Via ABC (65m 27s): In the early 1990s, Harvard political scientist Samuel Huntington developed his famous “clash of civilizations” theory. In it he argued that history is driven by distinct international forces, like Islam and the west, competing for supremacy. This seemed to be illustrated by the events of 9/11. …
Philosopher Slavoj Žižek discusses his book, The Monstrosity of Christ: Paradox or Dialectic?, and explains how the Christian concept of the “toxic neighbor” impacts political, economic, sexual, and cultural thought. In addition there’s a lecture on YouTube he gave at Boston University for The Institute for Human Sciences in 2007: …
Professor of Philosophy Elliott Sober analyzes Charles Darwin’s critique of religion and Christianity. Darwin’s stance that an omnipotent God would not have been so evil, Sober argues, was shaped by the amount of cruel suffering the naturalist observed while in the field. The split between creationism and evolutionism has been …
Via TED: In “THE 99,” Naif Al-Mutawa‘s new generation of comic book heroes fight more than crime — they smash stereotypes and battle extremism. Named after the 99 attributes of Allah, his characters reinforce positive messages of Islam and cross cultures to create a new moral framework for confronting evil, …
Mind Hacks highlighted an interesting article on the psychology (and sociology) of conspiracy theories. Updated with more links.
Via the RSA: In his annual lecture, Matthew Taylor explores what we mean by 21st century enlightenment, how the idea might help us meet the challenges we face today, and the role that can be played by institutions such as the RSA.
From Wikipedia: Human, All Too Human is a three-part 1999 documentary television series produced by the BBC. It follows the lives of three prominent philosophers; Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, and Jean-Paul Sartre. The theme of this documentary revolves heavily around the school of philosophical thought known as existentialism, although the …
For Neda reveals the true story of Neda Agha-Soltan, who became another tragic casualty of Iran’s violent crackdown on post-election protests on June 20, 2009. Unlike many unknown victims, however, she instantly became an international symbol of the struggle: Within hours of Agha-Soltan’s death, cell phone photographs of her blood-stained …