Wilson's worthy witticism.

At times I wonder whether everything that can be said from the atheist and theist viewpoint has already been articulated. Of course, you hear this frequently as a criticism of new music; there is no new music because all the new genres are references to the old ones.

As a good friend of mine observed to me: We view ourselves as being at the end of time.

I'm guilty of this thought crime, particularly during my daily trawl through blogs and web articles as I look for some new witty thought or reasoning on atheism. On rare occasions I strike gold.

The atheist philanthropist Robert Wilson, who recently and oddly donated unbelievable sums of money to Catholic schools, is quoted second-hand as uttering what I consider to be one of the most subtle, non-compromising and thoughtful atheist retorts. It's almost like a shaggy dog tale; while you have to endure a tedious story you're rewarded with a cracking punchline. Here's the last two paragraphs of the article:

Wilson’s philanthropy produced an unlikely friendship with Cardinal Egan. Both opera and classical music buffs, they have dined together and discussed an array of topics, including the second movement of Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony, Egan said. Divine matters and Wilson’s lapsed faith also turn up in their conversations.

“I’ve told him I look forward to the day when you’ll say that you’re not an atheist,” Egan said. “He said, ‘And if you succeed, you’d be out of a job.’”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-09/atheist-robert-wilson-gives-n-y-catholic-schools-5-6-million.html
 

Christopher Hitchens still can't say no to an interview

As sick as he his, Hitchens is still going about his core business. Articles, interviews and opinions. Four items you should not miss.

This is a transcript to a long interview that I really wish was available in audio. In fact, I printed the 32 pages and read it in installments over a few days! The blogosphere has dissected plenty of this already.

http://www.hughhewitt.com/blog/g/3979a77d-720a-4853-8890-1fc4f22c23cb

Hitchens writes about cancer and these subjects you'll then see repeated in the following two interviews.

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2010/09/hitchens-201009

Interview with Anderson Cooper of "360" (CNN):

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/07/video-extended-interview-hitchens-on-cancer-and-atheism/

A weathered looking Hitchens in interview with The Atlantic. Martin Amis turns up, but it's the same old questions. The interview is most entertaining in the last couple of minutes:

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2010/08/hitchens-talks-to-goldblog-about-cancer-and-god/61072/