I chose these videos containing an interview with Daniel C. Dennett, the author of "Breaking the Spell." This interview along with his book discussed "Religion as a Natural Phenomenon." I felt this related with my topic, "God and the Origin of the Universe." This interview doesn't talk about the origin of the universe but it talks about the reasoning behind religion, and why people believe. I feel this is relevant to my topic because the exploration of this reasoning will provide evidence against the argument of intelligent design, and help to promote other ideas.
In this interview Mr. Dennett explores the evolution of religion and states that there was a time when religion did not exist. That begs the question: Does religion require believers to exist? Mr. Dennett also states that most religions did not stand the test of time, but some were specifically designed for greater longevity. He goes on to explain the interworkings of religion and believes that religion tend to promote poor behavior and violence. Mr. Dennett questions the validity of religion and compares the early beliefs to the present.
The interview with Mr. Dennett provided me with insight into the history of religious beliefs. This ultimately provided me with a greater understanding of my topic and why people believe.
1 comment:
H,
Dennett is one of the more well-known, dare I say famous, living philosophers. I've never seen him speak, though I've seen him on video. I find him to be a very engaging speaker.
A video I recently discovered of his is here (the following site has some amazing videos besides Dennett's, too): http://www.ted.com/
:) Karla
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