"Humanists today, who claim to take a wholly secular view of things, scoff at mysticism and religion. But the unique status of humans is hard to defend, and even to understand, when it is cut off from any idea of transcendence. In a strictly naturalistic view β one in which the world is taken on its own terms, without reference to a creator or any spiritual realm β there is no hierarchy of value with humans at the top. There are simply multifarious animals, each with their own needs. Human uniqueness is a myth inherited from religion, which humanists have recycled into science."
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Atheists from EnglandPhilosophers from EnglandCultural criticsCritics of religionUniversity of Oxford faculty
Original Language: English
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An Old Chaos: Humanism and Flying Saucers (p. 77)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Gray_(philosopher)
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John Gray (philosopher)
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