Andrew Brown (writer) explained

Andrew Brown
Birth Place:London, England
Language:English
Notableworks:Fishing in Utopia
Awards:Orwell Prize

Andrew Brown (born 1955 in London) is an English journalist, writer, and editor.[1] He was one of the founding staff members of The Independent, where he worked as a religious correspondent, parliamentary sketch writer, and a feature writer. [2] He has written extensively on technology for Prospect and the New Statesman and been a feature writer on The Guardian.[3] He has worked as the editor for the Belief section of The Guardians Comment is Free, which won a Webby under his leadership,[4] and is currently a leader writer and member of the paper's editorial board. He is also the press columnist of the Church Times.[5] In The Beginning was the Worm (2004) was shortlisted for the Aventis Prize. Fishing in Utopia (2008) won the Orwell Prize and was nominated for the Dolman Best Travel Book Award in 2009.

Brown is the son of Bletchley Park codebreaker Patricia Bartley.[6]

Views

Christianity and non-believers

Brown has described himself as someone for whom "Christianity is only true backwards."[7] He has written that he is "constantly astonished by the way in which the Church of England contains such a large number of clever, learned and dedicated people giving their lives to an institution that is none of those things." He has also concluded, "But I still can't do it myself. So why worry? Why not see it all as nonsense? Because really it isn't all nonsense. As a friend of mine, a former missionary, said once: 'It's about the thing that is true even if Christianity isn't true. Christian language does things that no other use of language can. I can conclude only that God has called me to be an atheist.'"[7] [8]

Brown has criticised Richard Dawkins for what he calls the cult of personality that has grown around him and his positions.[9] He is also sceptical of the scientific concept of memes, as developed by Dawkins.[10] [11]

The Guardian editorial on David Cameron

In September 2019, Private Eye magazine named Brown as the author of an editorial in The Guardian newspaper about former British prime minister David Cameron. This touched on the death of Cameron's six-year-old son. Brown claimed the PM only ever felt "privileged pain". The article provoked outrage across the political spectrum, and the paper later said the piece "fell far short of our standards. It has now been amended, and we apologise completely."

Torture

Brown has been a fierce critic of the Sam Harris' position on torture. He has attacked Harris for what he has described as Harris' advocacy of torture in situations where we are willing to accept collateral damage (i.e., from bombing, etc.), as it relates to fighting the war on terror.[12]

English Wikipedia

Brown fears English Wikipedia has outcompeted rival encyclopedias and problems that lead to criticism of Wikipedia will continue. Brown fears "charlatans and liars" have the most to gain from editing Wikipedia, and potential idealistic contributors are discouraged, due to difficulties editing the site, especially through smartphones.[13]

Bibliography

Awards and nominations

Notes and References

  1. Sweden's magic, its women - and its fish. The Spectator. 27 April 2013.
  2. Web site: Third Annual Templeton-Cambridge Fellowships . 2016-02-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110410212735/http://theorwellprize.co.uk/wp-content/files_mf/andrewbrownfishinginutopia.pdf . 2011-04-10 . dead .
  3. Web site: Third Annual Temoleton–Cambridge Fellowships . 2016-02-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091211201428/http://www.templeton.org/pdfs/press_releases/Templeton-Cambridge%20Fellows%2007%20release.pdf . 2009-12-11 . dead .
  4. Web site: Religion & Spirituality.
  5. News: Rausing. Sigrid . Sigrid Rausing. The death of a dream. New Statesman. June 29, 2009.
  6. Web site: At 96, my mother is one of the last surviving Bletchley Park codebreakers | Andrew Brown. TheGuardian.com. 28 March 2014.
  7. Web site: Help thou mine unbelief.
  8. News: How do churches get new bums on seats? Get rid of the boring old ones. 1 April 2013. The Guardian. Brown . Andrew .
  9. Web site: The bizarre – and costly – cult of Richard Dawkins. 16 August 2014.
  10. News: Serious objections to memes. Andrew. Brown. 8 July 2009. The Guardian.
  11. Susan Blackmore, The Meme Machine. L.. Gabora. A.. Brown. Journal of Consciousness Studies. 1 January 1999. 6. 5. 77–85. PhilPapers.
  12. News: Sam Harris, torture, quotation. Andrew. Brown. 8 August 2009. The Guardian.
  13. Web site: Wikipedia editors are a dying breed. The reason? Mobile. 25 June 2015. The Guardian. Brown . Andrew .
  14. News: A Policeman's Lot. 27 April 2013. Evening Times. Feb 12, 1988.
  15. News: Rediscovering the gene genius. https://archive.today/20130616100952/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/smgpubs/access/70125750.html?dids=70125750:70125750&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Apr+04,+1999&author=Brian+Morton&pub=Sunday+Herald&desc=Rediscovering+the+gene+genius&pqatl=google. dead. June 16, 2013. 27 April 2013. Sunday Herald. Apr 4, 1999.
  16. News: In the Beginning Was the Worm by Andrew Brown. 27 April 2013. New Scientist. 22 February 2003.
  17. Edgar. Lois. In the Beginning Was the Worm: Finding the Secrets of Life in a Tiny Hermaphrodite (Book-Review). The Quarterly Review of Biology. 2006. 81. 49–50. 10.1086/503924.
  18. News: Fishing in Utopia by Andrew Brown. London Evening Standard. 27 April 2013.
  19. News: Fishing in Utopia, By Andrew Brown - Reviews, Books. The Independent. Jul 27, 2008.
  20. Oscarson. Christopher. Andrew Brown. Fishing in Utopia: Sweden and the Future that Disappeared.(Book review). Scandinavian Studies. Spring 2010. 82. 1. 99. 10.2307/40920897 . 40920897 . 254481073 .
  21. Web site: That Was The Church That Was. Bloomsbury.com.
  22. News: Journalist receives first European Religion award. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303165542/http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/9511163100/journalist-receives-first-european-religion-award. dead. March 3, 2016. 27 April 2013. Christian Science Monitor. October 2, 1995.
  23. News: Record entries for science prize. 10 May 2004 . BBC. 27 April 2013.
  24. News: Debut book wins Dolman Travel Book award. Telegraph. 27 April 2013.
  25. Web site: Orwell Prize 2009. Granta. 27 April 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130522192132/http://www.granta.com/New-Writing/Orwell-Prize. 2013-05-22. dead.
  26. News: Sverigeskildring fick Orwellpris. Svenska Dagbladet. 27 April 2013.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Andrew Brown (writer)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.