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Monday, July 14, 2003

The "bright" meme 

Posted by Hei Lun : 3:19 PM

Daniel C. Dennett in the New York Times on what a "bright" is:

What is a bright? A bright is a person with a naturalist as opposed to a supernaturalist world view. We brights don't believe in ghosts or elves or the Easter Bunny — or God. We disagree about many things, and hold a variety of views about morality, politics and the meaning of life, but we share a disbelief in black magic — and life after death.

The term "bright" is a recent coinage by two brights in Sacramento, Calif., who thought our social group — which has a history stretching back to the Enlightenment, if not before — could stand an image-buffing and that a fresh name might help. Don't confuse the noun with the adjective: "I'm a bright" is not a boast but a proud avowal of an inquisitive world view.
Many liberal commenters on Kevin Drum's blog don't like it. Best quote:

Yes, bright make you sound like a moron.
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