Daniel Dennett vs. transcendental beauty

This interview with Daniel Dennett is worth watching , especially since Bill Moyers gives a great presentation of the “but what about wonder?!” argument for God. It is rather annoying actually; it as though he is not listening to Dennett or, did not really read his book although in other places he appears to have done so. Throughout the interview Moyers keeps bringing up the beauty of music, the beauty of cathedrals, and the experience of transcendent piety – and then he asks Dennett, in so many ways, if he really thinks that these experiences are simply “tricks,” or products of physical processes?

By the third time he posed what was essentially the same question, I was starting to get frustrated – of course they are, I was shouting. Dennett did well enough with this – he was very patient – but I was feeling like Moyers needed a lecture in neurobiology 101. However, Dennett did make a very important point: believing that such inspiration ultimately has a physical root does not to him diminish these experiences in any way.

And I think this is the real assumption atheists need to tackle when confronted with this line of argument. Beauty is beautiful, regardless of whether or not you think it emanates from an all-powerful being; and beauty will move in you the same feelings of peace and hope even if you do not think you are being possessed by the Holy Spirit or blessed by Allah or touched by any other deity.[1] For me, listening to music creates the most beautiful moments of awe and reverence – and what am I contemplating during those moments? I am imagining how my brain is lit up like the night sky on the Fourth of July, and I am thinking of what a beautiful, amazing thing the human brain is to create such bliss and beauty. And yes, I feel connected to something larger than myself – I feel connected to all of human evolution, and the entire history of human art and inspiration.

Now is that really a downgrade over feeling attached to a supposedly omnipotent, omnipresent being? I don’t think so. I think it is an upgrade.

Robin Marie at TAM 9!

I had the extreme pleasure of being able to attend, for the first time, The Amazing Meeting! in Las Vegas. I will blog more extensively on my experience there soon, but first I wanted to share a collection of interviews I did with TAM participants — including James Randi, Lawrence Krauss, Mr. Deity and Rebecca Watson — where I asked everyone a question that is fun to ask atheists: what is the best argument you’ve ever heard for God? Contribute your answer in the comments!

Religion at the Rally to Restore Sanity

I was lucky enough to be able to attend Jon Stewart’s Rally to Restore Sanity in Washington D.C. last weekend, and I took the opportunity to talk to people with signs pertaining to religion what their signs meant to them.

The Rally itself commented on the problems of religious dogma through the character of Father Guido Sarducci, who named off religions and asked God to indicate which is the correct faith by sending some sort of sign. Like the entire Rally, this was a great example of making an important point through comedy; but I have to admit, I felt a twinge of being left out – nonbelievers were not even mentioned.