Epilogue

"The late philosopher Isaiah Berlin believed that, rather than aspire to some Utopian ideal, a society should strive for something else; not that we agree with each other but that we can understand each other. In the end, the cultures that survive will be those that are willing and able to embrace the new ones on their terms, while rejecting anything that implies the total violation of their way of life."

-M.H. Lakdawala, The Milli Gazette, 2003, [www.milligazette.com]

There are many that say we are locked in a culture war. This may be a true way of thinking. But if we stay focused on the metaphor of war, we are doomed to failure. Wars imply force used to control others. Force of persuasion is perhaps replacing the force of violence, but the essence of war is a lack of consent. We must not wage war upon those who seek to control us with force. Rather we must build a society where their tools of coercion are impotent. Reason, education and alliance building are our best tools. There may be times when force is called for. However, we must remember that the use of force is always a sign that something has gone wrong.

We must also remember that the vast majority of people that fear and oppose atheists, agnostics, Humanists, skeptics and other freethinkers do so out of ignorance. Many of them are already our personal friends, we just need to let them know who we are, what we think, and why. It is by engaging in dialogue with them and building mutual respect that we will best achieve our goals.

Now get to it!

Students and speakers at the SSA 2009 Conference in Columbus, OH get down with their cephalopod selves!