[MD] David Hildebrand's Dewey

[Steven Peterson]

Hi David, Matt,

This is a little off topic, and I want to respond to each of your
posts, but I have some other questions.

I've been very interested in the so-called militant atheist movement,
especially in Sam Harris.  Atheists are generally described by theists
as materialists since they do not endorse the supernatural. I have
been wondering if someone like Harris may be better described as a
pragmatist.

Anyway, could you give me your views about the sorts of arguments a
pragmatist can make about religion? Can we say that it is not good to
believe in gods and simultaneously say that ideas are tools for coping
with reality and not meant to correspond with reality? How would a
pragmatist argue that religion isn't a good tool?

Regards,
Steve