The Quadripartite Equine Riders, part 1 of 11

This is part one of an eleven part essay in which is a review of a conversation that took place between Prof. Richard Dawkins, Prof. Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens.

Part 1: Introduction Part 2: Strident, Arrogant, Vitriolic, and or Shrill? Part 3: Amazing Perplexity and Anonymous Confession of an Atheist Clergyman Part 4: Tri-Theism? Nice Try Part 5: Faith, Evidence and Doubting Thomas and It’s Absolutely Relative Part 6: On Scientific Authoritarian Faith Part 7: Cosmology and the Pathetic Bible Part 8: On Cosmology, Theology and Eternal Regress Part 9: Dennett the Mesmerist and Atheism is Humbler and Holier Than Thou Part 10: The Universe is All About Me

Part 11: On Jihad and Abortion

“We’re just the beginning of a new wave of explicit
attempts to shake peoples’ faith”-Prof. Daniel Dennett

Introduction
Prof. Richard Dawkins’ website is advertising a yenta session between Prof. Richard Dawkins, Prof. Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens which is entitled “The Four Horsemen.” I certainly do not know who entitled it as such nor if the four agreed to it. However, it does strike me as indicative of either just how self-important these men think they are or just how much their adherents exalt them. This video may be viewed or heard online or read in transcript form. Although the transcript is a little bit sloppy and makes some mistakes in ascribing who is speaking and sometimes missing a word or two such as when Sam Harris refers to, as the transcript has it “people who kill (inaudible) doctors,” when he can be clearly heard to say, “people who kill abortion doctors.” Yet, I am not crying conspiracy, this is just the sort of thing that happens when, on occasion, more than one person is speaking at the same time.

The fact that this is a self-congratulatory back-patting session is excusable since I am sure it is how many of us would sound whilst gabbing with our friends in an atmosphere virtually free of contention.
There is actually little substance to this two hour discussion perhaps due to the fact that it was not a scholarly setting. Rather, it was friendly banter which devolved into witty repartee. Actually, by the end all of them are too busy trying to figure out what Christopher Hitchens is talking about.

Each participant seems to slide into characteristic pat answers:Sam Harris’ perpetual-abolish theistic religion and establish a religion of reason (can you say 1700s?).

Prof. Richard Dawkins-sounding like the background of Thomas Dolby’s song She Blinded Me With Science, occasions a cry of “Sciiieeence!” “Sciiieeence!” “Sciiieeence!”

Prof. Daniel Dennett-with his ubiquitous “Those people don’t think” one-liners.

And, Christopher Hitchens going in one hundred directions at once in ever expanding circumlocutions.

Some interesting question are brought up which are unfortunately simply lost in the shuffle. It may that at some point the adult beverages were taking their expected effect. I simply do not know but the overwhelming majority of this conversation was tantamount to teenyboppers gossiping about nothing in particular.
This is certainly not the making of “Great Conversations” and also not the makings of a $20.00 DVD but well worth watching, listening to, or reading online for gratis and also nice for seeing four friends enjoying each other’s company.

One thing to note is that they base their discussion on the term “religion” which is unfortunately grossly generic and completely undefined. The problem is that when they make statements to the likes of “religious people do_” “or believe_” etc., you are left wondering which of the grand majority of the planet’s population they are addressing.

The Quadripartite Equine Riders, part 10 of 11 ›