Non-realism of God - Philosophy Bites review

Here is a short review of one of the last interviews on Philosophy Bites. I'll write down what thoughts were provoked on my end and let this be an encouragement for you to find out what it does to you. Even if the subject, God, doesn't speak to you that much. Believe me, he doesn't speak too much to me either. Pun intended.

The podcast featured theologian Don Cupitt touching upon his approach to God, in which God doesn't need to exist, or more accurately, I suppose, is non-real. God doesn't have to be real, like the real world. His point is that with a non-real God, there is still point for god in our ideas; in theology and even in religion. If I understood him correctly there is no point in arguing as vehemently as some people do that God exists in reality, that sort of diverts the attention to what is truly important in religion. His ideas, he argues, are not atheism, certainly not in the modern sense, as this is an ideological stream against religion in general and to god existing in ideas as well.

What I liked particularly, even if I may have taken it completely wrong, is the idea that for all the tradition of religion it is not essential that God exists. It is a point I have been putting forward in my own fumbling way for several decades, drawing on literature and arguing that a figure such as Meursault in Albert Camus's L'etranger, is a meaningful person and of importance in our tradition even if he is not real. The same goes for God, where all the stories about the deities are just as formative and meaningful and culturally true, even if the deity doesn't have a real existence. Trying to maintain the real existence and entering debate about that issue is a kind of naturalistic fallacy, like arguing that the word dog and the actual dog are one and the same phenomenon. I am afraid, I have taken this very crudely and ignorantly in my own fashion, yet it goes to show how thought-provoking and inspiring Cupitt's argument is.

More Philosophy Bites
Virtue,
Nietzsche,
Kierkegaard,
Machiavelli,
Rousseau.

Sir Charles Mackerras - Naxos podcast review

Naxos Classical Music Spotlight Podcast is more than a promotional podcast. It does more than a promotional podcast. Even if each episode is to publicize a new CD that is out at the company, the podcast almost always manages to bring in some added value. The added value comes to the extent it is even valuable listening to the podcast even if you are not considering a purchase. Even if you are only remotely interested in the music discussed.

Personally I am fascinated by conductors. So when Naxos interviewed the conductor Sir Charles Mackerras, I rushed in to listen. Even though Mackerras is in his eighties, he is still working and he is also sharp and engaging in his remarks about the music he was involved with in his life. As must be the case with conductors, his attention goes from the playing of the various instruments, to the history of music and naturally to the question of how pieces of music need to be interpreted. His contribution to the performance of the music of Mozart, Handel, Janacek and Strauss are discussed.

In addition, the interview receives the quality of a history podcast with his personal witness of the communist coup of 1948 in Czechoslovakia. Sir Charles had come to Europe to study and wound up in Prague, right after the war, when affairs had settled. However, as it turned out, he had to leave soon, as the communists ceased power. Not only did the atmosphere change from day to day, but also his teachers had fallen out of favor. For a moment this worked to Sir Charles's advantage though. Listen and find out.

Previously about the Naxos podcast:
Pictures at an Exhibition,
Hildegard von Bingen.

The Admiration of Europe - History 5 review

Berkeley's History 5, that covers European History from the Renaissance until today, has a different professor each semester. Though the material covered is the same each time, naturally, each professor brings her own emphasis to the course. Now that the latest course has ended, especially by the end, we can compare the perspectives on Europe and most notably the differences.

The previous course, if I recall correctly, by Professor Anderson ended with a bit of a downturn. Or at least, it ended with the feeling of true end. Europe's glory started with the Renaissance and right now we witness its secession of power, of influence, of importance. Anderson noted in addition to the reduced military power of Europe, its receding population and sort of hinted that this might well be the end of Europe, at least the Europe as we know it.

This semester History 5 by Professor Carla Hesse ended completely differently. Hesse ended with an admiration of Europe I have seldom experienced, not even among Europeans themselves. Hesse's take on the EU is that of an impressive upturn. She painted the picture of a continent that has retrieved its unity it had in the Middle Ages and thus has overcome all the adverse circumstances that have followed us during the course. Europe, it suddenly seems, stands on the threshold of a whole new era, a whole new flourishing with renewed vitality. It is all in the eye of the beholder. A very fascinating conclusion though.

More on History 5:
Industrialization (Carla Hesse),
History 5 by Carla Hesse,
History 5 by Margaret Anderson,
History 5 by Thomas Laqueur.

Hoor! Geschiedenis - historische podcast recensie

Het was Tom Tacken van de podcasts Veertien Achttien en Sterke Geschiedenis die mij deze podcast tip toestuurde. Een nieuwe Nederlandse geschiedenispodcast die maar liefst elke werkdag publiceert en zich in rap tempo mag verheugen in de belangstelling van een relatief groot publiek: Hoor! Geschiedenis.

De journalist Feico Houweling heeft de week van de geschiedenis aangegrepen om deze serie te starten. In korte, dagelijkse uitzendingen loopt hij chronologisch door de geschiedenis. Hij vertelt de geschiedenis van Nederland en gaat daarbij terug tot de vroegste culturele en politieke wortels. Dat betekende een begin bij de Romeinen, het vroege Christendom en bi jde Germaanse volkeren en hun culturele en religieuze overlevering. Van daar ging het naar de vroege middeleeuwen en zitten we bij de 59e aflevering nog altijd in de Investituurstrijd. Als Houweling het jaar 2000 wil bereiken heeft hij nog een leven lang podcasten voor de boeg.

Houweling is voelbaar een ervaren verteller. Zelfs al zijn de podcasts ultrakort (vijf minuten is zo weinig, dat heb ik nog niemand zo effectief zien doen behalve Engines of our Ingenuity), het is een formaat waarmee hij uitstekend uit de voeten kan. Het is precies genoeg om één punt heel duidelijk te maken. En bij de volgende podcast gaat hij verder waar hij gebleven is, zodat ook het grotere verband en de chronologie en de elementaire feiten allemaal op ordentelijke wijze aan de orde komen. Houweling krijgt dit voor elkaar met een zeer kalme, haast bestudeerde spreekstijl. Zijn intonatie, woordkeus, ja de stijl als geheel, doet mij nog het meest denken aan de spreekstijl van lieve, oude schoolmeesters, of radiosprekers bij de EO. Dat pakt echter niet paternalistisch of dominee-achtig uit, integendeel, het levert een sobere en buitengewoon heldere vertelling op. Of Houweling daadwerkelijk in een traditionele, protestants-christelijke signatuur thuishoort is niet merkbaar, maar zal ook pas veel nadrukkelijker op de proef gesteld worden wanneer we bij de Reformatie belanden.

The Premium Pill - paid podcast review

With such a large supply of free podcasts, why would you want to subscribe to a premium podcast? Even if it is only $1 per episode? The excellent comedy podcast The Bitterest Pill is going to let you find out for yourself. Did you enjoy one pill a month? How about getting four? Normally it costs $4, but in January 2009 you can try out for free. (The Bitterest Pill premium trial)

So I signed up. Of course paypal was making me go through the motions, even if the charge is nil and needless to say, being a non-American, as usual with on-line payments, this involved a lot of extra steps that failed a couple of times. However, don't ask me how, I managed to get subscribed to the premium podcast, so just sit back and enjoy. Enjoy, because the fun starts right away: The Bitterest Pill, premium free trial for January, effectively gave me all the premium backlog of the last weeks. Wow!

I couldn't stop my player. I sat down and listened to three premium shows back to back. I was afraid it was going to be more of the same and it was more of the same, but what same. The same brilliant comedy you get once for free. Want to find out how Dan gets a ticket for a malfunctioning brake light? Buys a flat screen TV? Has the kids with his parents and can finally enjoy a night on the town with his wife - alone? Different stories, same style, same amazingly funny, dramatic, compelling entertainment. If this is your thing, $4 a month is a joke.

You know what baffles me? Dan Klass is supposed to be this failed actor and comedian. He tries to get accepted, god knows to what degrading roles. He continues to be just some anonymous dweller of Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, the World. Yet, his podcast proves already for over 4 years his amazing talent. The character, the timing, the drama, the comedy. We podcasters are only lucky the worlds are not connecting. Some day soon, the party must be over. Until then, enjoy.

Previously about The Bitterest Pill:
Stylized Lamentations.

Charlemagne - history podcast review

Suppose you want to know about Charlemagne. If you are looking for a podcast, there are quite a few options. A good, but old and podfaded podcast is the Ancient and Medieval History Podcast. Another place to go is History according to Bob, but he has spread his episodes so wide, the preceding series about the Franks and the eventual Charlemagne are no longer in the feed and you will have to buy them on CD. A splendid new podcast is Hoor! Geschiedenis which very effectively addresses the build up and Charlemagne in several episodes worth over an hour and a half in listening, but it is in Dutch - which may not all of you master.

So, I reserved the best for last: TPN's Biography Show which has dedicated its 8th episode to Charlemagne. All aspects are explained: how Charles comes to power, where his roots lie, why he becomes emperor (and hates that), what the renaissance is he brings about, and more. Additional strength of the show is that it is a conversation. Host Cameron Reilly is well prepared and asks excellent questions. Historian David Markham is at his best and is informative and instructive with the best. Last but not least, these veterans of the Napoleon 1O1 podcast, do not miss the opportunity to put Charlemagne in the wider time frame with the Roman emperors, the Holy Roman Empire, the power of the popes and the culmination in the figure of Napoleon.

An interesting side note is to be made about an additional episode in the TPN podcasts: Cameron Reilly's pledge drive. TPN, the Podcasting Network (in Australia) is asking for your money and in doing so positions itself in the tradition of public television and radio networks in America, that also live from the donations of their listeners. It gives one answer to the question how podcasts can survive into the future: they can be packaged together and as a whole offer a service to the listeners for a small fee, that by virtue of the vast audience amounts to a fair income - we hope.

More Cameron Reilly:
Cameron Reilly: Is podcasting dead?,
Biography podcasts,
Sargon of Akkad and Ramses II,
Helen of Troy,
Alexander the Great - Biography Show,
TPN Napoleon 1O1.