Sam Harris

Heard Hitchens say this on one of his debates that education of women would exponentially help to rid the world off religion.

I think that the logic goes something like this: mothers are first to educate their children and if women are superstitions and uneducated themselves then it will become a vicious circle of generation upon generation of religions/superstitions people.

Does anyone agree/disagree with this? What do you think?
Are there currently any visible freethinkers women figures who could inspire large populations of women, especially in the developing world?

BBGun - 22 November 2011 05:26 AM

Heard Hitchens say this on one of his debates that education of women would exponentially help to rid the world off religion.

I think that the logic goes something like this: mothers are first to educate their children and if women are superstitions and uneducated themselves then it will become a vicious circle of generation upon generation of religions/superstitions people.

Does anyone agree/disagree with this? What do you think?
Are there currently any visible freethinkers women figures who could inspire large populations of women, especially in the developing world?

That isn’t quite Hitch’s logic, but pretty close. His idea is more that when women are properly educated, they have a better chance of getting off the animal breeding cycle of having a kid every year to eighteen months, they can use their educational resources to gain material resources, find employment, and make money. The goal being to reduce poverty. But I’m sure that in many cultures, religion stands as an impediment to this ideal.

There might be women freethinkers out there who can help make a dent, but I’m not certain who.