The consensus temptation

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May 23, 2026

Something Bjarte said that resonated with me:

Once again, if the fate of Movement Atheism™ should have taught us any lessons, it’s that rejecting one particular subset of unjustified beliefs does not amount to rejection of bad ideas in general, nor does it imply that everyone who rejects said beliefs is doing so for the right reasons.

It’s true, and the temptation to get it wrong is always there. We want everything to fit together. We want that kind of simplicity and coherence; we want one thingism. I oppose this and also that, and you have to do the same. It’s like having a bit of ash in your eye to bump up against someone being right (in your book) about one thing and wrong (in your book) about another.

This is probably what Adam and Eve squabbling over an apple was all about. There they were, all happy and perfect, and then they had to go and disagree about something. Result: she tempted him and he fell. (The misogyny aspect is a separate issue.) Harmony over! Apple yes, apple no, apple yes or no sex for you.

There’s agreement or there’s war; no in-between.

Comments

One response to “The consensus temptation”

Peter N

May 23, 2026 3:55 PM

Back in the Gnu Atheist days, I observed that there really were two types of atheists — the ones who had looked at the world objectively and concluded that there was no need for the god hypothesis, and the ones who flatly rejected any kind of authority, whether that of Gawd Almighty, or His spokesmen. (Their own authority was of course perfectly all right.) I met plenty of the latter, and they were not always the most agreeable chaps. Yet, of course, we had no problem making common cause with them, except for ugly episodes like Elevatorgate (which was of course only the tip of the misogyny iceberg).

The consensus temptation

Comments

One response to “The consensus temptation”