Meaning

I listen to the Rational Response Squad, although I am rather behind in my listening. In the current shows I am listening to, they are talking about the David Mills (author of The Atheist Universe) response to the Blasphemy Challenge. (You might remember my own take.)

His video involved him picking up dog poop with the holy bible. He got a lot of backlash for this (including one note that proclaimed he set back the atheist movement 3000 years). I'll present the video (embedding denied be damned), and see what you think of it. My own thoughts continue below.



His own response was that his dogs pooped, he needed to pick it up, and just happened to have the bible in hand when he did so. It was just a fun thing he was doing with his 11 year old daughter.

My take... I've often said (and by 'said', I meant 'thought privately without ever letting on') that there is no meaning to anything, just what meaning we insert. People do things and then 'meaning' is assigned afterwards. That he wanted to pick up dog poop and had the bible in hand is explanation enough for this. That he wanted to make a point about the bible is another. That he was having fun with his kid is yet one more.

But what it comes down to is that he probably wasn't thinking deeply about why when he did it. He... just did it. It then got posted to YouTube, meanings were ascribed and things when out of control from there.

There is no meaning to anything. Just interpretation.

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