Modesty is one of my great virtues, and that is why I am always worried when people praise me too much. I'm starting to become concerned I'll end up like that atheist megalomaniac Nietzsche, whose autobiography Ecce Homo contains such chapter titles as "Why I Am So Wise" and "Why I Write Such Good Books."
This past weekend I debated atheist Christopher Hitchens, author of God Is Not Great, at the FreedomFest conference in Las Vegas. Hitchens is probably America's leading atheist and is widely regarded as unbelief's best debater. Richard Dawkins raves about Hitchens' oratorical prowess. Entering the debate, the odds seemed stacked against me: the organizers warned me that the vast majority of the 1,000 libertarians in the audience would be in Hitchens' camp.
Yet when the debate was finished the moderator called for a vote on "who won the debate." By a show of hands, I did! In order to be magnanimous, I said that what really mattered was how many people were on each side prior to the debate. But Hitchens burst in to say that he would have lost anyway! Later several atheists came up to me and said that although they were rooting for Hitchens, they had voted for me because they felt I had prevailed decisively.
I also spoke at a special luncheon event at FreedomFest. My talk was introduced by atheist Michael Shermer, the eidtor of Skeptic magazine and author of Why Darwin Matters. Shermer commented that with the passing of William F. Buckley, I am one of the leading defenders of conservatism and freedom in America. He also added, "Whatever your beliefs, you should read Dinesh's book What's So Great About Christianity. It is the best defense of Christianity that has ever been published."
In addition to dealing with atheist accolades, I also have to contend with the same from fellow conservatives and Christians. The July-August issue of the American Spectator contains a review of my book written by Matthew Kenefick. With the title, "C.S. Lewis, Move Over," the reivew begins this way: "In his new book What's So Great About Christianity Dinesh D'Souza stakes his claim as one of the great Christian apologists." The review ends thus: "In any case, D'Souza has written a book that both G.K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis would have appreciated and that perhaps even Billy Graham and Pope Benedict XVI could agree is a masterpiece of modern apologetical writing destined to set the standard for years to come."
With comments like this, I am in serious danger of getting a big head and losing my reputation for self-effacing modesty. I suppose I should take consolation from the fact that I have some vitriolic detractors on this blog. But what credibility do these poor fools have with their unimaginative insults and wishful "Hitchens owned you!" declarations? Then an audience biased in favor of Hitchens votes me the winner and Hitchens himself admits that he lost the debate!
Atheists like to think of themselves as akin to champions of the round earth, confronted by religious ignoramuses who keep insisting that the earth is flat. But is it even conceivable that a round-earth advocate should lose a debate to a flat-earth advocate? To put the question differently, if atheists are truly the party of reason, and believers like me are truly the party of "blind faith," how come reason keeps getting its butt kicked?
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 22)
1. Your delusions of intellectual crediblity overwhelm you once more, Dinesh. You are simply an articulate idiot.
Phil at 5:23PM on Jul 14th 2008
2. satire?
Ryan Anderson at 5:39PM on Jul 14th 2008
3. This is a joke blog, isn't it d'inesh. Your third paragraph clearly states that some 'athiests' found you as winning the debate due to the better agruement, then in the last paragraph you blast 'athiests' for being in a "party that has it's butt kicked". Then having the Title be about YOUR modesty, is truely the mark of a sociopath, and I find hard to beleive that this what the family D'inesh has raised.
emanon at 5:43PM on Jul 14th 2008
4. Based on what I read here, you have a lot to be modest about.
mortified, even.
Clif Kuplen at 5:46PM on Jul 14th 2008
5. The free drinks, the flashing lights, the titty-bars... it's okay DD, when you wake up, you'll have a mild hangover, your wallet will be empty and the Ruby Slippers will be gone. Ah, Reality!
Robert at 5:58PM on Jul 14th 2008
6. Dinesh must have written this one to go up our asses.
Him modest? He blows his own horn so often that he should be called Dinesh D'Klaxon.
Godless Heathen Brian at 6:08PM on Jul 14th 2008
7. Ironically, if one is proud of how modest they've become, they've negated the premise automatically.
But it works for a hypochrist. It fits in with the rest.
Godless Heathen Brian at 6:12PM on Jul 14th 2008
8. I find it fascinating, in a classroom sort of sense (since, after all, this exploration began and will continue to be a classroom) that Dinesh has fallen further and further away from his objectivity, and in such a short period of time.
Add this to the rumors of a multiplicity of personnae that he is reputed to portray, and it all speaks of a very interesting psychosis indeed.
Robert at 6:17PM on Jul 14th 2008
9. Da'Dolph D'Itler just can't seem to get it through his head. We all laugh at him. He's a Homophobic sexist God Nazi putz. "Winning" a debate against an atheist by show of hands LOL....gee, think the room just might have a majority of Christains in Las Vegas? What a dog and pony show.
T.Brough at 6:17PM on Jul 14th 2008
10. To put the question differently, if atheists are truly the party of reason, and believers like me are truly the party of "blind faith," how come reason keeps getting its butt kicked?
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Because the average person that votes for you as the winner is not very bright and believes in a God like most of America. That's my guess. It certainly has nothing to do with TRUTH.
Godless Heathen Brian at 6:17PM on Jul 14th 2008
11.
At first I thought Dinesh was just having some fun and messing with us but as I read this post a second time I think It looks like were getting under Dinesh’s skin and affecting his thinking and self esteem.
Why else begin his post with: “Modesty is one of my great virtues.” Which is nearly the equivalent of the following:
The following sentence is false. The preceding sentence was true.
He then proceeds to relay testimonials to his greatness, which flies in the face of his self-professed modesty while expressing bitterness at the respondents to this very blog.
While it is true that many of us engage in ad homonym attacks on Douche in this blog, most of us do so only after thoroughly poking holes in his arguments or, as is the case in this post, pointing to the obviously apparent hypocrisy within his post.
I hope Shermer is correct because if Douche is now one of the leading defenders of conservatism since Buckley’s passing, then we are currently witnessing the demise of American conservatism.
Uncle Meat at 6:26PM on Jul 14th 2008
12. I think it's the dozens of readers that shoot down your argument, often by the first page than should humble you. After that we just talk amongst ourselves. OK class now talk amongst yourselves.
Dennis at 6:37PM on Jul 14th 2008
13. It is better to keep one's mouth shut and be thought a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt. Or, in Spanish equivalent; En boca cerrado, no entran moscas.
michelle at 6:40PM on Jul 14th 2008
14. With people of only moderate ability, modesty is mere honesty; but with those who possess great talent, it is hypocracy.
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)
Gosh Dinesh, you are such a hypocrite! :)
Doug at 6:45PM on Jul 14th 2008
15. Dang Doug, that sounds like one of D'ouche's circular arguments.
Dennis at 6:47PM on Jul 14th 2008