Screening: The Atheism Tapes + More Videos, Munchies, Dessert...

In these off-the-record interviews, neurologist turned playwright, filmmaker and self-described Atheist Jonathan Miller filmed conversations with six of today's leading men of letters and science: Richard Dawkins, Denys Turner Daniel Dennett, Colin McGinn, Arthur Miller and Steven Weinberg, who discuss their personal intellectual journeys and offer illuminating analyses of non-theism from a wide range of perspectives.

We will screen disc two of The Atheism Tapes, containing interviews with:

ARTHUR MILLER
In the period immediately following the end of World War II, American theater was transformed by the work of playwright Arthur Miller. Profoundly influenced by the Depression and the war that immediately followed it, Miller tapped into a sense of dissatisfaction and unrest within the greater American psyche. His probing dramas, including ?All My Sons,? ?Death of a Salesman? and ?The Crucible,? proved to be both the conscience and redemption of the times, allowing people an honest view of the direction the country had taken. More than any other playwright working today, Arthur Miller has dedicated himself to the investigation of the moral plight of the white American working class. With a sense of realism and a strong ear for the American vernacular, Miller has created characters whose voices are an important part of the American landscape. His insight into the psychology of desperation and his ability to create stories that express the deepest meanings of struggle, have made him one of the most highly regarded and widely performed American playwrights. In his eighty-fifth year, Miller remains an active and important part of American theater.

DENYS TURNER
Denys Turner (DPhil Oxford University;BA and MA in Philosophy at University College, Dublin) was appointed Horace Tracy Pitkin Professor of Historical Theology in 2005. He taught political and moral philosophy at University College, Dublin from 1967-1976, when he moved to the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Bristol, in 1995 taking up the HG Wood Chair of Theology at the University of Birmingham. In 1999 he was elected to the Norris-Hulse Chair of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of Marxism and Christianity, Oxford: Blackwell, 1983, Eros and Allegory, Medieval Exegesis of the Song of Songs, Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1995, The Darkness of God, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995, Faith Seeking, London: SCM Press, 2002, and Faith, Reason and the Existence of God, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004, as well as many articles and papers on political and social theory in relation to Christian theology, and on medieval thought, especially the traditions of 'mystical theology'.

RICHARD DAWKINS
Richard Dawkins holds the Charles Simonyi Chair of Public Understanding of Science in Oxford, and as such he takes a high profile role in the exposition and elucidation of scientific ideas in our culture. He's eminently well placed to do so, being himself one of science's most innovative thinkers. His first book, The Selfish Gene, made a huge impact back in 1976, with its message of the central role of genes in evolution. There followed a stream of more books, all with highly poetic titles - The Blind Watchmaker, River Out of Eden, Climbing Mount Improbable, Unweaving The Rainbow, and most recently A Devil's Chaplain, each offering further development and commentary upon Darwin's concept of Natural Selection. There is one book whose title is not poetic - The Extended Phenotype - which Dawkins himself believes marks his biggest claim to scientific innovation. The many honors he's received include both a fellowship of the Royal Society, and a fellowship of the Royal Society of Literature.

Running time: 90 minutes.

We will also watch some lighter fare afterward. Anyone is welcome to bring something good to watch. And bring some dessert and/or munchies to share as well.

We can pick anyone up at the 22nd Street Skytrain Station. Just let us know. If there's any problem finding Latin Gals' place or you have any questions you can call me (Kirby) at 778-230-7370.

See you there!