Wednesday, June 3, 2009

"Nothing to be frightened of"

"I don't believe in God, but I miss Him."

Julian Barnes' brother Jonathan, a philosopher, thought his brother's opening line in Nothing to be Frightened Of "soppy"; but it expresses the natural ambivalence that many atheists feel about the human condition. Are we up to the challenge of living in a Godless universe?

When their mother died and Julian relayed the undertaker's question about viewing the body Jonathan said "Good God, no. I agree with Plato on that one." What did Plato say? "That he didn't believe in seeing dead bodies."

“Thank goodness you’re here—I can’t accomplish anything unless I have a deadline.”  by David Sipress

New Yorker

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