The video de la nuit: Delusions and religion

I like listening to Richard Dawkins speak. I've started reading his book “The God Delusion’ and I believe that he makes strong points about religion and the negative effects that it has on “modern societies.” He debated David Quinn (columnist with the Irish Independent) on the Ryan Tubridy Show and in my opinion, won the argument. (Hat tip: Jeremy Lott). Anyway, in this video, Dawkins explains his points very clearly and in my opinion very convincingly.

Comments

[Daphine]

Is it necessary to pick a pole in a classic bipolar dilemma?

I wonder if there exists logic that would mitigate theism's negatives and augment atheism's positives?

[Kiki]

Good question. My answer would be yes, but of course again I wonder logic is always good. Camus says that it is impossible for Humans to be totally logical and I agree. Religion isn't in my opinion not meant to be rational or to be logical, it is about faith, about believing something that may seem totally unbelievable without the conviction that something greater that humans exist. The problem is that too many have tried to replace logic by religious thought and to say that as long as you believe you don't need to listen to reason, to follow logic or even to believe in science.

[Daphine]

Aren't all human beings in a whole lot of trouble if your characterization of Camus' statement is true?

[Kiki]

No why? Logic isn't always the best way to make a decision. Sometimes, human beings think with their heart and there is nothing wrong with that as long as they admit to themselves that it is what they are doing. Logic and even reason have their own limitations in the sense that they don't always lead to the right answers.

[Daphine]

Because lack of logic implies we could randomly harm ourselves notwithstanding perfect knowledge.

I agree that most of us often knowingly "thinking" with your hearts. But is that illogical - it seems very logical to me?

[kiki]

Good question, but the answer depends on whether you think that logic is simply a tool or something more. If it is a tool, then what matters is the goal or rather the end and not the means. More often that not, I found myself disagreeing with something based on the fact that it misrepresents the facts or simply ignores them not because it is illogical.

[Daphine]

yes - as others have said - the errors which arise from the absence of facts are far more numerous and more durable than those which result from unsound reasoning based on the true facts.