Moderators Bravus Posted March 13, 2008 Moderators Posted March 13, 2008 Interesting interview and book: http://www.salon.com/books/int/2008/03/13/chris_hedges/ (sorry, second Salon link for today - no more) Quote Truth is important
cricket Posted March 13, 2008 Posted March 13, 2008 I can't get the link to open. But just can't help but stress that it's most likely that many atheists don't believe in Chris Hedges either! Didn't he write American Fascists? I thought that was a fascinating read as well. Quote
Moderators Bravus Posted March 13, 2008 Author Moderators Posted March 13, 2008 Yes, this is his followup book in which he takes on the 'New Atheists' like Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris. He says they're just as fundamentalist and as dangerous on the left as those he talked about in American Fascists are on the right. The link is to Salon, so it might pop up an ad first. Wait a few seconds and an 'Enter Salon' link will appear in red at the top of the page. Quote Truth is important
cardw Posted March 15, 2008 Posted March 15, 2008 Chris Hedges is not a very good debater. He got smoked in both debates because he didn't understand what Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens were saying. He kept appealing to easily deconstructed arguments and had not thought out the issues as well as either Sam Harris or Christopher Hitchens had. I don't agree with everything that Sam Harris or Christopher Hitchens say, but I certainly understand what they are saying and the very good rational arguments that they have developed. If Christ Hedges wanted to be more effective he should have been prepared and stopped appealing to his vast "experience" and come up with some actual rationales. Here is an example of Chris Hedges poor understanding Quote: Sam ends his book with a chapter that can best be described as Buddhism light. His spirituality, which apparently includes life after death and telepathy, fuels our narcissistic obsession with our individual unconscious. I am not against solitude or meditation, but I support it only when it feeds the moral life rather than serves as an excuse to avoid moral commitment. Sam Harris never makes excuses for a moral commitment. In fact he refers to the immoral commitment many religions have to violence. He outlines a very rational basis for moral behavior. Whether Christ Hedges agrees with Sam Harris or not, the statement above indicates that either he doesn't understand Sam Harris' rational basis for moral commitment or he has chosen to ignore it or he has simply been too lazy to research it. Here is part one of a nine part video series... Harris and Hedges debate In the debate you will note that Sam Harris has statistics and actual studies that he refers to on actual religious belief while Chris Hedges tends to rely on emotional appeal and catch phrases designed to gain applause. This is not to say that Christ Hedges doesn't have some valid points. He just doesn't seem to be able to address the specific points that Sam Harris makes either because he doesn't understand him or he is simply unprepared. Quote Rich http://tiny.cc/CM2j8
Planey Posted March 15, 2008 Posted March 15, 2008 ... If Christ Hedges wanted to be more effective... ...Whether Christ Hedges agrees with Sam Harris or not,... ...This is not to say that Christ Hedges doesn't have some valid points... No wonder this bloke doesn't believe in atheists. Quote Graeme____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Planey Posted March 15, 2008 Posted March 15, 2008 Are they related? The two Christs? Quote Graeme____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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