I didÂn’t think it would be posÂsiÂble, but it hapÂpened. I found my two least favorite intelÂlecÂtuÂals togethÂer on the same stage, and King’s ColÂlege in NYC made it all posÂsiÂble. So, to mark the occaÂsion, I bring you Dinesh D’Souza, the acadÂeÂmy’s dressed up verÂsion of Ann CoulÂter, debatÂing the ever surly ChristoÂpher Hitchens. The topÂic is faith and atheÂism. The debate is heatÂed. And as you watch, you’ll see the charmÂing perÂsonÂalÂiÂties come out. The video conÂtinÂues with Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, and Part 10. 90 minÂutes in total.
Is there “a philoÂsophÂiÂcal incomÂpatÂiÂbilÂiÂty between reliÂgion and sciÂence. Does the empirÂiÂcal nature of sciÂence conÂtraÂdict the revÂeÂlaÂtoÂry nature of faith? Are the gaps between them so great that the two instiÂtuÂtions must be conÂsidÂered essenÂtialÂly antagÂoÂnisÂtic?” These were the quesÂtions raised by JerÂry Coyne, a proÂfesÂsor at the UniÂverÂsiÂty of ChicaÂgo, in a long and meaty book review (“SeeÂing and BelievÂing”) appearÂing in The New RepubÂlic. Over at the Edge.org, a numÂber of sciÂenÂtifÂic thinkers, who regÂuÂlarÂly engage with these essenÂtial quesÂtions, have offered their own thoughts on the matÂter. You’ll find short pieces by Stephen Pinker, Daniel DenÂnett, Sam HarÂris, George Dyson and othÂers. This one pasÂsage by Karl GiberÂson parÂticÂuÂlarÂly struck me (though it’s not exactÂly a reflecÂtion of my worldÂview):
EmpirÂiÂcal sciÂence does indeed trump revealed truth about the world as Galileo and DarÂwin showed only too clearÂly. But empirÂiÂcal sciÂence also trumps othÂer empirÂiÂcal sciÂence. EinÂstein’s dethroneÂment of NewÂton was not the wholeÂsale underÂminÂing of the sciÂenÂtifÂic enterÂprise, even though it showed that sciÂence was clearÂly in error. It was, rather, a gloÂriÂous and approÂpriÂateÂly celÂeÂbratÂed advance for sciÂence, albeit one not underÂstood by most peoÂple. Why is this difÂferÂent than modÂern theÂolÂoÂgy’s near uniÂverÂsal rejecÂtion of the tyranÂniÂcal anthroÂpoÂmorÂphic deity of the Old TesÂtaÂment, so eloÂquentÂly skewÂered by Dawkins? How is it that “sciÂence” is allowed to toss its hisÂtorÂiÂcal bagÂgage overÂboard when its best informed leadÂers decide to do so, even though the ideas conÂtinÂue to cirÂcuÂlate on main street, but reliÂgion must forÂevÂer be defined by the ancient bagÂgage carÂried by its least informed?
The world disÂclosed by sciÂence is rich and marÂvelous, but most peoÂple think there is more to it. Our reliÂgious traÂdiÂtions embody our fitÂful and imperÂfect reflecÂtions on this mysÂteÂriÂous and tranÂscenÂdent intuition—an intuÂition that, as articÂuÂlatÂed by some of our most proÂfound thinkers, seeks an underÂstandÂing of the world that is goes beyond the empirÂiÂcal.
What hapÂpens when you’re runÂning a 14th cenÂtuÂry conÂvent in SouthÂern Spain that’s nearÂly broke? You could call up Jake and Elwood. Or, if you’re MothÂer Isabel and you run the show, you put a video on YouTube entiÂtled “Why not be a bareÂfoot Carmelite?” And then you let everyÂone see the nuns doing their thing — nuns readÂing, nuns prayÂing, nuns bakÂing and nuns sewing. So far the video has about 30,000 views, which is not huge by YouTube stanÂdards and it may not be enough to save the nuns. But the way I figÂure it, if we can bail out the Wall Street bunÂglers, then why not the nuns?
I menÂtioned this course over two years ago, back when the Open CulÂture had about five readÂers. And givÂen that the topÂic is hardÂly out of date, I figÂured that it wouldÂn’t hurt to bring it back to the surÂface. The course comes out of StanÂford’s ConÂtinÂuÂing StudÂies ProÂgram (where I help give a hand). The topÂic is the real Jesus. The proÂfesÂsor is Thomas SheeÂhan. You can access it on iTuneÂsU and othÂerÂwise find it in our colÂlecÂtion of free online coursÂes. FinalÂly, the course descripÂtion is here:
Who was the hisÂtorÂiÂcal Jesus of Nazareth? What did he actuÂalÂly say and do, as conÂtrastÂed with what earÂly ChrisÂtians (e.g., Paul and the Gospel writÂers) believed that he said and did? What did the man Jesus actuÂalÂly think of himÂself and of his misÂsion, as conÂtrastÂed with the mesÂsianÂic and even divine claims that the New TesÂtaÂment makes about him? In short, what are the difÂferÂences — and conÂtiÂnuÂities — between the Jesus who lived and died in hisÂtoÂry and the Christ who lives on in believÂers’ faith?
Over the last four decades hisÂtorÂiÂcal scholÂarÂship on Jesus and his times — whether conÂductÂed by Jews, ChrisÂtians, or non-believÂers — has arrived at a strong conÂsenÂsus about what this undeÂniÂably hisÂtorÂiÂcal figÂure (born ca. 4 BCE, died ca. 30 CE) said and did, and how he preÂsentÂed himÂself and his mesÂsage to his JewÂish audiÂence. Often that hisÂtorÂiÂcal eviÂdence about Jesus does not easÂiÂly doveÂtail with the traÂdiÂtionÂal docÂtrines of ChrisÂtianÂiÂty. How then might one adjuÂdiÂcate those conÂflictÂing claims?
This is a course about hisÂtoÂry, not about faith or theÂolÂoÂgy. It will examÂine the best availÂable litÂerÂary and hisÂtorÂiÂcal eviÂdence about Jesus and his times and will disÂcuss methodÂoloÂgies for interÂpretÂing that eviÂdence, in order to help parÂticÂiÂpants make their own judgÂments and draw their own conÂcluÂsions.
Here we have the odd couÂple. The agnosÂtic filmÂmakÂer and one of AmerÂiÂca’s most influÂenÂtial reliÂgious figÂures engaged in a liveÂly conÂverÂsaÂtion. It’s actuÂalÂly a rather genÂtleÂmanÂly exchange from the late 1960s, and it’s added to our video colÂlecÂtion of CulÂturÂal Icons. Part 1 appears below, and you can get Part 2 here.
You can find this video perÂmaÂnentÂly hostÂed in our colÂlecÂtion of 235 CulÂturÂal Icons.
Stand-up comÂeÂdy and BibÂliÂcal creÂation don’t usuÂalÂly go togethÂer. But someÂhow they do for Ricky GerÂvais, the creÂator of the ever-popÂuÂlar teleÂviÂsion show, The Office. (Watch episodes here.) The bit runs about 10 minÂutes, and it’s added to our YouTube playlist.
Jonathan Miller’s Brief HisÂtoÂry of DisÂbeÂlief is a BBC proÂducÂtion (2005) that offers teleÂviÂsion’s first susÂtained look at the hidÂden hisÂtoÂry of atheÂism. The three-part docÂuÂmenÂtary takes you from unbeÂlievÂers withÂin Ancient Greece, to the re-emerÂgence of disÂbeÂlief in 15th and 16th cenÂtuÂry Europe, through to the French EnlightÂenÂment, RevÂoÂluÂtionÂary AmerÂiÂca and the rise of DarÂwinÂian thought. We’ve postÂed Part 1 below. You can watch Parts 2 and 3 here and here.
At least in AmerÂiÂca, Charles DarÂwin has become the favorite whipÂping boy for many funÂdaÂmenÂtalÂists on the right. In one neat packÂage, you get in DarÂwin all things deplorable. A godÂless “secÂuÂlar humanÂist” who denied the sancÂtiÂty of humanÂiÂty, God’s provÂiÂdence, and the integriÂty of the Bible. What more could you love to hate?
SomeÂwhere lost in today’s culÂture wars is the real Charles DarÂwin. Aired first in OctoÂber, this proÂgram, proÂduced by AmerÂiÂcan PubÂlic MediÂa’s SpeakÂing of Faith (MP3 — iTunes — Feed — Web Site), revisÂits DarÂwin’s life & thought with James Moore, a CamÂbridge UniÂverÂsiÂty scholÂar who has writÂten DarÂwin: The Life of a TorÂmentÂed EvoÂluÂtionÂist. And here’s the picÂture that we get. Like many imporÂtant sciÂenÂtists who came before him — Galileo, CoperÂniÂcus and NewÂton — DarÂwin believed that sciÂence could help explain the laws of nature creÂatÂed by God. FurÂther, he saw his OriÂgin of Species as describÂing the forms of life that owed their exisÂtence to God’s law — a law that expressed itself in natÂurÂal selecÂtion. ReadÂers will find that DarÂwin’s text is litÂtered with refÂerÂences to creÂation. And DarÂwin, himÂself, was notÂed for sayÂing that when he wrote the book, his faith in God was as strong as that of a bishÂop, although his faith did wane latÂter in life. SimÂply put, DarÂwin was hardÂly the eneÂmy of reliÂgion that many conÂsidÂer him today.
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