Richard Dawkins Book Tour - Tomcat at Randolph Macon Women's College, Lynchburg, VA
RICHARD DAWKINS BOOK TOUR - Tomcat at Randolph Macon Women's College, Lynchburg, VA
10/23/06
This stop for Dawkins is a special one, in that Lynchburg is home to Liberty University. Jerry Falwell's pet project. Seated in Appalacia, Lynchburg in the fall is beautiful. Trees changing color on the highway there set me in the mood for what was sure to be a majestic evening. I pull into town, but I immediately find that I had taken the wrong exit and I was lost. I pull into a Family Dollar to ask for directions (you know, one of those "Everything's a dollar" stores). The clerk had no idea how to get to Randolph Macon, so he yells to the whole store asking if someone knows. Some random lady says it's 15 minutes away, and I can follow her in her car to the place! Southern Hospitality. Gotta love it. So I get there early like I wanted to, and grab my (free) ticket. I got stuck up on the balcony, even though there were hardly any other people there! What a rip! Anyways, I couldn't lose focus: I had come to ask a question. That was my mission.
Dawkins begins the lecture with readings from "The God Delusion," which I have separated by chapter. This was the more boring part of the lecture as he was reading straight from the book. Hearing Dawkins read is a treat though, it's like listening to Masterpiece Theater. In the middle of the recording, I get up to explore around some more after deciding it was boring to just sit there and hear him read the book. There is an incredible event caught on tape you do not want to miss!
Chapter 1 - A Deeply Religious Non-Believer
HERE
2:30 - Not my cellphone
Chapter 2 - The God Hypothesis
HERE
I Leave My Seat
HERE
At this point I had gotten bored and decided to leave the auditorium to have a look around. The seats were cramped and I had to akwardly crawl over some people. Dawkins aparently took notice, because as I'm finally about to exit out, he cracks a joke about himself keeping tally of the people leaving, and that he must be doing well because only 3 or 4 had left! As I heard this I looked back into the auditorium, and plenty of people were looking back at me and chuckling. I comment on the audio about that as I head down the stairs to the main floor. Suddenly, I hear what sounds like a sob. I look up to find two girls, one sitting on the floor, with the other in her arms. The one being cradled is weeping. Sobbing. I freeze. She is saying softly, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." After a moment, the thought hits me: apostasy? Is she renouncing her faith? I suddenly come to my senses and decided to walk away, give them some space.
Things were just beginning to get intense...
Chapter 7 - The "Good" Book and the Changing Moral Zeitgeist
HERE
The recording jumps in on page 243, and is much clearer. I had found out they had a screen downstairs with speakers broadcasting the speech live, and it is considerably louder. I comment on the girl from the last recording, and I voice my bordeom with reading straight from the book. All I had on my mind was asking my question!
Chapter 7 continued - The Burka
HERE
Dawkins had just announced that he was skipping around again before this clip begins, and I take that as my que to get back upstairs to the main floor so I can get ready to jump into the question line ASAP. Only problem was I had discovered earlier that the doors had been locked. Bastards! Amazingly though, as soon as I climbed the last step, someone from inside opens the door and walks out. I slip in behind them as the door closes. I was in!
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO THE QUESTION & ANSWER SECTION
The Enlightenment wounded the beast, but the killing blow has yet to land...
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Ok, now the fun part. There were a total of 15 questions asked. The first three were asked while I was up in line, and the audio isn't quite as good. The questions are hard to hear sometimes.
"The More You Talk the More You Convince Me There Is God
HERE
Dawkins talks of morality and its origins
"What Makes Some Things Right, and Some Things Wrong?"
HERE
Again on morality
"Atheists Have a PR Problem (My Question)"
HERE
I ask if there needs to be a "replacement" for religion in order for there to be widespread apostasy. Dawkins cracks a joke, saying he appreciates "this university," meaning Randolph Macon, and NOT Liberty. The audience goes crazy as he challenges their accreditation! Dawkins also becomes very passionate about atheism and how the community needs to rally and encourage others to join in. He never ends up answering my question, but rallying the troops is pretty much what I wanted, and that's what I got!
"Do Fake Religions Like the Invisible Pink Unicorn Help or Hurt?"
HERE
I comment on getting some EVIL stares from the audience after asking my question. Dawkins also mentions the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Could my day get any better?
"I've Never Been so Insulted and Amused at the Same Time"
HERE
Liberty University's first lackey bumbles his question off to Dawkins. Talks about social justice and atheists.
WARNING: LANGUAGE "There is a Burka for Metaphysical Reality"
HERE
I comment on how badly Dawkins stuck it to Liberty University. So awesome. This question discusses Quantum Strangeness and how much cooler Quantum Theory is then the Mystery of the Trinity.
"Where Does the Mind Come From?"
HERE
Dawkins talks about the origins of the mind, his materialistic view on it.
"Will We Evolve to Become Gods?"
HERE
Wierd question. Speculation about extraterrestrials who we might call Gods if we come across them, other stuff.
"I'm a Professor of a Non-Subject: Religion"
HERE
Intelligent Design, and famous philosopher Anthony Flew's decline
"Do You Draw a Distinction Between Blind Faith and Reasonable Faith?": "No"
HERE
This kid is delusional. Liberty University student stumbles through his question about proof, and how there is not such thing... Also goes into how believing that something complex like God created matter is ridiculous.
"What if You're Wrong?"
HERE
Next Liberty lackey. Asks how Dawkins can be so low as to believe in extra terrestrials and not God (like he must hate all that is good or something...) Then she ticks Dawkins off: She asks what would happen if he were wrong about God? Dawkins tells her to shove it!
Sadly Delusional Person
HERE
Obviously a Liberty Student. Says God doesn't need matter to exist because he's, you know, magical n stuff.
You Go Girl
HERE
Lady asks about how people view god as a male, probably looking for backing of her own agenda. A good question though, and answered well by Dawkins.
"How Does One Find Their Own Way when Leaving Is Not An Option"
HERE
Great question. Girl asks for Dawkins' input on how hard it is to be an atheist when everyone else you know is a theist. Dawkins shows his passion against child indoctrination. The girl then asks if anger is a common symptom of a person going through a deconditioning process of their parent's religion. Dawkins is strangely befuddled by this question. Sure! I'm pissed as hell! He actually comments later on his tour blog how much he was astonished by this question.
"I'm Ron Fineman. I Love Physics."
HERE
Haha, this guy is a nerd. Great last question though. He describes an INCREDIBLE fallacy at Liberty University: they have dinosaur bones labeled as 3000 years old. Dawkins has fun with this one. He also delivers his biggest attack against Liberty University, telling those who go there to "leave and go to a proper university." WUBAAM! Everyone claps. I hope the Liberty crowd was embarrassed to shame. Dawkins concludes with the immensity of geological time.
Well that wraps it up for now. I'll be back with more audio in November when I hit up the book tour again in Charlottesville, VA at UVA (GO HOOS!! Too bad our football team blows)
The Enlightenment wounded the beast, but the killing blow has yet to land...
Updated with the Q&A section. Enjoy
Great job Tomcat. I only wish his tour was coming within at last a six hour drive of where I live as I'd go. Here's his tour listing for anyone here that may be able to attend:
Center for Inquiry On Campus is pleased to announce Professor Dawkins US book tour schedule for The God Delusion. Many of these tour dates are on university campuses.
October 16 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
October 18 New York Academy of Science New York, NY
October 19 Harvard Bookstore Reading
The First Parish Church Cambridge, MA
October 20 PopTech Conference Camden, ME
October 21 McGill University Montreal, QC
October 23 Philip Thayer Memorial Lecture
Randolph-Macon Woman's College Lynchburg, VA
October 24 Politics & Prose Washington, DC
October 26 University of Washington Bookstore Seattle, WA
October 27 Powell's Books Portland, OR
October 28 Skeptics Society
Cal-Tech, Beckman Auditorium Los Angeles, CA
October 30 City Arts & Lectures
The Palace of Fine Arts San Francisco, CA
November 2 Free Library of Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA
November 3-4 University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA
November 6 Salk Conference San Diego, CA
Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful. - Seneca
You know it would be cool if you could put all those togetter, but I do know it cost money to get the programs to do that and upload time would be a bitch.
Well the original file is actually one, huge, 2 hour long recording, but it's full of dead air, scratching, random people, me taking a piss in the bathroom, standing in line for the book signing, etc... if there is another person who wants the whole thing, I might get Sapient to host it, but for now I'll keep that ginormous file on my computer
The Enlightenment wounded the beast, but the killing blow has yet to land...
lol you record yourself taking a piss?
The way I usally do things like this is to let the whole damn thing load and then listen to it all. I'll just do plan B and download everything I listen to it in the player![Eye-wink Eye-wink](/modules/smileys/examples/002.gif)
Tomcat,
I'm going to be in Charlottesville for the Friday 3PM meeting. What about yourself?