New atheism, in my opinion, is not so much about science or even atheism, but about politics. I would really like to see the label 'new atheism' changed to a more coherent and explicit statement of what various thinkers actually stand for politically, or what their actual values are. I think freedom of speech resonates strongly, and I suspect that our values are liberal values.

I also think that new atheism is an ethical position, strongly connected to liberalism, but also a social morality where religion and other forms of irrationality are considered harmful (and an understanding of psychology is essential here), while free thought, education, equality and well-being are seen as healthy. Not so much a radical politics, but a sensible politics that ought to be the standard model for our current age.

Lastly, we must not shy away from self-criticism, from healthy dissent and debate amongst ourselves. We are not immune to group thought and irrationality, and the only way to prevent that is a value for free thought and new ideas, and of course freedom of speech.