I haven't watched it yet or even read the book, but I have commented on the exact same thing before here on QSS.

What the Hell is a God anyway?

The notion of God has evolved from a man in the sky to an invisible spirit and then to an all-loving light at the end of a dark tunnel during near death experiences.

God changes to fit the times, a journey that reflects the sad fact that God is an imaginary being.

Anyone notice that back in the brone-age the notions of God were quite "solid", while with the increase of knowledge in the modern times God grows ever more vaguer.

In the 1700's we had the rise of Deism which limited God's role to it's most extreme, as being only the creator of the universe. The Deist God still survives in Freemasonry and in the knowledge of the beliefs of the founding fathers of the U.S., however the Deist views are pretty much dead. The reason? The arguments Deists made to disprove the notion of a personal God can also be used to disprove the notion of the existance of any God.

I just hope that we as a species can grow up and get rid of the superstition that is religion. For all we know our very survival may depend on us doing so.

Pretty good interview conducted by Bill Moyer's. I think Wright has some valid points about how the concept of God has evolved as an attempt by people to explain why good/bad things happen, etc.

I think the statement in his book that "Human beings are organic machines built by natural selection to deal with other organic machines." is narrow-minded.
Perhaps he should have said - Machines are just inorganic mechanisms built by human beings to deal with other inorganic mechanisms (i.e. nature).
Still, worth a watch.
Thanks

"Human beings are organic machines built by natural selection to deal with other organic machines" pretty much sums it up in my opinion. Marylin Manson would refer to these organic machines as "mechanical animals".

The only thing I might add to the quote might be that we not only have to deal with other organic machines but also the environment in which we live.... but I suppose our habitat itself could also be referred to as an organic machine. So, strike that. The quote sounds solid in my opinion.

Wow. Great vid. Very interesting stuff. I like the positive overtones of the conversation. I have never paid much thought to a moral center for all people, and how religion acts as an analog of that concept, since a religious person used their God as a moral center. If we found a moral center for humans, not just a specific follower, then we would be much better equipped for the global village.

In the second video where Robert Wright interviews Daniel Dennett, though the format is an interview, in actuality it is more of a debate, and consequently much more interesting. Wright and Dennett present their differing views on several topics, leading to a spirited debate.

One of the topics they discussed was "Free Will." I thought Dennett had some insightful views on this.

Another interesting topic they discussed at length was "C/consciousness."
Dennett's view is that consciousness is just the state of the brain, and is equal to sentience.
Wright's view is that Consciousness is something more, different, inherently private, and consequently not available for scientific investigation.

Thanks for the posts.

I haven't even seen it yet...i just want to stand upon the highest ground and cheer for mark 8's sig quote attributed to iza... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Mark8!!! I Exalt Thee!!! And I shall proclaim it from the highest mountain! Mark8 be praised! Hosanna in the highest!

hahahaha...let me pick myself up off the floor from laughing so hard. once again, thank you Mark8...thank you.

Hehe, yeah, forgot to mention the quote in the sig. Classic!