Secular soul. Part 3. Atheists [Widescreen]

Episode of Series “Compass (Television program)”.
Presented by Geraldine Doogue, this three part series looks at the changing patterns of belief in Australia. The final episode looks at four prominent Australian atheists, how they reached their decision to become an atheist and how they live their lives in the absence of religion. Interviewees include: Peter Singer, the child of Jewish refugees and a philosopher and ethicist renowned for his controversial view on euthanasia and animal rights; geology professor Ian Plimer who grew up in Sydney in the 1940s and 50s and took a Christian fundamentalist to court on the grounds that they were peddling misleading information; Diana Warnock, ex West Australian Labor politician and now a community activist; and Dick Gross, former mayor of St Kilda and founder of the Jewish Saturday school, a secular, humanist alternative which involves culture and ethnicity minus the religion. The four speak of the importance of ritual, the possibility of ethics derived from reason as opposed to religion, life after death, and whether religion is increased or decreased in the face of adversity. Part of the television show, “Compass”.