My student group, Bruin Alliance of Skeptics and Secularists (http://www.bruinskeptics.org) will be co-sponsoring an event with Truthdig.com

[b:b8f71b2038]A Truthdig debate between Sam Harris and Chris Hedges,
moderated by Robert Scheer
[/b:b8f71b2038]
http://www.truthdig.com/debate

At a time of virulent religious fanaticism extending from Afghanistan to Washington, D.C., Truthdig presents two of the most courageous writers confronting this descent into modern irrationality.  A nonbeliever and a believerÛone who sees religion as a scourge and one who argues that the loss of the spiritual has plunged our society into violence and extremismÛthey have both written passionately and profoundly about this subject and will share their thoughts in what promises to be a fascinating evening of debate and dialogue.

ACT NOW: BUY YOUR TICKET ONLINE
or call÷
UCLA ticket orders and information: (310) 825-2101
Ticketmaster ticket orders: (213) 365-3500

[b:b8f71b2038]Event Information[/b:b8f71b2038]

Religion and Politics: The End of the World? A Truthdig Debate
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
8 p.m.
Royce Hall, UCLA

Parking instructions: Enter Royce Drive off Sunset Boulevard.
View the parking map
Tickets

Limited Gold Circle: $35
Preferred: $20
Standard: $15

Tickets available at Royce Hall (Campus Ticket Office) or Ticketmaster.

CTO ticket orders and information: (310) 825-2101
(Mon-Fri 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sat-Sun 10 a.m.-2 p.m.)

Ticketmaster ticket orders: (213) 365-3500
Ticketmaster website: http://www.ticketmaster.com

UCLA Performing Arts website: http://www.uclalive.org

[b:b8f71b2038]Ticket pickup:[/b:b8f71b2038]
* In person at any Ticketmaster outlet.
* At the theater box office, which opens one hour prior to the event.
The box office accepts cash, checks, Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.

Phone and website orders will be mailed to customers two weeks before the event.

Requests for tickets to be mailed earlier will be honored upon authorization of the credit card charge.

Tickets ordered less than two weeks before the event will be at the will-call window.
Books

Immediately after the event there will be a formal book signing.

Books by all three authors will be on sale in the lobby of Royce Hall before and after the debate.

Books by Sam Harris, Chris Hedges and Robert Scheer are also available for purchase online in the Truthdig Bazaar.
[b:b8f71b2038]
Event Co-Sponsors:
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Alternet
Bruin Alliance of Skeptics & Secularists, a UCLA student group
The Nation Institute

[b:b8f71b2038]About Truthdig[/b:b8f71b2038]

Truthdig is a Web magazine that provides expert in-depth coverage of current affairs as well as other thoughtful, provocative content assembled from a progressive point of view. The site approaches its mission to Ïdrill beneath the headlinesÓ with a wide range of material, including extensive Ïdigs,Ó original reports, interviews, columns, videos and political cartoons.

This month Truthdig was nominated for a Webby Award in three major categories (News, Politics and Political Blog). For the last decade, the Webby has been the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet.

I hope many you you in Southern California can attend!

An audio of this debate is available on the samharris.org website, see this
Link
http://www.samharris.org/site/debates/

Recommended.

Thank you for the link, Jackson. I enjoyed Sam’s opening remarks, especially the idea that he has been at this “a long time”, well, ever since “the terror attacks on our pious nation on September 11”. The triad of belief offered, I think attest to this “long time” of research, along with the explanations for them.

Perhaps for further discussion, on this or another thread, the question of; What about the research over just the course of the last 10 years that does not fall in line with explanations offered by Harris and Dawkins?

This of course does not eliminate the research into belief, especially religious, prior to just these past 10 years. What I am thinking mainly about is work by David Sloan Wilson, E. O. Wilson, Scott Atran, Jonathan Haidt, Michael Shermer, Pascal Boyer and many others that see far beyond a “meme” theory model, or simplistic explanation.

zarcus - 09 September 2007 11:26 AM

Thank you for the link, Jackson. I enjoyed Sam’s opening remarks, especially the idea that he has been at this “a long time”, well, ever since “the terror attacks on our pious nation on September 11”. The triad of belief offered, I think attest to this “long time” of research, along with the explanations for them.

Perhaps for further discussion, on this or another thread, the question of; What about the research over just the course of the last 10 years that does not fall in line with explanations offered by Harris and Dawkins?

This of course does not eliminate the research into belief, especially religious, prior to just these past 10 years. What I am thinking mainly about is work by David Sloan Wilson, E. O. Wilson, Scott Atran, Jonathan Haidt, Michael Shermer, Pascal Boyer and many others that see far beyond a “meme” theory model, or simplistic explanation.

Good idea.