Christopher Hitchens at AAI 07 pt1 of 2

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Christopher Hitchens talks about his recent tour and takes questions at the AAI 07 conference in Washington, D.C.

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Video by
The Richard Dawkins Foundation

Camera
Wayne Marsala
Josh Timonen

Edited by
Josh Timonen

Channel: News & Politics
Uploaded: October 26, 2007 at 11:37 pm
Author: RationalResponse

Length: 00:34:14
Rating: 4.91
Views: 51396

Tags: Christopher Hitchens Atheism Reason Science AAI

Video Comments:
Noelotropolis (August 31, 2008 at 1:30 am)
18:05 Dose any one know of a link to the CNN segment he refers to? I've already tried looking, and can't find it.
NMFUntouchable (August 29, 2008 at 10:20 pm)
i hope that when I die my soul get tossed on a roof near Carlins.

Long live Frisbeeterianism.
ATL45 (August 23, 2008 at 7:58 pm)
"chimpanzees have it, and we don't"

yes, but chimpanzees also have an "it" that is not possessed by many other life forms. religion is a social construct, as is the notion of a soul. who knows, maybe other ape species would develop religions if they also had the means to complex communications, as we do with our wildly programmable voice boxes.

can they not conceive it? or can they just not fully express it to themselves and to others?
ATL45 (August 23, 2008 at 7:58 pm)
what a long "question" from that guy around 28:00.

i think it's best explained as a gradual emergence of consciousness, and as a social construct built up over time.
Falloutmoon (August 15, 2008 at 12:37 pm)
However the fact remains that you have no empirical reasons to say "God exists".Hence it's an irrational decision.
Now it doesn't mean it's a bad one or anything. Although I would argue it is. The fact is we all take irrational decisions sometimes, I know I can be pretty imaginative when I am in love. But when it comes to religion, its consequences do affect the world, politics etc and therefore it's a dangerous place to let irrationality pave our way just because it makes us "feel" good indise.
job1201204 (August 15, 2008 at 11:59 pm)
Thank you for all your responses. But what I get from all of these, and after hearing lectures and dawkens and hitchens talk, and that YES you are the enemy of the religious. Not the evil enemy of course, but you prefer we would have our religion systematically taken away. you said it is irrational and dangerous what we believe, if it is perceived as dangerous, that would lead to a plan of ridding the world of such 'torment'. it might not be possible to coexist. I fear the future now.
Falloutmoon (August 16, 2008 at 12:13 am)
This might sound a little pointless to you but believe there is a suble notion in what follows " I don't want anyone to have their religion taken away but I do wish for them to set it aside". I don't know if you see what I mean.
Falloutmoon (August 16, 2008 at 12:15 am)
Irrationality is an actual danger when it gets in the way and indeed influences policies , laws etc...That is where I believe that the danger lies. Because once it is decided that an action can be taken in the name of all based on pseudo truths that are not based on empirical evidence then anything is justifiable...

And I do believe the points of views can coexist as they have for a very long time.
Falloutmoon (August 16, 2008 at 12:17 am)
But I am pretty certain that if it did come to a form of showdown, religious people would be the ones throwing the first blow and those ready to use unthinkable means having their conscience at rest because after all "they would be acting for the will of their almighty master".
job1201204 (August 16, 2008 at 3:29 am)
Lets hope not. I will pray for the peace we all would love to see. (when i say pray, think of it as positive wishful thinking, as anyone would do.I hope you can understand, many of us would never engage violence against non believers,and we are very intellectual, very loving, and patient. we see this in so many professionals who believe, just the smaller amount who are believers in fields such as mega churches and neocons have bigger media influence. they dont represent the majority of us.