Customer Reviews

Discussions with Richard Dawkins, Episode One: The Four Horseman

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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If you are already an atheist or agnostic (which, according to Prof. Dawkins, is simply an atheist who doesn't want to admit to himself what he truly is) or are simply open minded, this is a fantastic dvd with the most out spoken, well informed, and controversial voices in the new atheist movement today. Prof. Dawkins of course brings the prespective of biology and hard science, Prof. Dennett is a philosopher and brings his own views from that angle, Sam Harris is a Ph.D. candidate in the field of neurology and has studied Buddhist meditation for over a decade and brings his experience in both of those fields, and of course, for wit, humour, and just mind blowing intellect, we have the immortal Mr. Hitchens who has travelled the world in his field of journalism (including Bosnia during the genocide) and has seen the horrors that men perpetrate against one another in the name of religion. I fully agree with the other reviewers: the only thing bad about this dvd is that it is simply too short. I could listen to these guys for another five hours without becoming even slightly bored! This is a great dvd and really helps to show just where each of the authors agrees and disagrees with the others as to dispute the claim by the religious that all atheists are mindless parrots (as if reiterating the same book for the past two thousand years makes one a freethinker). If you have read any of the authors or are simply curious about this subject, purchase this dvd today. You're in for some of the best hours of your life (you get a front row seat for a chat and smoke with Hitch! How can you refuse?).

This DVD is anything but a dry, academic discussion... Dennett, Harris, Dawkins and Hitchens move seamlessly from topic to topic - a thoroughly enjoyable tour of many of the subjects addressed in their respective published works concerning religion. I also found the format very entertaining. My only complaint? This DVD ends too soon! Anyone who enjoys/respects/is challenged by these authors will appreciate installment #1 of the Four Horsemen series. Personally, I can't wait for the next "ride" - and feel privileged to live in a time when the intellectual honesty expressed by these authors is beginning to find its way to larger and more diverse audiences.

K. Schreiber

I certainly agree with the other reviewers that this is a bracing and enjoyable discussion among four very persuasive, erudite, and witty atheists, but I have a reservation. Dawkins, Dennett, and Harris are quite straightforward and respectful of one another, but Christopher Hitchens seems to be in love with his own corrosive sense of humor and facility in denigrating the faithful. As a result, the discussion, particularly in the second hour, takes tangents in which the self-important Hitchens holds forth at great length and does not really give the others enough space to make their points. He is, of course, an inveterate pot-stirrer, so I suppose this is to be expected, yet I was hoping to hear more from his colleagues, who could not fully explore ideas before they were hijacked by a boozy raconteur.

For this reason, I would like to insert a plug here for another video series by filmmaker Jonathan Miller entitled "The Atheism Tapes," made during the production of his television series "A Brief History of Disbelief" (later retitled "A Rough History of Disbelief"). "The Atheism Tapes" presents six half-hour interviews in which the director speaks in depth to six scientists, philosophers, and authors about their views on and personal experiences with religion and science. The DVD includes both Dawkins and Dennett, as well as playwright Arthur Miller, physicist Steven Weinberg, and others, and it makes an excellent complement to and a slightly more sober series of reflections than "The Four Horsemen."

By the way, all three of these videos are available as free streaming downloads on the web, so if you'd like to sample before buying, just Google them.

For what this is, it is pretty interesting. I primarily watched it because I've seen Hitchens do other debates on this subject and I especially enjoyed the one he did on the Catholic Church with Stephen Fry (they were both on the con side). However, as the program goes on and on, there is no escaping that this is 4 guys talking about being atheists. They are all intellectuals and no one could fault them for their intellectual study and pursuit of this subject.

However, there are other interesting questions which need to be explored other than the intellectual proposition that man has created God. I, for one, would have liked to explore the emotional and creative needs in man for why he needs God. He has created God for a long, long time, if one accepts the arguments here. Why has he done so? What has he gotten out of it?

I am reminded of what Ingmar Bergmann said about the artist and God, that the artist had an easier time of it when he thought he had received his gift from God and when he used it for God. It took the ego right out of the equation and the art became much purer. The artist was less hampered by rejection, acceptance, financial reward and other factors which wear down the artist of today.

The four men here need to open the subject up more. It is too linear and cognitive an approach to the subject. It needs to move beyond a left brain analysis and into a right brain one, which is a far more intuitive and emotional side.

Of the four, I still found Hitchens by far the most interesting. His sense of humor and irony really alleviates the potential boredom factor of four guys talking endlessly.

What a great format! I loved sitting and having drinks with four of todays most brilliant minds. Can't wait for more "Discussions with Richard".