Fresh off the electronic press, Illogical Atheisms is the second, self-published e-book by Maltese writer Bõ Jinn. Speaking out to Anna Camilleri against the new atheism movement, he’s determined to make a name for himself, and ruffle a few feathers along the way...

[attach id=280287 size="medium"]Bõ Jinn’s self-published e-book explores the new atheist movement which began after 9/11.[/attach]

Broad-shouldered with a confident swagger, Bõ Jinn doesn’t look anything like your typical writer, if there’s any such thing.

His grey jumper does little to conceal a muscular physique developed through years of rugby, surfing and boxing.

“I’ve always been an open book,” he says. Yet there’s something enigmatic about this fledgling writer who, at 24, has already self-published two e-books.

He explains why he won’t print his real name. “I feel much more comfortable using a pseudonym,” he says. His latest writing deals with a sensitive subject, and “you can possibly upset some people, especially in Malta where anybody can find out who you are”.

An omnivorous reader, Jinn picked up writing at a very young age: “I’ve always liked to write; in fact, I had written a sort of novel when I was around 12.”

He chuckles and says sheepishly: “It was like a pale imitation of The Lord of the Rings… but it was just an experiment.”

He decided to take up writing “seriously” after sitting for his A levels. His ambition was to study English and Philosophy at university, but a D in English thwarted his plans. “All riled up” about his low grade, he decided to pursue writing earnestly.

Six years on, with a pen-name and a Philosophy degree under his belt, Jinn has already published his second e-book. Yet this may never have happened, had he not decided on a whim to publish a book in the first place.

“It was completely by accident. My first book was supposed to be the script for a video animation.”

This book, entitled Evolution of War: A Brief Psychology of Social Conflict, explores what Jinn believes to be the latent human impulse behind war, and susses out “a few of the crucial obstacles to conflict resolution”.

With characteristic directness that pervades his writing, Jinn tackles the logic of war head on, in a compelling and artistic manner: “I decided to put it together in a way that might be a bit poetic… more accessible.”

Jinn’s style is a mixture of stimulating rhetoric and narrative flair, something he admires in his main influence, C. S. Lewis.

“He wasn’t a brilliant philosopher but he was a great writer, and he had a way of saying things that would hit you deeper than most real intellectuals.”

After Evolution of War, which did “surprisingly well”, Jinn has now completed a book series, consisting of four parts, expected to be out in June or July. Illogical Atheisms criticises “the dynamics of contemporary atheist subculture”, and the first part, Book 1: Origins, is already out on Amazon Kindle.

The book explores the new atheist movement, which Jinn says began after 9/11, with a spate of books written by a group of people, namely Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Daniel Dennet.

Having analysed these books from a philosophical perspective, he accuses them of breeding a “vibrant culture for militant atheists”.

What are the negative consequences of this new brand of atheism? It disturbs Jinn that new atheism has become so popular when he believes that there are much more refined philosophies of atheism, like that of Bertrand Russell.

“Unfortunately, people put a lot more stock into these new atheists… Why? Because they’re a lot more emotive and they work with propaganda. Propaganda sells like crazy. Look what Hitler did to Germany with one book.”

Likely to spark some controversy, the first instalment of Illogical Atheisms argues that contemporary atheists are now morphing into their religious counterparts the very people they so aggressively reprimand.

Ultimately, argues Jinn, atheism is “not just a pessimistic way of looking at the world; it is a profoundly illogical way”.

His book aims to take on the new atheists because “militant anything, fundamental anything, is wrong”.

“Like any other religion, the new atheists have their own religious leaders, and they have a world view, comprising philosophies and beliefs. People go out and preach for them and market this world view; they even have their own buildings where people meet up. We just don’t give them the same label.”

Jinn places popular belief systems under a revealing microscope, dismissing even agnosticism as “intellectual paralysis”.

“I have a lot more respect for the atheists; at least they’ve thought about things. They’ve made that choice. In a sense, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”

Jinn criticises new atheists for engendering hatred towards religion. Then again, he admits to using similar tactics: “I’m just as aggressive and I have no problem saying that a statement is stupid. If it’s stupid, it’s demonstrable and you can prove it… but I try to be a bit more respectful.”

Jinn’s books are garnering some interesting reactions, some of them negative. “Sometimes you get bad feedback. That’s one thing I have to cope with, especially when it’s going out on the internet.”

Illogical Atheisms is a harsh critique on a growing contemporary subculture and, understandably, it will stir people up. But what of his own beliefs?

It disturbs Jinn that new atheism has become so popular when he believes that there are much more refined philosophies of atheism, like that of Bertrand Russell

Jinn makes no apologies for his spirituality and makes that clear in his book. “I don’t feel like I should have to dignify a movement by being on the defensive about what I believe, especially when their own beliefs are open to attack. My aim wasn’t to convince anyone; I don’t want to evangelise; I have a problem with these people and I wanted to put my cards on the table.”

With online literature on the rise, Jinn is one of the growing number of writers who now opt for self-publishing.

In 2009, almost 800,000 titles were published by self-publishers and micro-niche publishers, exceeding the number of books published the traditional way. For a hopeful writer just starting out, the online medium has a lot of benefits.

“It’s easier because you don’t need to go through agents.” Jinn tried to approach several publishers with his work, but this always ended in failure.

“You have to prove yourself first; you have to be reputed.”

Self-publishing allows writers to bypass the competitive market and get instant exposure. This is good news for Jinn, who placed his first e-book online free of charge for the first three days, and got over 300 downloads.

“You can market your work for a lot less because you don’t have to pay expenses to marketers and agents; although you have to pay a commission to an online publisher, it is relatively meagre compared to most publishers.

“There are fewer expenses because you don’t have printing costs, and I can sell the book for approximately €1 and make the same return as I would if I had taken the traditional paperback route.”

By teaming up with a tech-savvy friend, Jinn publishes his work independently: “I was lucky to find someone to work with me. If you want to go into self-publishing, that takes a lot of work. It’s a full-time job.”

Jinn does not seem to be put off by hard work. He graduates in law this year but is determined to make a name for himself as a writer.

“It’s my priority to make writing my career. For now I’ve earned pocket-change. But every week I make a bit more than the previous week, and I haven’t even finished my book yet.

“It will be interesting to see how things kick off after I’m actually finished and the final version is up on the internet, with everything in place, including promotional material.”