Adam Savage is a godless Humanist

[Ian David]

I am temporarily breaking my own boycott of Discovery Networks* to bring you this amazing speech by Adam Savage of Mythbusters




Adam Savage is a godless humanist

Category: Godlessness
Posted on: April 20, 2010 7:08 AM, by PZ Myers

Adam Savage gave a talk at Harvard where he beautifully laid out the logic of a godless universe. Here's a short sample, but really, it's worth reading the whole thing:

The idea of an ordered and elegant universe is a lovely one. One worth clinging to. But you don't need religion to appreciate the ordered existence. It's not just an idea, it's reality. We're discovering the hidden orders of the universe every day. The inverse square law of gravitation is amazing. Fractals, the theory of relativity, the genome: these are magnificently beautiful constructs.

The nearly infinite set of dominoes that have fallen into each other in order for us to be here tonight is unfathomable. Truly unfathomable. But it is logical. We don't know all the steps in that logic, but we're learning more about it every day. Learning, expanding our consciousness, singly and universally.

As far as I can see, the three main intolerant religions in the world aren't helping in that mission.

There's something else really interesting going on at that link. When I give a talk about being godless, it's no big deal; it's what everyone expects, and nobody who knows of me is surprised by what I say. In his television work, Adam Savage doesn't talk up atheism at all…so there are a lot of semi-shocked responses in the long list of comments, and also a lot of pathetic proselytization. Like this:

<snip>

Anyway, great speech, but also if any of you are looking for fresh goddist meat to snack on, there's a new hunting ground. http://www.boingboing.net/features/savage.html Just read Savage's closing remarks, though — that cheesy snack food isn't so good for you.

More:
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/04/adam_savage_is_a_godless_human.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+scienceblogs%2Fpharyngula+%28Pharyngula%29&utm_content=Twitter

See also:


Food for The Eagle
By Adam Savage

Good evening.

I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to read my speech from my new iPad.

Yep. I'm not only a humanist, I'm also an early adopter.

I want to start by saying that, to me, any discourse from me about how one can live a moral existence without religion or the church would sound improperly defensive. That there's an opposite to be defended is absurd and based on a provably false premise. So let's dispense with that.

(To be clear: I'm referring to the humanist axiom "Good without God," whereby "good" means morality. It's provably false that there exists no morality outside of religion, therefore the statement sounds defensive to me.)

By what route does anyone come to believe what they believe? We all like to imagine that it's based on a set of logical facts, but it's often a much more circuitous route.

More:
http://www.boingboing.net/features/savage.html

Hat-tip to: http://twitter.com/pzmyers/status/12515476605


*Boycott the Discovery Channel Networks (Sign Petitions)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=106x34022

[Deep13]

1. I think we should devise a dangerous experiment to test that claim.

Preferably one involving high explosives.

[Ian David]

2. Let's put Pat Robertson in a room with a time bomb and see if he can pray to stop the countdown.

For the "Control," let's put Pope Ratso in a room with a time bomb, and ask him NOT to pray.

Oh, and we should also put Karl Rove (Atheist) in a room with a time bomb and ask him to try and defuse it or something.

Of course, I'm only kidding.

If I were serious, we'd also need Grant to do something involving a robot.

[Soylent Brice]

6. all very sound experiments, which are sure to yield very promising results. n/t

[ChadwickHenryWard]

3. I have always suspected Adam was an atheist.

He has an elegant and impressive way of thinking, and his outside writings have appeared in skeptical magazines before. He just fit the profile of an atheist.

I read his statement last night and it is definitely worth the read.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

4. Adam Savage's already infinite coolness has increased a hundredfold in my eyes.

:woohoo:

[awoke_in_2003]

5. damnit...

I just did something I thought I would never do- join Twitter. And just to send him a "bravo" on that speech. Must resist the urge to become addicted to twitter :)

[SidDithers]

7. My kids, 9 & 12, love Mythbusters...

and there are worse role models they could have than Adam Savage.

Sid

[Odin2005]

8. I just KNEW there was a reason he is so awesome!