EXCERPT : " Why philosophers dislike the New Atheism "

[ "I don’t know how many genuinely do dislike new atheism. But, of those who do, here are a few typical reasons: Lack of scholarship. The new atheists rarely engage with the philosophical literature on religion and the existence of God. Lack of charity. The new atheists tend to attack the weakest—or tend not to attack the strongest—arguments in favor of God’s existence. Arrogance. The new atheists speak and write in a way which is generally not (epistemically) humble, deriding theists as obviously wrong or stupid. Style. The new atheists tend to speak and write in a sensationalist and polemical style, rather than dispassionately and critically. Methodological issues. The new atheists do not reason with the level of rigor expected of competently trained academic philosophers. This list is not exhaustive, and each reason does not fully apply to all of the new atheists. Note also that some of these things might be appropriate given their practical goals (e.g., of making religion seem unworthy of belief). Even so, many academically trained philosophers—theist and atheist alike (and most are atheists)—view the negation of each of 1-5 as ideal for philosophical practice. That, combined with the popularity of the new atheists, contributes to their dislikability. " ]