I had abandoned Catholicism, but even during my short militant atheist period I maintained an interest in western religious art and music.
Tim CraneTaken as hypotheses, religious claims do very badly. Yet the striking fact is that this does not worry Christians.
Tim CraneWine is not discovered but made: it is an artifact that can be appraised that can be appraised aesthetically
Tim CraneMany people like to think that their moral or political enemies are not just wicked or wrong - as if that were not enough - but stupid or idiotic too. We tend to find this attitude too in the contemporary religion debate. It might console those on each side of the debate to think of their opponents in these terms, but if we want to make real progress in understanding what is going on here, this approach cannot help.
Tim CraneI do not claim to have any developed or sophisticated views in political philosophy, but I think that one of the lessons of the last few hundred years of history is that the greatest threat to human prosperity and well-being is fanaticism and intolerance, even in the name of apparently laudable goals.
Tim Crane