The Atheism Tapes-Daniel Dennett 3/3

Daniel Clement Dennett (born March 28, 1942 in Boston, Massachusetts) is a prominent American philosopher whose research centers on philosophy of mind, philosophy of science and philosophy of biology, particularly as those fields relate to evolutionary biology and cognitive science. He is currently the co-director of the Center for Cognitive Studies and the Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy at Tufts University. Dennett is also a noted atheist and advocate of the Brights movement.
Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller, CBE (born 21 July 1934) is a British comedian, neurologist, theatre and opera director, author, television presenter, humorist and sculptor. He first came to prominence in 1962 when his British comedy stage revue Beyond the Fringe came to Broadway. (It was written and performed by Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett, and himself.) Despite having seen only a few operas and not knowing how to read music, he began stage directing operas in the 1970s and has since become one of the world's leading opera directors with several classic productions to his credit. (Probably best known is his 1982 "Mafia" Rigoletto, set in Little Italy.) Along the way he has also become a well known and engaging television personality and familiar public intellectual in both the UK and the US.

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• Jontathan
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• Dennett

[followHimnotUs]

@AlphaCentCom The interviewer is laughing along with the director or whoever is just off camera at how great of an ending they got to that interview. Great in that it tied things up nicely, sounded profound, etc. etc. They're just hyped on the 'dismount' if you will. I don't think Dennett finds the solution to what goes in place of religion if religion were to ever dissapear funny, in fact he takes it very seriously.

[AlphaCentCom]

I don't get what was so funny at the end of the video. Or am I just missing the obvious (Dennet hoping there's something better than religion to give people meaning)?

[nate4021]

I think Dennet does, in fact, mean what he says though perhaps should have qualified "... is not ALWAYS sufficient...," for truth certainly is sufficient justification under most circumstances. If one accepts, however, that different truths have varying degrees of relative importance, then it seems that trivialities (true or not) may be sacrificed for a greater good or comfort.

Yes, your wife has gained a few pounds. But when she asks, is telling her so really worth it?

[starguts]

2:17 hmmmmm....

Truth certainly is sufficient (and really the sole) justification for communicating a phrase to one's fellows. Perhaps what Dennett means is that truth is not sufficient MOTIVATION for speaking... this I would agree with.

It is a subtle point, though one that I think should not be overlooked.

Of course, 5 stars none the less.