In a civilized and thought-provoking debate that took place just this past week in Toronto, former British Prime Minister and recent Catholic convert Tony Blair defended the motion that religion is a force for good in the world. Opposing the motion with all his cerebral might was his compatriot, the journalist and public intellectual Christopher Hitchens.As the eager audience seems to have correctly anticipated, the intellectual engagement was stimulating, challenging and amusing. Best of all, Hitchens and Blair both managed to steer away from cheap shots, ad hominem attacks and appeals to emotion (for the most part...). Their mutual respect for one another helped their arguments focus on the relevance of the ideas supporting their position, and the result was a highly entertaining and educational exchange.
Whatever side you agree with, you're in for a mental treat.
I really don't understand why Hitchens doesn't press on with science and reason by itself. Blair says there is fault with every other profession, there seems no fault with science. Science rids itself of falsehoods and has improved our lives. Can Blair rebuttle this fact? No. Also Blair doesn't seem to understand Occam's razor... we take the simplest option... reason and science will give us principles to live in a liberal secular way. Religion infuses doctrine and very primitive concepts which rid the beauty within morality.
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