Why is Richard Carrier a materialist and atheist? His entire philosophy or world outlook sounds spiritual and non-materialist.
Matter is made up of energy. But energy isn't simply matter under another form. No, energy seems to be something distinct from matter, and its character is presently unknown. Further, the universe comes from an eternal energy-field by way of a Big Bang. Also, energy is somehow connected to our consciousness. But if so, why isn't "energy" simply another name for Spirit? Or the Tao, if you like.
Carrier (a former philosophical Taoist) still likes to meditate and considers Lao-tse to have been a great human being.
Perhaps he became an atheist-materialist after drawing the conclusion that nothing truly supernatural exists. As a Taoist, he had several mystical and paranormal experiences. Also, he rejects personal immortality in all forms.
But perhaps there is a loophole even for that in Carrier's thinking. His solution to Fermi's paradox is that super-advanced aliens might indeed exist. Invisibly to us, they live in interstellar space, completely preoccupied with surfing the virtual realities of their AI computers, not giving a damn about other life forms.
In other words, they look like a merry band of cosmic immortals!
I say the main gadfly of New-New Atheism is really a technological Taoist...
Everything is well on the third planet from the Sun.
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