Penn Jillette pens an atheist bestseller

[SecularMotion]

In 2006 Richard Dawkins wrote about atheism from the scientific perspective. In 2007 Christopher Hitchens wrote about atheism from the sociological perspective. And for the next three years, the skeptics community wondered who would step in to write about atheism from the 6-foot-7 juggler’s perspective. Penn, it turns out. Who’d’ve thunk it?

Like the Dawkins book (The God Delusion) and the Hitchens book (God Is Not Great), Jillette’s God, No!: Signs You May Already Be an Atheist and Other Magical Tales hit the New York Times bestseller list right after publication. Penn thinks he knows why: “Some polls show the number of nonbelievers has climbed to nearly 20 percent. Even the Pew numbers are at 8. That might not seem like a lot, but a decade ago, around 9/11, the number was at 2 percent. That’s a four-fold increase. The only group that’s seen a rise in numbers like that is Lady Gaga’s fan base.”

http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2011/sep/21/penn-jillette-pens-bestseller/

[Stuckinthebush]

1. That is now on my reading to-do list

We need more books out there whether they are from Dawkins, Hitchens - or even Penn! Wonderful.

[MadHound]

2. That's nice, another religious-like polemic

Another author who thinks he has all the answers, when the truth of the matter is that anybody who knows for certain what lies beyond the grave can't tell us, and those who try and tell us what lies beyond the grave simply don't know.

[hlthe2b]

5. Sure... but I'll bet it is funny.

:shrug:

[MadHound]

7. That's in the eye of the beholder,

Frankly I've never been a fan of either Penn or Teller, or any combination of the two.

[hlthe2b]

8. well, I've barely ever seen them-- only Penn on Maher a few times...

so, maybe I should reserve judgement. Not on my reading list, regardless...

Religious discussion so frequently incites anger, defensiveness, combativeness, bigotry, and intolerance.... A bit of humor might be a (pardon the pun) "blessing".

[SwampG8r]

13. teller is very subtle

he has few "tricks" he does solo but he does have some and they are artful
youtube up tellers shadows illusion which he created in high school
it is a magicians masterwork

[Pale Blue Dot]

19. Actually, he states right at the beginning that he DOESN'T have all the answers.

I've read it. Maybe you should too, before you make assumptions about what it says.

[hlthe2b]

3. Written from the 6-foot-7 juggler perspective.

LOL....

[NNN0LHI]

4. I am atheist but doesn't Mr. Jillette have some other "funny ideas?"

Not the kind of funny that tends to make me laugh either.

Or am I thinking of someone else?

Don

[Lucian]

6. He's a big-time libertarian.

He does have some nutty ideas when it comes to government.

[bananas]

10. He's a global warming "skeptic" and a research fellow at Koch Brother's CATO Institute

"Penn Jillette, H.L. Mencken research fellow, is the louder, bigger half of the magic/comedy team Penn & Teller. He and Teller co-host a new series on Showtime that looks to debunk junk science, scares and scams with reason and logic. Jillette writes the "Final Word" column for Regulation magazine."
http://www.cato.org/people/jillette.html

"Cato was founded in 1977 by Edward H. Crane and Charles Koch, <2> the billionaire co-owner of Koch Industries known for its financing of the Tea Party and various extreme right front groups. David Koch is currently on Cato's Board of Directors."
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Cato_Institute

"global warming...just reeks of fucking bullshit"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWt2Rir8OQk

Sourcewatch has more: htp://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Penn_and_Teller

[SecularMotion]

12. They've backed off their stance on global warming

"At James Randi's gathering of skeptics in Las Vegas last month (The Amazing Meeting 6), apparently both Penn and Teller very reluctantly conceded in response to audience q & a that they now "don`t know" whether or not "global warming is Bull****", but that they certainly hate Al Gore."

http://mises.org/Community/blogs/tokyotom/archive/2008/07/06/penn-amp-teller-quot-bull-quot-artists-get-ready-to-change-their-quot-skeptical-quot-stance-on-climate-change.aspx

[bananas]

15. He's full of it. nt

[Pale Blue Dot]

20. Unfortunately, in the book he has a rather infuriating story

in which he asserts that he's still a Global Warming Denier (and he even goes after the attendees of The Amazing Meeting.

I feel like for libertarian skeptics, everything is subject to question except for libertarianism. Like Penn says in the book repeatedly, he's an asshole, but I find him to be a fascinating asshole.

[Bunny]

16. On top of that, he's also a smug, smarmy asshole.

With a heaping helping of douchebag thrown in. So no, I won't be reading his book.

[stuntcat]

18. that's what I thought

another selfish a-hole on my Evil list.

[frogmarch]

14. On their TV show they

blasted the concept of special ramps, et., that would give handicapped people access to (especially government) buildings.

I'm an atheist, but I don't like Penn and Teller.

[HughBeaumont]

9. I can tolerate libertarians . . . until they start talking economics and government . . .

. . . and, sooner than you can say "laissez-fail", POOF:



THAT'S what they turn into, and Penn Jillette is no exception. Some even make Brylcreem Fist look like a Commie in comparison.

[Chorophyll]

11. Penn Jillette has always struck me as kind of a d*ck.

Who really cares what anyone believes (or not) as long as they don't insist on telling you all about it? (Or basing policy on it.)

[BuddhaGirl]

17. yawn

:eyes: