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Videos from the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at Grand Valley State University. Enjoy coverage of recent debates, lectures, and conferences that explore important books, themes in American history, political traditions, national and global affairs, and leadership.
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Like the quality of life, the quality of a debate is largely dependant on the quality of the questions asked, or propositions stated, in this case. The first proposition about God wasn't even a good one. I'd expect such proposition to be stated by a disheartened child coming to realize that God isn't an actual physical man in the sky. Not everyone understands that God is a metaphysical being, a metaphor for the universe. A better proposition would've been: Religion and the belief in God originated with the aim of solidifying a tribe/group's relationship with eachother and their surroundings/environment, thus increasing the chance of survival and reproduction. To say religion is useless is an unnuanced take and frankly insulting to their own ancestors who somewhere down the line, was guided by some kind of religious belief. But rather than ask good questions, they dediced to pander to those in the crowd who came to hear glib witty jibes about religion.
As for the mention of Henry the eighth and the dissolution of the catholic church- it was a deliberate theft of money and land and gold. It was all for Henry to get a divorce. Greed and divorce. That’s atheism.
The argument against religion saying that there is a punishment or a reward- ok so the alternative is what? What have we now it’s all anti religion? I’m not allowed to believe and say what I think. If I suggest marriage is in my opinion between a woman and a man and ask is a gay relationship a marriage- is treated as an evil question. I’m attacked just for asking a question. And the atheists say it’s a better world ? No way.
As Catholic Priest, I can catagorically say that I have never said to a child (or adult) that if they are bad they will go to Hell. I have only ever encouraged children to follow their conscience and live in peace. C Hitchens is a liar about what priests are doing, and he is doing this to further a political and atheist agenda!
Lol dumb priest
@@Joshua-df2rqyes- that’s a deep argument you have there.
@@robrussell8515 thank you
Best episode of frasier ever 😂 love yall
As a general purpose brain. How can these brothers hold more than a fair share of deep intelligence. Of which I wish Id had a bit more.
Peter seems nervous Christopher seems lifeless.
God is not great characterises the devil - it is the devil's usual gaslighting and projection.
''That we have bought one of the great war criminals of the world, to justice. And put him and his crime family and his main complicitous associates on trial, in public...'' He says without any irony. Hubris.
If there is an infinite universe and an infinite number of such universes, then anything is possible.Therefore a God will exist
When Peter Brimelow said "we all are told immigrants will do the dirty jobs that Americans wont do, and here I am" best statement most well positioned joke I have ever heard.
Wow! Immigrants contribute 50 Billion in Taxes each year! Amazing! Well guess what? Lets leave out higher education and just look at public schools. 1 in 4 children in public school are immigrants, not even their children just 1st generation immigrants, ok? Thats 12.5 Million students that cost tax payers 15,000 per student annually. So in 1 year, just public schooling children of immigrants cost $18 Billion dollars. So 36% of what they put into the economy is directly paying just for 1 form of education which by the way last for 13 years and cost more consecutively. Btw immigrants make up 1/3 college students and College is a lot more expensive than PUBLIC SCHOOL!
Immigrants do so good in the U.S, why dont they do good in their own counties? Is it really lack of opportunity and if so, arent we forcing the same lack of opportunity upon our own population by givining jobs and free education to people unqualified and even if they are qualified who payed for the education? In most circumstances a wealthy immigrant send kids to school for free on minority based scholarships, again squeezing the job market from Native born Americans
Joe Amato was interviewed on the NORTHERN LIGHTS Minnesota Author Interview TV Series in 1998 for his book GOLF BEATS US ALL (AND SO WE LOVE IT): kzread.info/dash/bejne/h4SMu6OoYq_YZps.html
Go home, Petey. You got smoked and humiliated by the MASTER. Shut your hole. Know your role.
Hitchens says there must be a more elegant explanation than God - what a failure. There can be nothing more elegant than the First Cause, Who became one of His creatures, to bring them back home. There is plenty of reason to believe - his arguments are emotional, not looking at the facts, nor looking at Who God has shown Himself to be. God does not smash individuality, He gives us the choice because He values our individuality - He created it. Decency and integrity mean so much to Hitchens (C) - but they are meaningless without purpose, malleable constructs with no foundation, and are unachievable by atoms only. Metaphysics - the iceberg beneath the water, is inexplainable without a Cause. Love, beauty, truth, decency, integrity, compassion, justice - all these things that Hitchens (C) cares so much about. The soul is still a mystery - our personality is still a mystery. Darwin was not elegant, nor pursuasive - check out those who tore his arguments to pieces. He himself knew he did not have the answer - peacock feathers made him sick, the human eye baffled him.
I disagree with Hitchens (Peter) that the Iraq war was fought with the best of intentions, but agree it did not make sense. It sounds like Hitchens (P) has actually been to Iraq several times, but Hitchens (C) has not - that is significant. Armchair supporters from afar comes to mind, if C did not visit. The Iraq war was promulgated on the back of lies. American lies about the danger of Iraq and the link to the twin towers, unproven, swallowed because of the terror caused by the twin towers attack, which itself was covered up and lied about (it was actually 3 towers that collapsed on their footprint, 2 planes hit the twin towers). See books on the twin tower investigation. It is probable they went in for oil. Then UK lies about Iraq weapons of mass destruction, because Tony Blair obeyed George Bush, lied to his country, and being a lawyer prosecuted the case against Iraq instead of acting as an objective prime minister considering committing his country to war. The West do not go into all the other countries which murder many of their civilians, look at Syria, Ethiopa, Russia. The successes were not why they went in. Sadam was a nasty piece of work, but you cannot take out every dictator who murders his people, unless you have the military means, and do it right. But Hitchens (C) did make a good after the event justification.
Intellectual football match is very difficult to follow. They both gave such compelling performances and are both right and wrong in the same vain. My mind was like a pendulum, swinging one way then the other, absolutely brilliant, I agree with both of them which is oxymoronic, but then , this is human nature.
Don't bring up drugs, Chris, he's liable to trow a fit and storm out.
In the beginning they both look like they're mentally preparing for a boxing match 😅
I find Christopher's historical arguments his weakest. Everything bad that has ever happened he attributes to religious people. War, pogroms, persecutions all believers' fault. Even the Soviet Union which was obviously anti christian, but somehow religious. He is mixing any kind of cult with religion that was followed for a thousands of years and throwing in into one bag. If Stalinism is considered religious because its people were ordered to worship him, then what would he say about his fanbase which part of it is treating him like a god? Also what about inventions, discoveries made by religious people? Oh, I forgot, they did it despite being religious...
Love it
14:00
Peter’s little swings when he struts away from the podium are so sassy
Hitchens is arguing against different gods all at the same time. Such an argument is nonsense.
So Hitchens rejects God because he thinks the kingdom of God is like North Korea? That is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard, let alone as a reason for rejecting God.
The clever father-son (nearly trinity) coincidence didn't sway you? 😅
@@Zarrbock Kinda strange that he rejects the kingdom of God because he thinks God is a tyrant, when we wouldn't even exist without God. What does he want - for God to create us and then let us be in charge of God? And that would result in harmony? Sounds like he just isn't happy with reality. Or maybe he is just unhappy that he is not God.
Christopher Hitchens has psycho problem and his shameness of being bisexual driving him crazy if there is anyone who has brain and listen to him will relies how anger and weak he is with no reference or prove
by the way he describes them you can tell peter hitchens has never been outside his car when he ventures into what in england are called estates and in scotland housing schemes . if he did he'd find out they are not so frightening .i lived in them most of my life and have found that if you know how to speak to people without being a dick you will be left to yourself.
31:22 Saint Christopher at his best ❤
Christopher was a great sophist, but he also was content to be just that!
I don't wish to take sides as I think the issues these two interesting and erudite individuals tackle has no easy answers..just viewpoints..
aged bad for Christopher. The people of Iraq wouldnt fight for their country and defeat the islamic caliphates.
Growing up is realising that Peter Hitchens is correct.
Peter won with living facts not that gods true but what happens when we dont believe its true
Peter looks like if Christopher and Nigel Farage had a baby and he's whistling like a boiling kettle.
You got the feeling they didn't really like each other
Controversial = anybody that dares to speak the truth about taboos and the layers and layers of lies that our societies are suffocated by. 😊
idk about chris saying we found a wmd in iraq
Wow Going back to this debate after 13 years is a trip
Saying Communism is an atheist thing is not understanding a thing about what is state communism, and how it works. And how this ideology works. It has so many points in common with a religious dogma... putting men in the place of gods but still, it is the exact same thing (seeing that god is a human creation, as Chris says, a celestial dictator). Once and for all : atheism is not a dogma, nor a belief. It is the ABSENCE of belief in god. Not the belief that God doesn't exist. Even if there is no reason not to believe so, on the contrary. Once you get that logical principle, you get further understanding 👍
Plenty of despot dictators committing genocide and crimes against humanity around the world, the west does nothing about but they don’t have oil.
Plenty of despot dictators committing genocide and crimes against humanity around the world, the west does nothing about but they don’t have oil.
6:27 We Won the War. It's saints were the pilots of the Battle of Britain, its god was Winston Churchill. 12:33 Discombobulate. 28:46 War and Sovereignty.
Excellent lecture and point. I agree with Brands' argument that in theory and in practice, a great president is loved by the people and feared by the congress. But, like he states, this isn't always the case. George W. Bush's executive power and administration was feared by the congress but had substantial approval shortly following 9/11 and the Iraq war. Bill Clinton had good approvals and was feared by the republican congress. Reagan could speak directly to the American people to subvert the democratic controlled congress. FDR could speak directly to the people to subvert reactionary congress and so on
I like Peter lots more than his brother. He’s got more honesty and much less arrogance in his tone and vocabulary.
"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." I see at least ONE of the reasons for Christopher's sharp intellect. He has had a person in his life with whom he has disagreed with for decades. That makes any person very learned in any subject. I love it. Shout out to Peter man. Love these brothers.
Peters debate was over the second HE said ' there is nothing more worse on this earth than somebody who thinks their right " 😂
Chris hitchins arguments were far superior and better than peter’s. His analogy about human civilisation being 200,000 years old and only about 2,000 came religion in Middle East was brilliant
The best debate ever ❤
His name is Gleaves Whitney? HAHAHAAAAAAAA!!!!!