The Secular Moral Alternative to Dawkins and Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Podcast audio:

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer examines a discussion between Richard Dawkins and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, explaining why so-called secular humanists have been unable to offer a rational moral alternative to religion.

Among the topics covered:

• Ali’s rationalizations for her religious conversion;
• Why Western civilization is not purely Christian;
• How religious belief relies on arbitrary claims;
• Dawkins’ failure to offer a rational moral alternative to Christianity;
• Why a rational morality requires an uncompromising commitment to truth.

Mentioned in this podcast are Bayer’s articles “The Old Morality of New Religions,” “Debunking the Supernaturalism That Haunts Secular Ethics,” and Onkar Ghate’s essay “Finding Morality and Happiness Without God.”

The podcast was recorded on July 31, 2024. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Watch archived podcasts here.

Image credits: Getty Images/Christian Marquardt; Getty Images/David Levenson.