emanon Posted August 6, 2010 Report Share Posted August 6, 2010 (edited) A really great interview by Stephen Fry. I really enjoy a lot of Stephen's views and these are some really great points and explanations. And it's just plain interesting to listen to and watch! http://bigthink.com/ideas/17864 Enjoy Edited August 6, 2010 by emanon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emanon Posted August 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 Am I to take it that no one else is a Stephen Fry fan? If not, I'm curious what in particular views you are particularly adverse to? - Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikee Posted August 8, 2010 Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 well he does say he likes kant and how he's a "humanist" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emanon Posted August 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 Ha... you either didn't listen to the entire video or you completely ignored the context, especially for the Humanist references. They were prince arch bishops who employed Mozart. These were not spiritual beings who inculcated these composers with a sense of the divine that makes the music divine. The glory of Verde’s Requiem or Mozart’s Requiem or Bach’s pieces is that they are fantastic, incredibly human and like all great human’s thing they reach for the infinite. They reach for beauty. A religious person would call that the divine. You could call it the humanist. & The most important philosophy I think is that even if it isn’t true you must absolutely assume there is no afterlife. You cannot for one second I think, abbragate the responsibility of believing that this is it... That alone seems to refute any claims that he is Kantian or Humanist in the toohey sense of the word... He uses the word humanist to mean that he doesn't believe in God, he believes in the potential of humans and human creation... And can't forget: I have no quarrel with individuals who wish… who are devout and who have faith. I don’t want to mock them. I really don’t, but damned if I’m going to be told by them what to do with my body or damned if I’m going to have the extraordinary battles won by enlightenment over the past 400 years, to have those battles abdicated by a new dark ages. It’s you know. The battle lines must be drawn. and the priceless way he ends the interview: It’s terrible. I don’t want to come over as some terrible anti-ecclesiastical figure, but. The End. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aleph_0 Posted August 8, 2010 Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 I have to admit, I just don't find him interesting. And he's English. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emanon Posted August 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 And he's English haha Yeah, you have a point there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikee Posted August 9, 2010 Report Share Posted August 9, 2010 (edited) a lot of people use the word "humanist" or "secular humanist" and refer to a "duty to humanity". sounds to me like collectivism Edited August 9, 2010 by Mikee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emanon Posted August 9, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2010 a lot of people use the word "humanist" or "secular humanist" and refer to a "duty to humanity". sounds to me like collectivism But do you think, given the context in which he uses the word, especially at the end of the video, that this is what he meant when he said "humanist"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikee Posted August 9, 2010 Report Share Posted August 9, 2010 I' be surprised if he didn't Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emanon Posted August 9, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2010 The glory of Verde’s Requiem or Mozart’s Requiem or Bach’s pieces is that they are fantastic, incredibly human and like all great human’s thing they reach for the infinite. They reach for beauty. A religious person would call that the divine. You could call it the humanist. This really sounds like someone referring to a "Duty to Humanity"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikee Posted August 9, 2010 Report Share Posted August 9, 2010 i think the use of the word humanist is misguided actually. there is nothing "humanist" about it. Its just awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SapereAude Posted August 9, 2010 Report Share Posted August 9, 2010 Am I to take it that no one else is a Stephen Fry fan? If not, I'm curious what in particular views you are particularly adverse to? - Chris No, I love Stephen Fry. Thanks for posting this. I just didn't respond because it seemed to me to stand on its own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imogen Posted September 2, 2010 Report Share Posted September 2, 2010 (edited) I love Stephen Fry. I haven't parsed his commentary for collectivist tendencies (but now I will...); I just really enjoy his personality. Oh, and I'm married to an englishman, and we have five half-englishlings-- and they are all faaaabulous! Edited September 2, 2010 by Imogen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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