Hello from the North

[Lausten]

I just watched the Harris and Craig debate. Thanks for the great link. Looks like a good forum. I have been posting at Reasonable Doubts and Letting Go of God forums for a while and find them sometimes contentious, so we'll see how this goes. I was a "none" until about age 30, then a "liberal Christian" for 20 years or so and now call myself either atheist or post-Christian depending on the company. At this point, I more interested in how we can peacefully resolve the many differences of religions around the world, rather than any personal questions. Having examined many of them, I am happiest seeing the world as a natural result of some sort of process. It is amazing as it is and I see no need to add on the possibility of anything supernatural.

[Maria]

Hello Lausten

Welcome to HAF. I'm sure you'll like it here.

Maria

[Recusant]

Hello and welcome to HAF, Lausten.  

I'm glad you got a chance to watch the Craig v Harris debate.  A member here asked "who won?"  If I were scoring the debate as a judge in a competition, I'd have to give it to Craig, but these events aren't judged by the same criteria as competitive high school and college debates (Craig did both of those, and you can see his training showing through, though he's obviously grown beyond the tactics used in those arenas).  On a polemical level, I might give it to Harris, but I still haven't managed to watch the whole thing, so I can't really say for sure.  As impressive as Craig is as a debater, over the past few years since I started watching him, I've grown weary of his speaking style, which in addition to disagreeing with just about everything he says has admittedly prejudiced me against him just a bit.  

I hope you enjoy your time reading and posting here.

[PrometheusRumiHuxley]

Hello to you sir. Minnesota here as well.

I just watched this debate last night. Have you read The Moral Landscape? I really enjoyed this perspective. I think that if nothing else, this perspective is necessary for society to move forward. Morality must become a science if, there are better & worse societies - which I think there clearly are, and, we are to agree on how to make them.

It's always frustrating for me to watch Craig debate. It seems probable that it's my bias causing me to just want to skip so I don't have to listen to him. His voice sounds whiny to me, he seems lost in a fog of internal ambiguous wordplay, and solely out to 'defeat' an opponent. It takes all I've got to listen.

There was a great gem in this vid though, at this time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq1QjXe3 ... age#t=965s

Craig says: "At the end of the day, Dr. harris isn't really talking about moral values at all.
He's just tlaking about what's conducive to the flourishing of sentient beings on this planet."

That's some delicious irony there. If you watch the vid I linked, it shows Sam apparently soaking in some of the deliciousness about 10 seconds afterwards. Notre Dame's video doesn't seem to show Sam after.

[Tank]

Hi Lausten

Welcome to HAF.

Regards
Chris

[DeterminedJuliet]

Hello!
I'm also "northernly" folk.
Welcome!

[The Magic Pudding]

Hello ye of the North.

[xSilverPhinx]

Welcome!

[Cecilie]

Hello and welcome to HAF.