Posted to YouTube yesterday, unsure when this actually took place. Christopher Hitchens at his best:
"When we talk about wish fulfilment, we're talking about the very unpleasant primate species to which we belong, and the self-interested fantasies that it will continue to generate"
Would that he were still around. He seems irreplaceable.
Fantastic mind, with that ability to instantly recall hugely relevant text, seemingly effortlessly at any stage of a debate or when being questioned. I have great admiration for his response when asked if there was only one believer left on Earth, would he wish to change their mind, and his reply was no. He said Dawkins was horrified by this.😁
I also liked his opinion about drinking, creativity and writing. He seemed to be able to strike that perfect balance of just enough Johnnie Walker Black Label, but not too much. I've always felt that assistance with alcohol with playing music or writing lyrics etc. Too easy to cross that tempting line though and discover later some serious dross in Logic Pro or scribbled notes.
Quote from: The Picnic Wasp on May 24, 2025, 12:43:39 AMFantastic mind, with that ability to instantly recall hugely relevant text, seemingly effortlessly at any stage of a debate or when being questioned. I have great admiration for his response when asked if there was only one believer left on Earth, would he wish to change their mind, and his reply was no. He said Dawkins was horrified by this.😁
Must admit I'm disappointed by that, as well. What's the value in leaving someone to stew in ignorance? And what about the danger that they'd infect someone else with their idea?
Quote from: Slim on May 31, 2025, 03:40:56 PMQuote from: The Picnic Wasp on May 24, 2025, 12:43:39 AMFantastic mind, with that ability to instantly recall hugely relevant text, seemingly effortlessly at any stage of a debate or when being questioned. I have great admiration for his response when asked if there was only one believer left on Earth, would he wish to change their mind, and his reply was no. He said Dawkins was horrified by this.😁
Must admit I'm disappointed by that, as well. What's the value in leaving someone to stew in ignorance? And what about the danger that they'd infect someone else with their idea?
Oh come on, James. I'm sure if there was only two left you could convince them.😁
(https://i.ibb.co/B54LcXV7/christianlies.jpg)
Quote from: Slim on July 23, 2025, 08:48:40 PM(https://i.ibb.co/B54LcXV7/christianlies.jpg)
I was in that queue once; then I read Carl Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World (the essence of which is captured in that image) and Richard Dawkins' The Blind Watchmaker in quick succession.
They had the effect of tipping the scales to such a profound degree that there might as well have been a jam jar's worth of neutron star material on one side.
(https://i.ibb.co/rKXSH1Mv/afterdie.jpg)
"I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it".
- Mark Twain