long podcast

Originally published in 1957, Ludwig von Mises defends his all-important idea of methodological dualism: one approach to the hard sciences and another for the social sciences. He defends the epistemological status of economic proposition. He has his most extended analysis of those who want to claim that there is more than one logical structure by which we think about reality. He grapples with the problem of determinism and free will. And presents philosophy of history and historical research. Overall, this is a tremendously lucid defense of the fundamental Misesian approach to social philosophy. Narrated by John Pruden.

Theory and History

"Try and live your life as if you were a Free Person, that you didn't have to wonder what anyone else's opinion was; that you should take the risk of believing that if you were the only person who thinks what you think, that that still might well mean that you were right." - Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens - The Courage to Believe in Yourself

Remastered by 2010 upload.
Christopher Hitchens "Antitheist Anthem" 
Music Video: http://youtu.be/a0ot00779RM

Song lyrics from: Christopher Hitchens vs Tony Blair - Munk Debates 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddsz9XBhrYA
Instrumental: Little People "Moon"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH6jX2haJpM

Transcript / Lyrics: 
Ladies and Gentlemen, Brothers Sisters, Comrades, Friends,

Here's my proposition,

What we have here, picked from no mean source, is a distillation of precisely what is twisted and immoral in the faith mentality.
Its essential fanaticism, its consideration of the human being as raw material, and its fantasy of purity.

Once you assume a creator and a plan, it makes us objects, in a cruel experiment, whereby we are created sick and commanded to be well. I'll repeat that. Created sick, and then ordered to be well.

And over us to supervise this, is installed a celestial dictatorship; a kind of divine North Korea. Exigent, I would say, more than exigent greedy for uncritical praise from dawn until dusk. And swift to punish the original sins with which it so tenderly gifted us in the very first place. An eternal, unalterable, judge, jury and executioner, against whom there could be no appeal. And who wasn't finished with you even when you died.
However! Let no one say there's no cure! Salvation is offered! Redemption, indeed, is promised, at the low price, of the surrender of your critical faculties.

Religion, it might be said, must be said, would have to admit, makes extraordinary claims, but, though I would maintain that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, rather daringly provides not even ordinary evidence for its extraordinary supernatural claims. To insist that we are created and not evolved, in the face of all the evidence.

Religion forces nice people to do unkind things and also makes intelligent people say stupid things.

Handed a small baby for the first time, is it your first reaction to think, "Beautiful, almost perfect. Now please hand me the sharp stone for its genitalia, that I may do the work of the Lord"? No!

As the great physicist Stephen Weinberg has aptly put it, "In the ordinary moral universe, the good will do the best they can, the worst will do the worst they can, but if you want to make good people do wicked things, you'll need religion.

Religion, and in fact any form of faith, -because it is a surrender of reason, it's a surrender of reason in favor of faith, is a fantastic force multiplier. A tremendous intensifier, of all things that are in fact divisive rather than inclusive. That's why its history is so stained with blood. Crimes against humanity, crimes against womanhood, crimes against reason and science, attacks upon medicine and enlightenment, all these appalling things.

There is no conceivable way that by calling on the supernatural, you will achieve anything like your objective of a common humanism, which is I think you're quite right to say, our only chance of, I won't call it salvation.

Thank you.

Christopher Hitchens - Antitheist Anthem (320 kbps)

My humble tribute to the great Christopher Hitchens. 

Christopher Hitchens - Challenge Me

Quote of the book "God is not great" by Christopher Hitchens describing atheists, 

Atheists According To Christopher Hitchens

FREE DOWNLOAD courtesy of your friends at www.StrangeFamousRecords.com

We lost a great writer, journalist, debater, intellect and free thinker on December 15, 2011. Much can be said about Christopher Hitchens, good and bad, but rather than speak in his defense it's probably best to just let the man speak for himself. No one can do it better.

This 38 minute mix is a collection of audio clips taken from Hitchens' debates, interviews & speeches. Similar to previous Godcasts, the music is a mishmash of various genres and song clips, ranging from very familiar to totally obscure, all arranged and edited by Sage Francis.

www.Facebook.com/SageFrancis
www.Twitter.com/SageFrancis

TRACKLIST:
Offended Every Day
Hitchler
F*ck 'Em or Fleece 'Em
Genital Mutilation
Vicarious Redemption
Breech of Taste
A Most Subtle PSA
The Argument that Never Goes Stale
It's Called Culture
Limerick Roll
The Original Repudiation
Theresa Cult Vs. Empowerment of Women
The Clever Clever Question
Dropkick Me Jesus
A Final Note

THIS IS THE THIRD INSTALLMENT OF THE GODCAST SERIES. CHECK OUT THE FULL SET AT: http://soundcloud.com/strangefamousrecords/sets/godcast/

Hitchens Tribute "THE GODCAST IS NOT GREAT"

Preface by Murray N. Rothbard

Introduction

1. Judgments of Value

2. Knowledge and Value

3. The Quest for Absolute Values

The Mises Institute, founded in 1982, is an educational institution devoted to advancing Austrian economics, freedom, and peace in the classical-liberal tradition. Our website offers many thousands of free books and thousands of hours of audio and video, along with the full run of rare journals, biographies, and bibliographies of great economists.