I was fortunate enough to be lent a copy of the series by a member in the NY CfI branch. It is excellent. It should be shown at each CfI branch and be available for lending, especially since it is unlikely to be distributed in the US.
The series is three hours long and really quite cerebral, with a deep discussion of the history of atheism from the ancient Greece and Rome (Epicurus, Democritus, Lucretius), to the Renaissance, Britain (Hume, Bentham, etc.), France (Baron d’Holbach), the US (Paine), and much else besides. It includes interviews with Dan Dennett, Richard Dawkins, Colin McGinn, Arthur Miller, etc.
The whole is encapsulated in a touching story about Jonathan Miller’s own life and atheism, his struggles with his own Judaism, and unflinching issues about death and mortality at the end.
I was fortunate enough to be lent a copy of the series by a member in the NY CfI branch. It is excellent. It should be shown at each CfI branch and be available for lending, especially since it is unlikely to be distributed in the US.
The series is three hours long and really quite cerebral, with a deep discussion of the history of atheism from the ancient Greece and Rome (Epicurus, Democritus, Lucretius), to the Renaissance, Britain (Hume, Bentham, etc.), France (Baron d’Holbach), the US (Paine), and much else besides. It includes interviews with Dan Dennett, Richard Dawkins, Colin McGinn, Arthur Miller, etc.”
Unfortunately it’s not my copy so I can’t lend it out. I’m trying to find out if there’s some way to get a copy for the NY CfI library for lending or showing. We’ll see.
The Jonalthan Miller Tapes were too short to include hours of additional interviews which are aso avaialble. If anyone wants copies for personal use, let me know via email. DJG
"Brief History of Disbelief" on TV, Premiers May 4
This is the Jonathan Miller atheism series that I posted about quite awhile ago. Definitely deserves to be on TV. It is very cerebral, but definitely worth watching.
The website about it is HERE . This is being underwritten by CFI as well as other humanist organizations.
I am not sure if their broadcast calendar is up-to-date, but as of yet I only see listings for Muncie, IN; Tampa, FL; Roanoke, VA; Wichita, KS; Kansas City, MO.
It’s not going to show here and I’m very disappointed for I really wanted to see it. PBS here is not listing it and from what I can tell won’t be showing it. I can guess why, but maybe someone can encourage them to air it. I hope so at least. :(
I think that we need to engage in a letter writing campaign to ask PBS stations to run this special, and in a timely slot. We have to get our voices heard if they are hearing all of these protests against it from Christians.
Well, I talked to our local PBS people today and they said they have heard of it, but have their line up for May and June. If they decide to air it eventually, they will email me and let me know. It doesn’t sound like the A of G are preventing them from airing it. They even said that it sounded like a very interesting show, but the schedule has already been made for the next two months. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see. I’m hoping my request helps, but if I’m the only one who says anything, then it might not help much. :(
Well, I talked to our local PBS people today and they said they have heard of it, but have their line up for May and June. If they decide to air it eventually, they will email me and let me know. It doesn’t sound like the A of G are preventing them from airing it. They even said that it sounded like a very interesting show, but the schedule has already been made for the next two months. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see. I’m hoping my request helps, but if I’m the only one who says anything, then it might not help much. :(
Thanks for pointing out this program, also thanks for the on-line source. I watched the first episode, finding Miller to be quite amiable, and the program informative. I tried watching the Root of All Evil, but was very put off by Dawkins who was embarassingly angry and confrontational: in what I saw, he was no better than his subjects.
“Elegant and ineffectual resistance....” That is how Jonathan Miller ends the series, referring to the efforts of atheism to overcome religion. How like the end of life.
I am very glad that Doug advised of the series and that OhioDoc posted the website.
Like so much of television production, there was a lot of visual fill - Jonathan Miller ambling about in various settings, street scenes, etc - serving as background for the narrative. I was amused by the scenes where Miller watched himself on a laptop computer.
However, as a good-humored, calm review of the history of disbelief, it has much to recommend it.
