Well, I'm from Northern Ireland and I can assure you that no-one there I know speaks with a plum in his mouth like this bloke, nor waves hands around like sails.
These are affectations. Distracting, unnecessary ones, IMO.
Poor old Conor! That's just how he is. Sorry it bothers you.
Speaking for myself, I find his style very engaging and listenable to. I love the posh Irish accent.
But I am more interested in what you think about the content of what he says that what you think about his accent. What do you think about his claim that
if atheism is true then materialism is true
and if materialism is true then nihilism is true
and if nihilism is true then there is no ethics, no people, no truth, beauty, or goodness—just meaningless combinations of matter
Micah said…
I really appreciated Conor's argument, as you just described. It reminds me of C.S. Lewis's discussion in his book 'Miracles' about how the very existence of human reason, being able to make inferences, rather than it just being a series of cause and effect reactions, argues for something beyond the natural universe being the 'whole show'.
I also appreciated this discussion, because it kind of expands on what I was trying to get at in a discussion with some atheists/agnostics on another forum. They asked the question: What is God? (in a sarcastic manner, of course).
My attempt to answer was:
---- God is the shorthand way of stating the idea that things like Person, Intelligence, Love are fundamental reality -- MORE fundamental than the physical universe.
The idea of 'no God' is shorthand for stating the physical universe (or some quantum mechanical system from which it arises) is fundamental reality and that things like person, intelligence, love are ultimately just illusions from reactions within that physical system.
The former idea of God seems to line up more with the Platonic vision of the 'forms', and I hold to that line of thinking/belief. ----
Comments
These are affectations. Distracting, unnecessary ones, IMO.
Speaking for myself, I find his style very engaging and listenable to. I love the posh Irish accent.
But I am more interested in what you think about the content of what he says that what you think about his accent. What do you think about his claim that
if atheism is true then materialism is true
and if materialism is true then nihilism is true
and if nihilism is true then there is no ethics, no people, no truth, beauty, or goodness—just meaningless combinations of matter
I also appreciated this discussion, because it kind of expands on what I was trying to get at in a discussion with some atheists/agnostics on another forum. They asked the question: What is God? (in a sarcastic manner, of course).
My attempt to answer was:
----
God is the shorthand way of stating the idea that things like Person, Intelligence, Love are fundamental reality -- MORE fundamental than the physical universe.
The idea of 'no God' is shorthand for stating the physical universe (or some quantum mechanical system from which it arises) is fundamental reality and that things like person, intelligence, love are ultimately just illusions from reactions within that physical system.
The former idea of God seems to line up more with the Platonic vision of the 'forms', and I hold to that line of thinking/belief.
----
So this video was very interesting to me.