I dont want to live on in someone's memory, I want to live, period. It's very selfish of me, I know, not wanting to make room for the next generation, but as far as I'm concerned, the next generation can go suck eggs--I'm not leaving!

Deogolwulf said...

Hear, hear!