Richard Dawkins - The Argument from Beauty

Richard Dawkins and Lalla Ward read excerpts from Dawkins's "The God Delusion": The Argument from Beauty.

Klaus Mertens sings the bass aria "Mache dich, mein Herze, rein" from Johann Sebastian Bach's St. Matthew Passion. Ton Koopman leads the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Richard
• Dawkins
• Lalla
• Ward
• The
• God
• Delusion
• Desert
• Island
• Discs
• Bach
• St.
• Matthew
• Passion
• Klaus
• Mertens
• ABO
• Ton
• Koopman

[Gnomefro]

@LIGHTRONIX "Logic works very well for a lot of things, but it can't understand beauty, there are other ways of knowing things besides logic."

Logic fail. How do you think your brain can recognize what it regards as beauty? Easy: The law of identity. A=A.

Everything that happens in your brain can be reduced to logic. Even emotions. It's just that it happens subconsciously, much like the early processing in your visual system.

[Xsuprio]

As an atheist, you can't enjoy religious music...? I... wha... bu... how could anyone... say something so... DAAAHH!!!!

[ApatheticOmniscience]

Well, perhaps the argument from beauty shouldn't be an argument for god but rather an argument against materialism. Perhaps the notion of "beauty" is a non-material thing rather than simply some evolutionary reaction to natural phenomena...

[1stCainite]

@Xsuprio I think the reason for that argument is that intense emotional experiences all produce roughly the same chemical reactions in the brain, and thus the religious confuse the feelings they get from music with the feelings they get when in church. Thus music must be from god.

Ass backwards.

[bersa888]

Bach's music was informed, motivated and inspired by his faith and by his doctrinal upbringing... so what? EVERYTHING in his sublime music can be accounted for without recurring to divine intervention. You can say Bach's music is divine, perfect, genial, incredible, etc., but it is "incomprehensible" and "impossible" only for the musical ignorant. Let's give full credit to Bach, Michelangelo, Dante, Shakespeare, Newton, Einstein and Michael Jordan. THEY deserve it. Or keep dreaming.

[PredatorHuntress666]

@LIGHTRONIX No, there isn't. Logic and reason are the basis of EVERYTHING - even illogical religion.

Beauty is a way of making our species chose "better" mates to perpetuate the better genes. I believe cultural determination and enjoyment of beauty is a way for us to become closer; a "pack mentality", the same thing religion is, in most prospects.

[satyran]

I've had a crush on Lalla Ward since I was a little kid!

[R5d4d2]

Boy am I glad I was born in the age of rock & roll. Did omeone hit the snooze button?