Colin McGinn

Tim Robbins

Alright Folks,
I am little bit surprised why Colin McGinn didn't come out any better in the athesist intellectual polls. He is without doubt my favourite atheist intellectual.
He can explain complicated arguments succintly, he seems to have some sort of understanding why people believe in God - his conscious loneliness argument is very interesting.
Some of his own ideas are also quite interesting. For example, I like the one where he suggests there are two types of atheists:
* The Militant Atheist
and the
* The Post theist

I also like the way he admits that in some respects he was disappointed about God not being true and there is no moral justice in life. I like this sort of honest approach as opposed to the intellectual high horse approach you get with Dawkins and Hitchens.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...arch&plindex=0

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/faithandre...ts_mcginn.html

So let's here what you think of McGinn?

Dave!

Links aren't working.

I've seen Colin McGinn on the Atheist tapes and he was quite good, but can't find alot about him online and he's not high on my priority list in terms of reading!

BTW, he's got the same surname as me

aidan24326

Very good, those videos are excellant.

I hadn't heard of him at all until you put him in as a poll option in the other thread. Will have a look at the videos.

Might I say it can be equally honest to say you're not at all disappointed by the realisation that there almost certainly isn't a god. I'm delighted that the god of my former religion doesn't exist. I'd hate if a superbeing had so many of the same bad traits we do. Now that would be disappointing.

5uspect

I agree with Dave, he was very good on the Atheist tapes/Brief History of Disbelief. That said I haven't come across much of his work, but there's plenty of books I've yet to read. And I try not to just read atheist books.

Tim Robbins

Tim Robbins wrote:

Alright Folks,
I am little bit surprised why Colin McGinn didn't come out any better in the athesist intellectual polls. He is without doubt my favourite atheist intellectual.
He can explain complicated arguments succintly, he seems to have some sort of understanding why people believe in God - his conscious loneliness argument is very interesting.
Some of his own ideas are also quite interesting. For example, I like the one where he suggests there are two types of atheists:
* The Militant Atheist
and the
* The Post theist

I also like the way he admits that in some respects he was disappointed about God not being true and there is no moral justice in life. I like this sort of honest approach as opposed to the intellectual high horse approach you get with Dawkins and Hitchens.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...arch&plindex=0

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/faithandre...ts_mcginn.html

So let's here what you think of McGinn?

Atheist tapes link
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7853929164413117774&q=colin+mcginn&total=24&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

Here is the PBS link:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/faithandreason/portraits_mcginn.html

lookinforpicnic

I only know McGinns work on consciousness and I think its crap, mysterians ...as they say consciousness is a big mystery which we know nothing about yet, but of course Colin McGinn knows just enough about consciousness to realise that it is inexplicable...bollox.

And his idea of cognitive closure and his analogy with other non-language speaking animals not being able to understand physics, what a ridiculuos analogy.

Attractive Nun

I've only seen his interviews with Jonathan Miller, but he does come across very well in those. I might read his autobiography some day - I've heard good things.

Has he written much else? I want to vote for the 'Not bad, but he doesn't write enough', but I'm not really sure of the extent of his bibliography.

EDIT: Looking at his wiki entry, he does have a considerable bibliography. Can't say that I'm ever likely to pick up 'Wittgenstein on Meaning' or 'Logical Properties: Identity, Existence, Predication, Necessity, Truth' for leisure reading, but there does seem to be some interesting stuff in there.

MooseJam

Very good, those videos are excellant.

never heard of him though that doesn't say much