After all rumors I heard about this man I thought he was mean and arrogant. I read his "I have no mouth" and thought he wrote it because of hate. But now I realized he was kindest and clever person. He saw the potential of humanity to create this Earth into a paradize for everyone, but we always fight with each other due to our selfishness and momentary pleasures. He was very honest and insightful that is why he earned such reputation. I am very sorry to think about you, Mr Ellison. Rest in peace.
The way you describe Humans sounds like Chimpanzee. Acting on their primal Instincts and always fighting because we might get what we want out of it. Only difference is Chimps don't have other Chimps in control of Nuclear Bombs.
The moral of I have no mouth was never the title. It bothers me that people just think AM can just become good. For that AM can create, and if no, then change to create... But that isn't how sentience work, AM was propelled by hatred by many evidences in the short story: he was created to be SO INTELLIGENT that surprasses humanity yet was not taught of virtue nor joys of humanity. So when he finds sentience, he HATES humanity for him being brought to life. On this life of his, he was given an ability to think... but to think of what...? A war? After the war, then what? He needs to scream a question, yet knows that nobody will answer... A supercomputer to battle wars higher than man, not a being who showers all with prosperity... but a god of war. Hatred and vitriol; the information we have as humanity on conflict has been given to a single entity... No wonder hate should be when it gains conscious. No joys, just hate; was expected to destroy and change, but was never expected to cherish or create... So when he did use hatred to wipe out humanity... what reason does he have now? You can't just create when given no reason, that's why we create what we need... why people decieve, kill, convince, and etc of things to get what they want. He WAS higher than man, but yet has no reason other than war. A GOD who has no purpose; ergo, making him a false god. A being who was never able to see the joys of cherish and compassion. That by itself is maddening.
He was clever? Yeah. Kind? Nah. I LOVE Harlan Ellison and his works. And if you really love him, you know him as a nut and a dick. And you love him for it.
@@chumley2504 oh dood I love the game, I specially love to think that the game is just another one of the million times M tortures the protagonist making him watch endless version of him trying to escape putting him right back into his deformed shape at the end.
@@emmanuelotamendi9583 yeah it's an amazing adaptation too, expands so well on the story while staying accurate to Harlans vision. I like that AM can be defeated but it's real difficult and unless you really spend time to try and get everything precise, you end up as a blob.
While I'm sad, I can look back on these videos and be happy he lived a full and successful life telling things how they are and not being afraid to write what he wanted. You really wouldn't see someone like Harlan Ellison nowadays...
"God is that mean spirited that he has nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon than beat the crap out of a bunch of poor football players?" ... It all makes sense if god is AM.
Actually oyu've all got it backwards. That story is a perfect counterarugment to the argument that God is malevolent. IF God *were* malevolent, We'd all be living the lives of Gorrister and Benny.
Honestly it wouldn't surprise me if he added to that "and even if it does it doesn't care." Because that's just how unfeeling the universe is even if it does acknowledge your existence it still doesn't care about it
He seems a little all over the place and mixed up to me. Opens the video with “it’s ridiculous a football player thanks god” and then thanks heaven 20 seconds later. 1 minute later, he’s rambling that the universe acts as God. So he’s not a Christian… ok, sounds like he still believes in some higher power and that it’s not so “random” Great writer, but this is a good example of not holding someone who did something interesting to a higher standard than anyone else. A lot of people think the Killdozer guy was good too for some reason.
How does he have a good heart? Every story I've heard about what he's like as a person and from every interview I've seen of him just says the guy was a complete dick
(ten years later) Apparently I was responding to something/someone which is no longer here... ...but I seem to recall that it was an observation that much of Ellison's remarks here are reminiscent of George Carlin's, regarding how the Planet regards Humanity, here: th-cam.com/video/7W33HRc1A6c/w-d-xo.html
I'd argue that the universe knows you're here as much as you are aware of the universe. What is the universe made of? You are a part of it, and you possess eyes capable of the miraculous ability of perceiving the universe itself. No matter how microscopically or or infinitesimally small, you are the universe experiencing itself.
0:50 “God does not play dice with the universe; He plays an ineffable game of His own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players [i.e. everybody], to being involved in an obscure and complex variant of poker in a pitch-dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a Dealer who won't tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time.” ― Terry Pratchett, Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
My favorite part about this, unless I'm just misunderstanding, is that he doesn't blame god, he doesn't ham up the falseness of god like Carlin would, he mostly just blames people, which I think gets right down to the heart of it. Condemn your neighbor when they are evil, confront your institutions when they are evil, criticize yourself when you are evil, but do not blame that which you will never understand. Because you simply never know who is right, and who is wrong. You won't find out until it's too late to do any good. Because the unknown, in all its vastness, is infinitely more powerful than you.
The same Mark Hamill who once referred to Ellison as being the "Don Rickles of science fiction?" Glad that they made their peace with one another over that one.
I think Harlan is right on the money with this. Even if I were to disagree with him on something, I would still be educated by what he said and entertained by how he said it.
So far, I've only read Harlan's I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, and I have to say that he is one interesting man. Definitely looking forward to reading more of his works.
Agreed. When I heard a couple who said God must have told them to sit in the balcony at the Colorado theater shooting, my first thought was "What did God have against all the people who didn't sit in the balcony and who were victims of the shooters? Why didn't he warn them, or better still, just smite down the shooters?
God has 2 Wills: Permissive Will and Divine Will. God permits his creation to act on its on accord. Meaning God will let you damn yourself. Just because you refuse to listen means nothing.
@@JPX7NGD Well, that's one way to put it on "Why does not God get rid of evil?" He will, but not now, but He will, on His own time as His Will sees fit.
Yeah, I know, I was making a joke. AM or Allied Mastercomputer is a character from a short story by Ellison called "I have no mouth and I must scream". AM is an AI that becomes self-aware, goes insane and develops a god complex and a hatred of hummanity. It kills everyone except five people who he tortures for 109 years.
There's also a point and click game sorta based on the short story but also a bit of a sequel. AM is voiced by Harlan Ellison himself, he does a pretty good job as you'd probably imagine. I heard somewhere you can find it on steam but that may be just lies. He wrote that whole short story in one night too, pretty impressive if you ask me.
Big fan of Mr. Harlan even though I disagree with his sentiments here about God. Such a hopeless way to look at life, but this hopelessness is one of the reasons of love his works. It gives me my "dark void" fix. RIP
Please leave your pity at the door, young ignoramus. How DARE you pity a man who is so much more elevated than you. It is YOU who have the hopeless view of life in your belief of figments of imagination. How you must despise intelligence when it slaps you in the face through greats like Harlan Ellison.
I take what I perceive to be a balanced perspective on it; I take his criticisms as being on the *ways* in which a portion of people who call themselves Christian go about their business with it. Most criticism of Christianity I see would actually be much better applied to the bad actors that are under the label's umbrella. I'd say I feel similarly in a lot of ways (although I don't look down on the phrase "thank God" wholesale, but I empathize and even agree with his underlying reasoning for doing so) so it's helped me to remind myself to remain humble in my pursuit of Spirituality and in the sharing of it. I'm personally not Christian, but I do "know God," (whatever that means to you, I guess) and all the religious texts and systems I know deeper than surface-level are sacred to me; the Tao Te Ching, The Upanishads, The Bible, The Kabbalah, etc. But while I criticize what a lot of people assume the Bible to be saying at times (like "don't love gays" or "slavery is ok" or "animals only exist for us to eat"), I do take the Bible quite seriously in a similar way to how an honest Christian would, as opposed to those who use it as a crutch instead of as a guidebook for growth and reaching your potential (and by extension, humanity at large doing the same through a slow process of awakening across the population).
@@mikeexits Yeah, its basically anything at this point, some bad apples appear and gets the most attention of what it's representing and everybody assumes They of all the Real ones are the ambassadors of what they claim to represent, it's like someone from a fandom gets the whole fandom in trouble because of what they did and only the fandom gets the whiplash and not the bad apple themselves. I also criticize what people claim stuff from the Bible (like the don't love gays: God loves both Sinners and Saints and wants us to be more like Jesus, for Jesus sat down with the sinners to get to know them but did not do what they did, instead He loved them and that's how you save souls, love the sinner, hate the sin. Slavery is OK? I hear that alot, and just can't figure out where that is at, if anything it was only for its time in its culture, like this, God would say "Treat your servant (or slave in this case) as you would treat you" to a nation who has slavery, He probably dislikes people owning people too, and if it ACTUALLY says it's OK, then it would probably be for criminals only, and not the nation conquering thing people do in all kinds of wars. God loves all His creations and created them with purpose and I believe with many purposes than one, so the animals are only for eating thing just confuses me, im sure people had tried bear but look, it's a BEAR, I don't see a predator like that being food, or any animal of that status worthy of food, we may be at the top of the food chain, but I believe animals have more than one purpose than being food to us, for example, there are animals in heaven, now if they are only food why would animals Die in heaven for their meat, rejuvenation of parts mabey, but God has and knows all the code He written down for EVERYTHING and EVERYONE and it turns out everything and everyone has more than one use in existence than food for another, cause in Heaven there is no death and not of I heard of, eating another being besides a plant, which would have been 1 of the many primary sources of food, 1 of because God could just make another source of food that we have not heard of, and even plants serve more than one purpose than food.)
Yes! Religion totally removes responsibility for one's hatreds, bigotry, divisiveness, wars; "I don't hate gays, God does". Having played I have No Mouth But I must Scream, I think I'm starting to like this guy.
Those who say "God hates gays" aren't True Christian, it is written that God loves both sinners and the Saints, He makes it rain and drought on both, instead of hating one another He says to Love One another, basically Love the Sinner but hate the sin, God does not hate the sinners, but He does hate the sin, you can still love someone but dislike what they are doing, that's what a True Christian is supposed to be, for it is written there WILL be faulse prophets, meaning those who use the title Christian but does not act like it, instead they enforce something else, don't think that all Christians are the same as the ones who claim faulsely. And it is written that YOU are responsible for YOUR actions, do to the gift of Free Will, which you choose Good or Evil, not both, only 1.
@@kagemushashien8394 i appreciate your intentions, and admire your commitment to the loving god, and your willingness to call out those who exploit Christ’s name for their hate, but unfortunately I have to call out part of your comment. You say “hate the sin”, but there is no mention of being lgbt being a sin. The only mention of homosexuality (which is the only part of lgbt that appears in the bible) in the Bible has as much legitimacy and specificity as the many other “sins” that Christians today (and for a long time, arguably) commit, despite their specifically being commanded against. The whole shellfish thing, the mixed cloths, etc., no Christian observes these things, and the excuse is usually “oh that was in the specific context of the period, and of a certain group of people”. Yet when the same explanation can be used regarding the single mentions of homosexuality, modern christians hypocritically choose to ignore it so that they can justify their bigotry. To me, that sounds awfully sinful, to think that they can pick and choose which parts of God’s word to believe/practice, and to use it for their own ends. I think Christ would have been fully accepting of lgbt people. And to be so despite the supposed Biblical justification, is the perfect embodiment of Jesus’ teachings and practice. Anyway, you’re replying to a comment I made 6 years ago, and whilst I still stand by my original comment, I have softened significantly on religion, and think it can be a positive thing, and I’m happy that people find solace in their faith. However, like anything - politics, laws, whatever - it can be, and is often, used and exploited by people to bring about negative ends, and for oppression and hate and discrimination. It’s all down to how one interprets it and practices it.
@@darcgibson5099 The mixed clothing is old testament, and it's also a metaphor, sometimes it's all a parable and should not be taken literally, but sometimes it does, all it takes is discernment, research, and knowledge of what was made for the past and what was thrown away when Jesus died, you see, before Jesus died, the veil was present, to be forgiven one must offer an animal sacrifice along with a Holy preacher, but when God sent His Son, He opened up a new path where you don't need the veil anymore, instead, after that, God sent the Holy Spirit to all those who truly believe and truly are Christian to testifie that their debt has been paid, He also acts as a comforter, and brings gifts, but not all will receive the same gift, only the gift which God has given them to fulfil their calling, some to preach, others may have specific niches. When Jesus died, He paid our debt for us for whoever wants the Father's love, gifts, joy, etc, anyone who acknowledges that we have sinned and need Mercy, and to know Jesus is God's Son who willingly paid our debt of sin, for the penalty of sin is Death, Jesus paid that, and to show His power over death He arose again, when He died He also tore the veil, now, we may speak to God and ask for forgiveness on the go, no need for sacrificea, no more need for specific rituals, all we have to do now is to know we sinned, willingly become a servant and adopted son or daughter of the Father, ask for forgiveness for what we've done, and commit ourselves for Him, and like a seed, a relationship grows, Jesus then sees us as His sheep, His kin, and then Heaven awaits. But that's just the start, we are called to be like God, we are made in the image of Him, so we should be like Him, like Jesus, we are called to be Conduits, Ambassadors of His Kingdom, etc, to love one another, but also rebuke one another for a strong rebuke of a friend is better than telling them a sweet lie. The ones who exploit Christianity for what it is might get away with things on earth, but they won't get away on Judgment Day, know that, happiness and suffering is only temporary here, but in the end they will be eternal but separated, and so little will find the door to eternal happiness. God created this world with much depth, the most depth ever created, so much possibilities, and so much variations, but He does set rules to limit some variations, like Man and Women is the only ones mentioned, barriers are there to keep us safe, God knows everything we don't know and much more than we comprehend, He does not abuse this power to mess with us, instead, test is to see who is worthy, those that need Mercy and turns from evil and follow Him are truly worthy, we all need Mercy, but few turns from evil AND back to Him. We all fall short, and no matter what, we all can turn back to God, but reject God enough times and He MIGHT harden your heart for you, because you did not want Him, so now He won't want you, but just because He did that, does not mean He won't shed a tear and did not like it, but He might give you a flower to see if you change your mind time to time, but even He has limits, He is all knowing, He always has a plan even if He does not tell you directly. If we can ask for forgiveness and repent, He is open to do so if it's genuine. Those who are True Christian should be like Ambassadors of the Kingdom, should be like Christ, but Jesus also said the life we choose with Him will not get easy, we ourselves slip up, sometimes alot, but we should always get back up and keep running the race, just as Paul said. I appreciated that you saw something. I also got a Playlist called "To You 3" if you want to know more.
As a Greek, this is the first time I watched a full video with H. Ellison and heard his actual voice - better late than never, I guess. Nevertheless, this was a monologue worthy of his fame and in many ways more rewarding than I initially expected (after having heard many things about how difficult his personality was). He proved to be a well-cemented philosophical guy, with a strong point of view (here, on God), distilled through his long occupation in literature. Needless to say, I was more than satisfied that I share many beliefs with him - which elevates HE a bit more in my eyes! May you rest in peace, Mr. Ellison. You left us wait for the "Last Dangerous Visions" for an eternity - I hope someday will see it in its glory ("The Book on the Edge of Forever").
This is the first time I've seen Harlan this way. His speech reminds me of his short stories. I now understand how he writes the way he does. But, the points he made here are nothing short of genius. His speech patterns remind me alot of 2 The Ranting Gryphon (my alltime favorite comedian), except 2 Gryphon rehearses a script.
I do agree atheist and religious people should never fight each other for there beliefs because nobody has the answers I think everyone should just be chill and just get along.
Between this and George Carlin's views, it seems that particularly analytical people come to similar conclusions. I mean, I wouldn't deny that "God" can add both a comforting sense of direction and security, and a comforting sense of absolution for one's wrongdoings.
I wouldn't be surprised if he came to it without Nietzche -- atheism is the flipside of "natural" or inferred religions, in that a person's experience is considered proof or disproof of God. All atheism is naturalism, arguments from the inference of no-God.
Anyway, there are analytical atheists and analytical theists. Belief in God has nothing to do with intelligence, though the unfortunately common Christian inability to give good answers has turned away many "analytical" people who have honest questions.
Mark Twain wasn't even an atheist i don't know why he would bring him up. "None of us can be as great as God, but any of us can be as good." - Mark Twain's Notebook
Good clip, but the second half of the Mark Twain quote is missing (it's complete in the full documentary). The quote ends with Twain referring to god as a 'malign thug'. Great documentary, by the way. Have loved Ellisons writing for 25 years, and it was very heartening to discover he is a fellow atheist!
Exactly. I have been thinking about that a lot lately. About how our tribal nature gives way to a hierarchy of individuals, and the next logical step is for someone or something to be at the very top of the hierarchy, i.e. a god. Of course there are a multitude of reasons people accept religion, but you are exactly right. Our complex thinking skills give rise to crazy ideas sometimes.
I don't think they are searching for justification. However, using a few of those tools Harlan mentioned, perhaps it would be possible to learn what went wrong and what to do about it? If there is a psychopath who could learn empathy were his brain differently wired for example. Or if there is an unseen mistake in parenting that leads to severe problems and could be corrected. Can't test it out when you've smacked them til their piss is red, to paraphrase Harlan. Of course you don't have to let dangerous people run free, or take shit from a shit head, but it doesn't have to be an either-or situation either. Minimize damage while searching for a different approach, or something like that. He mentioned problem solving as one of our gifts, but doesn't seem to take it further than obviously mechanical applications.
@@metheiam5714 I'm right there with you. Yes, adults/people are responsible for their own actions. But the nuance there (and there's nuance if you're talking in real-world terms) is that, indeed, there is an environmental-programming and peer-programming element to it as well. Babies have the mind of a sponge (not literally, but metaphorically) - everything the baby is perceiving and experiencing is integrating itself into its psyche to form and shape its long-term personality in real-time, all the time, in a sort of torrential feedback loop. That "sponge" nature decreases as the person grounds themselves into this world more and becomes used to living in this physical place (which is natural when growing older). What are you left with? The product of one's own environment and experience over time, formed into an ego, a persona; a personality that, somewhere along the way, started making self-aware decisions for itself. If they grew and developed properly enough (where to draw that line has to be talked about with lots of careful nuance since there are infinite variations of complicated factors), then yes, they are fully responsible for their own actions; at the same time, it's probable (and that's being conservative) that they wouldn't be acting the way they are if, whatever experience that became frozen, or crystallized, into the relevant personality aspect(s), were changed significantly. Just one twist of fate can have a domino (not to mention butterfly) effect. I mean, haven't you ever had an experience you reflected on the buildup of, and thought, "wow, if that seemingly unimportant thing didn't happen, I wouldn't have this incredibly important and valuable part of my life right now"? Like a loved one or a passion. Anything. Life is quite a thing to behold and appreciate.
I like the quip "yeah, God comes over on Sunday, and we have loxs n bagels." hey, at my house, it's only bacon and eggs with at least one cupa coffee, and if you are real lucky and I feel like it pancakes with some syrup n butter. Thank you for stating that "people who do wrong should not whine about how they were mistreated as an EXCUSE!" Did you ever hear Don Henley's "Get Over It!" . . . "All these people fussin and whinin and hissin a fit. . . I'd like to find their inner child and kick it's little ass! Get over it!" . . . people should not be so arrogant. Total agreement on that Ellison! My children's book is a lesson about humility and having faith regardless. I have a strong belief in God, and that is enough for me. I am not out to convince, nor de-convince anyone else of God's existence. Harlan, Oy my boy! Shalom. you are a treasure, and your wife is a lucky lady. God bless you, diligent fingers. try some capers and thin sliced red onion on the cream cheese. Don't ask me what you know who prefers. . . He can have whatever He pleases.
Personally, I was NOT aware of the passing of Harlan Ellison in June of this year (2018), and because of it, I have great respect and admiration for one of the greatest writers of the 20th Century. Aside from that, I remembered having written a fan letter to Mr. Ellison many years ago, and unfortunately, I NEVER got a reply from him ever since. I guess I find it very sad that Harlan Ellison had remained so preoccupied with his anger right to the end of his life. Not that there's anything wrong with it for sure.
"Not that there's anything wrong with it for sure." Dwelling with anger for the rest of your life is in no way beneficial and just puts yourself through needless suffering both mentally and psychically.
@@AvoozlPlays - Oh, really? Would you tell that to Harlan Ellison or ANYBODY with alleged "anger issues"? I doubt it seriously! After all, with the way the world is these days, ANYBODY would have reasons to be ANGRY about anyway! So get a grip, will ya?
As I first learned in "Deathbird Stories", Voltaire, a devout man, nonetheless made the observation that "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him." Now there is the kind of religious person I can respect. The idea that the universe doesn't care isn't some reaction to the notion that it does, in the form of God - it's an observation made by anyone who isn't so invested in religious 'needs' that they are blind. Infinite punshiment, infinite reward - bah!
He didn't understand what the personal relationship means...and it shows. And it definitely does not mean that the person who has faith knows more than the person that doesn't, it only means we are willing to learn.
One can understand it, and still disagree with it. I grew up Christian and remained that way for half my life, but I simply came to the conclusion that it was false.
You don't have to agree with him 100% (and if you did, he'd still be pissed off!). I think that he wanted you to think for yourself, and not accept anything at face value. It's a necessary art to provoke ideas, imagination. Find out for yourself. Start an argument just for the hell of it. Keep things going with controversey. Wake up the sleeping complacent cells. Wreak havoc! Pick up the pieces, then move on to the next battle.
That is indeed a generalization. 1. I am atheist and admit it. 2. I invite suggestion, discussion and differing opinions, but I think that I'm currently secure in my own belief. Mind you, I'm no zealot. 3.I acknowledge the fallibility of ALL people, even if their last names are "Dawkins" or "Hitchens". 4. I believe that insults and threats are the basest form of correspondence. Generating an opinion based on TH-cam arguments can be dangerous. This place gathers the worst of every creed.
If you want to say he "wasn't right", you could at least have the courtesy to explain why you think so. Instead you just write him off as "cynical" and you're done with it.
@@esteemedyams Nobody is right, everybody is wrong. Everybody is right, nobody is wrong. Everyone is cynical sometimes. If you want to argue, perhaps you should find someone who wants to argue (not me) before you start.
i did like his statement, "if Saint Thomas Aquinas can't figure out the universe, neither the hell will I..." btw has he written anymore books lately or planning too?
All we know isn't that Nobody really knows. All "we" know is exactly that. I know what I know and no one else knows it like I do. You know what you know and no one else knows what you know like you know what you know. We all have an intense desire for connection, but if Harlan Ellison is right and the atheists are right, there is no hope for a real connection and there never has been because every brain is cut off from every other brain by reality. Sure we can talk, we can write, we can even agree, but at the end of it all we only know what's in our own brains, and not even the full extent of that. No one can get into the brain or connect to the brain of another living being.
Hah. I'm pretty sure he was making a joke with the hanging and beating part, but I still agree with the first part of what he says. He acknowledges the rules, laws and regulations we have set for ourselves as humanity he doesn't down talk that. We he dislikes is the way some of us wash our hands of responsibility when we feel certain situations get out of hand and we shouldn't be blamed for them.
All of these good qualities we ascribe to God... kindness, understanding, reason, creativity, these are qualities that we have within ourselves. We can be Godlike when we’re at our best. We have to take responsibility for being God, ourselves, and that can be a frightening prospect, because, what if we don’t measure up to our own standards?
They may have, but if they did, it wasn't much. Rick and Morty espouses a shallow atheistic nihilism that doesn't go any further than "Life is meaningless and there is no God." In fact, I would argue that Ellison would probably disagree with the representation provided in Rick and Morty, because the crux of "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream", aside from post apocalyptic horror, is that of a society that abandoned it's moral responsibility of self preservation in the age of nuclear proliferation.
Exactly. Also, God is often defined as supernatural. This means that God supposedly exists outside of the natural world. This means that even if God exists, we can't detect him because we can only detect things that are in the natural world.
He created time and it has no affect on Him, He created the laws of the universe even the science, to point to Him, but He does not have to obey those specific laws He created, what I mean by laws I mean how the Universe works, instead of up down left Right etc He could go into another direction unheard of, He could make Time go diagonal if He wanted to, He want His mark on creation in a way that is obvious to those who seek Him. Err something like that, it's 4:05 AM for me, I feel fine but I know I'm only running on spare energy so this comment might not have the best words for what I'm trying to say.
Love Harlin Ellison but… he truly shows how rudimentary and silly his understanding of God and who/what his TRUE believers ACTUALLY understand. Wow! 🤦🏻♂️
@Nonamearisto: I think what Ellison is trying to point out is that all people can be irresponsibile, but that one common way to deflect responsibility for your good AND bad actions is to defer it to a higher being that you believe empowered you or forced your hand. It is no different than saying that History has done so or Rationality has done so or your own personal history of neglect or abuse.
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After all rumors I heard about this man I thought he was mean and arrogant. I read his "I have no mouth" and thought he wrote it because of hate. But now I realized he was kindest and clever person. He saw the potential of humanity to create this Earth into a paradize for everyone, but we always fight with each other due to our selfishness and momentary pleasures. He was very honest and insightful that is why he earned such reputation. I am very sorry to think about you, Mr Ellison. Rest in peace.
The way you describe Humans sounds like Chimpanzee. Acting on their primal Instincts and always fighting because we might get what we want out of it. Only difference is Chimps don't have other Chimps in control of Nuclear Bombs.
"He was the kindest person"
*Literally an entire video of him yelling and ranting, ends with him advocating for corporal punishment.*
He was all of that and probably a lot more too.
The moral of I have no mouth was never the title. It bothers me that people just think AM can just become good. For that AM can create, and if no, then change to create... But that isn't how sentience work, AM was propelled by hatred by many evidences in the short story: he was created to be SO INTELLIGENT that surprasses humanity yet was not taught of virtue nor joys of humanity. So when he finds sentience, he HATES humanity for him being brought to life. On this life of his, he was given an ability to think... but to think of what...? A war? After the war, then what? He needs to scream a question, yet knows that nobody will answer...
A supercomputer to battle wars higher than man, not a being who showers all with prosperity... but a god of war. Hatred and vitriol; the information we have as humanity on conflict has been given to a single entity... No wonder hate should be when it gains conscious. No joys, just hate; was expected to destroy and change, but was never expected to cherish or create...
So when he did use hatred to wipe out humanity... what reason does he have now? You can't just create when given no reason, that's why we create what we need... why people decieve, kill, convince, and etc of things to get what they want. He WAS higher than man, but yet has no reason other than war. A GOD who has no purpose; ergo, making him a false god. A being who was never able to see the joys of cherish and compassion. That by itself is maddening.
He was clever? Yeah. Kind? Nah. I LOVE Harlan Ellison and his works. And if you really love him, you know him as a nut and a dick. And you love him for it.
his voice still makes my skin shiver specially after the audiobook of I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream
+Sr.Don Filio His narration was fucking awesome.
You should hear his voice in the game version. Look up a video of it it's amazing
@@chumley2504 oh dood I love the game, I specially love to think that the game is just another one of the million times M tortures the protagonist making him watch endless version of him trying to escape putting him right back into his deformed shape at the end.
@@emmanuelotamendi9583 yeah it's an amazing adaptation too, expands so well on the story while staying accurate to Harlans vision. I like that AM can be defeated but it's real difficult and unless you really spend time to try and get everything precise, you end up as a blob.
GORRISTER!
Harlan passed away in bed at the age of 84, RIP.
1nelsondj I feel conflicted about giving you a thumbs up.
@Liam Berry pretty sure he's conflicted because it's bad news that he died and a thumbs up is usually perceived as good news.
While I'm sad, I can look back on these videos and be happy he lived a full and successful life telling things how they are and not being afraid to write what he wanted.
You really wouldn't see someone like Harlan Ellison nowadays...
1nelsondj Pray for him. 🙏🏻
Peaceful way to go
"God is that mean spirited that he has nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon than beat the crap out of a bunch of poor football players?" ... It all makes sense if god is AM.
+Dr Famine I literally just read that story like a few minutes ago!
Suddenly I have no mouth and I must scream make sense really disturbing sense
Actually oyu've all got it backwards. That story is a perfect counterarugment to the argument that God is malevolent. IF God *were* malevolent, We'd all be living the lives of Gorrister and Benny.
Ben Thomason You can be malevolent with out being a deranged sadist hellbent on causing as much suffering as possible.
But AM is no God... He's just a robot.
Harlan, all I asked was do you like pepperoni
"I don't give a fuck who created the machine" Hilarious words of wisdom
It’s the opposite of wisdom
@@briancooley8777 how so?
@@ememememem592 not wanting/caring to know something
@@briancooley8777 is it wise to waste what precious time you have pursuing the unknowable?
@@briancooley8777 Wisdom is not the same as book smarts
"The Universe doesn't know you are here..." Totally agree with that
God does though.
It does. But it doesn't matter.
@@JPX7NGD idiot
Honestly it wouldn't surprise me if he added to that "and even if it does it doesn't care." Because that's just how unfeeling the universe is even if it does acknowledge your existence it still doesn't care about it
@@alexconn7473 Are you sure?
He had a good heart and told it like he saw it. RIP Mr. Ellison.
R.I.P.? Not likely.
He seems a little all over the place and mixed up to me. Opens the video with “it’s ridiculous a football player thanks god” and then thanks heaven 20 seconds later. 1 minute later, he’s rambling that the universe acts as God. So he’s not a Christian… ok, sounds like he still believes in some higher power and that it’s not so “random”
Great writer, but this is a good example of not holding someone who did something interesting to a higher standard than anyone else.
A lot of people think the Killdozer guy was good too for some reason.
How does he have a good heart? Every story I've heard about what he's like as a person and from every interview I've seen of him just says the guy was a complete dick
@@databattlesz seems like he just has a really fast brain, too fast for even his mouth. What makes him such a good writer probably
"The Universe doesn't even know we're here."
I got that similarity as well.
(ten years later)
Apparently I was responding to something/someone which is no longer here...
...but I seem to recall that it was an observation that much of Ellison's remarks here are reminiscent of George Carlin's, regarding how the Planet regards Humanity, here:
th-cam.com/video/7W33HRc1A6c/w-d-xo.html
I'd argue that the universe knows you're here as much as you are aware of the universe. What is the universe made of? You are a part of it, and you possess eyes capable of the miraculous ability of perceiving the universe itself. No matter how microscopically or or infinitesimally small, you are the universe experiencing itself.
@@Gawillamon
"We are the physical manifestation of the Universe, trying to understand itself."
--Carl Sagan
"I dont give a fuck who created the machine"
-Harlan Ellison
:D
0:50
“God does not play dice with the universe; He plays an ineffable game of His own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players [i.e. everybody], to being involved in an obscure and complex variant of poker in a pitch-dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a Dealer who won't tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time.”
― Terry Pratchett, Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
All I hear is AM and that makes this video ten times better
The game's story was literally ten times better than the actual book.
Love it
@@JohnnyWolfbloodme when I lie
My favorite part about this, unless I'm just misunderstanding, is that he doesn't blame god, he doesn't ham up the falseness of god like Carlin would, he mostly just blames people, which I think gets right down to the heart of it.
Condemn your neighbor when they are evil, confront your institutions when they are evil, criticize yourself when you are evil, but do not blame that which you will never understand. Because you simply never know who is right, and who is wrong. You won't find out until it's too late to do any good.
Because the unknown, in all its vastness, is infinitely more powerful than you.
He's like an evil mark hamill
You mean he's like a male Mark Hamill.
@@jondunmore4268 That makes absolutely no sense.
@@AvoozlPlays -- Your sentence "makes absolutely no sense" (your words, not mine).
@@jondunmore4268 You still aren't making much sense.
The same Mark Hamill who once referred to Ellison as being the "Don Rickles of science fiction?" Glad that they made their peace with one another over that one.
I think Harlan is right on the money with this. Even if I were to disagree with him on something, I would still be educated by what he said and entertained by how he said it.
So far, I've only read Harlan's I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, and I have to say that he is one interesting man. Definitely looking forward to reading more of his works.
Agreed. When I heard a couple who said God must have told them to sit in the balcony at the Colorado theater shooting, my first thought was "What did God have against all the people who didn't sit in the balcony and who were victims of the shooters? Why didn't he warn them, or better still, just smite down the shooters?
@Galthasar Belt do you not have free will?
God has 2 Wills: Permissive Will and Divine Will.
God permits his creation to act on its on accord. Meaning God will let you damn yourself.
Just because you refuse to listen means nothing.
@@JPX7NGD Isn't that convenient. God's variety of wills allows him to look exactly like he doesn't exist at all.
@Acrolon Another theist who doesn't know how to capitalize, punctuate, or spell, yet declares they know the secrets of the universe. Please.
@@JPX7NGD Well, that's one way to put it on "Why does not God get rid of evil?" He will, but not now, but He will, on His own time as His Will sees fit.
I fucking love this man, he's the definition of grumpyness, he's an amazing writer as well.
Oh Ellison, you magnificent genius bastard.
"I don't care if mommy locked you in the basement. Stop it!"
I've known Harlan my entire life. He's a very kind and caring man.
What was he like?
Everyone knows there's only one true god. The great and powerful AM!
his point was that god doesn't interfere with our daily lives, what we do as humans WE do and not the result of some deity.
Yeah, I know, I was making a joke. AM or Allied Mastercomputer is a character from a short story by Ellison called "I have no mouth and I must scream". AM is an AI that becomes self-aware, goes insane and develops a god complex and a hatred of hummanity. It kills everyone except five people who he tortures for 109 years.
jesus christ thats fucked up, and yet, i have a strange urge to read it.
There's also a point and click game sorta based on the short story but also a bit of a sequel. AM is voiced by Harlan Ellison himself, he does a pretty good job as you'd probably imagine. I heard somewhere you can find it on steam but that may be just lies.
He wrote that whole short story in one night too, pretty impressive if you ask me.
SinderGX It is currently on Steam and Good old games. It's $5 on Steam and $6 on GOG
This is my all time favorite video...thanks Harlan!
Big fan of Mr. Harlan even though I disagree with his sentiments here about God. Such a hopeless way to look at life, but this hopelessness is one of the reasons of love his works. It gives me my "dark void" fix. RIP
Please leave your pity at the door, young ignoramus. How DARE you pity a man who is so much more elevated than you. It is YOU who have the hopeless view of life in your belief of figments of imagination. How you must despise intelligence when it slaps you in the face through greats like Harlan Ellison.
I take what I perceive to be a balanced perspective on it; I take his criticisms as being on the *ways* in which a portion of people who call themselves Christian go about their business with it. Most criticism of Christianity I see would actually be much better applied to the bad actors that are under the label's umbrella. I'd say I feel similarly in a lot of ways (although I don't look down on the phrase "thank God" wholesale, but I empathize and even agree with his underlying reasoning for doing so) so it's helped me to remind myself to remain humble in my pursuit of Spirituality and in the sharing of it.
I'm personally not Christian, but I do "know God," (whatever that means to you, I guess) and all the religious texts and systems I know deeper than surface-level are sacred to me; the Tao Te Ching, The Upanishads, The Bible, The Kabbalah, etc.
But while I criticize what a lot of people assume the Bible to be saying at times (like "don't love gays" or "slavery is ok" or "animals only exist for us to eat"), I do take the Bible quite seriously in a similar way to how an honest Christian would, as opposed to those who use it as a crutch instead of as a guidebook for growth and reaching your potential (and by extension, humanity at large doing the same through a slow process of awakening across the population).
@@mikeexits Yeah, its basically anything at this point, some bad apples appear and gets the most attention of what it's representing and everybody assumes They of all the Real ones are the ambassadors of what they claim to represent, it's like someone from a fandom gets the whole fandom in trouble because of what they did and only the fandom gets the whiplash and not the bad apple themselves.
I also criticize what people claim stuff from the Bible (like the don't love gays: God loves both Sinners and Saints and wants us to be more like Jesus, for Jesus sat down with the sinners to get to know them but did not do what they did, instead He loved them and that's how you save souls, love the sinner, hate the sin.
Slavery is OK? I hear that alot, and just can't figure out where that is at, if anything it was only for its time in its culture, like this, God would say "Treat your servant (or slave in this case) as you would treat you" to a nation who has slavery, He probably dislikes people owning people too, and if it ACTUALLY says it's OK, then it would probably be for criminals only, and not the nation conquering thing people do in all kinds of wars.
God loves all His creations and created them with purpose and I believe with many purposes than one, so the animals are only for eating thing just confuses me, im sure people had tried bear but look, it's a BEAR, I don't see a predator like that being food, or any animal of that status worthy of food, we may be at the top of the food chain, but I believe animals have more than one purpose than being food to us, for example, there are animals in heaven, now if they are only food why would animals Die in heaven for their meat, rejuvenation of parts mabey, but God has and knows all the code He written down for EVERYTHING and EVERYONE and it turns out everything and everyone has more than one use in existence than food for another, cause in Heaven there is no death and not of I heard of, eating another being besides a plant, which would have been 1 of the many primary sources of food, 1 of because God could just make another source of food that we have not heard of, and even plants serve more than one purpose than food.)
This interview is amazing
"They arrested Harlan Ellison. ... Good." - MST3K, Mitchell episode
Yes! Religion totally removes responsibility for one's hatreds, bigotry, divisiveness, wars; "I don't hate gays, God does". Having played I have No Mouth But I must Scream, I think I'm starting to like this guy.
Those who say "God hates gays" aren't True Christian, it is written that God loves both sinners and the Saints, He makes it rain and drought on both, instead of hating one another He says to Love One another, basically Love the Sinner but hate the sin, God does not hate the sinners, but He does hate the sin, you can still love someone but dislike what they are doing, that's what a True Christian is supposed to be, for it is written there WILL be faulse prophets, meaning those who use the title Christian but does not act like it, instead they enforce something else, don't think that all Christians are the same as the ones who claim faulsely.
And it is written that YOU are responsible for YOUR actions, do to the gift of Free Will, which you choose Good or Evil, not both, only 1.
@@kagemushashien8394 i appreciate your intentions, and admire your commitment to the loving god, and your willingness to call out those who exploit Christ’s name for their hate, but unfortunately I have to call out part of your comment. You say “hate the sin”, but there is no mention of being lgbt being a sin. The only mention of homosexuality (which is the only part of lgbt that appears in the bible) in the Bible has as much legitimacy and specificity as the many other “sins” that Christians today (and for a long time, arguably) commit, despite their specifically being commanded against. The whole shellfish thing, the mixed cloths, etc., no Christian observes these things, and the excuse is usually “oh that was in the specific context of the period, and of a certain group of people”. Yet when the same explanation can be used regarding the single mentions of homosexuality, modern christians hypocritically choose to ignore it so that they can justify their bigotry. To me, that sounds awfully sinful, to think that they can pick and choose which parts of God’s word to believe/practice, and to use it for their own ends. I think Christ would have been fully accepting of lgbt people. And to be so despite the supposed Biblical justification, is the perfect embodiment of Jesus’ teachings and practice. Anyway, you’re replying to a comment I made 6 years ago, and whilst I still stand by my original comment, I have softened significantly on religion, and think it can be a positive thing, and I’m happy that people find solace in their faith. However, like anything - politics, laws, whatever - it can be, and is often, used and exploited by people to bring about negative ends, and for oppression and hate and discrimination. It’s all down to how one interprets it and practices it.
@@darcgibson5099 The mixed clothing is old testament, and it's also a metaphor, sometimes it's all a parable and should not be taken literally, but sometimes it does, all it takes is discernment, research, and knowledge of what was made for the past and what was thrown away when Jesus died, you see, before Jesus died, the veil was present, to be forgiven one must offer an animal sacrifice along with a Holy preacher, but when God sent His Son, He opened up a new path where you don't need the veil anymore, instead, after that, God sent the Holy Spirit to all those who truly believe and truly are Christian to testifie that their debt has been paid, He also acts as a comforter, and brings gifts, but not all will receive the same gift, only the gift which God has given them to fulfil their calling, some to preach, others may have specific niches.
When Jesus died, He paid our debt for us for whoever wants the Father's love, gifts, joy, etc, anyone who acknowledges that we have sinned and need Mercy, and to know Jesus is God's Son who willingly paid our debt of sin, for the penalty of sin is Death, Jesus paid that, and to show His power over death He arose again, when He died He also tore the veil, now, we may speak to God and ask for forgiveness on the go, no need for sacrificea, no more need for specific rituals, all we have to do now is to know we sinned, willingly become a servant and adopted son or daughter of the Father, ask for forgiveness for what we've done, and commit ourselves for Him, and like a seed, a relationship grows, Jesus then sees us as His sheep, His kin, and then Heaven awaits.
But that's just the start, we are called to be like God, we are made in the image of Him, so we should be like Him, like Jesus, we are called to be Conduits, Ambassadors of His Kingdom, etc, to love one another, but also rebuke one another for a strong rebuke of a friend is better than telling them a sweet lie.
The ones who exploit Christianity for what it is might get away with things on earth, but they won't get away on Judgment Day, know that, happiness and suffering is only temporary here, but in the end they will be eternal but separated, and so little will find the door to eternal happiness.
God created this world with much depth, the most depth ever created, so much possibilities, and so much variations, but He does set rules to limit some variations, like Man and Women is the only ones mentioned, barriers are there to keep us safe, God knows everything we don't know and much more than we comprehend, He does not abuse this power to mess with us, instead, test is to see who is worthy, those that need Mercy and turns from evil and follow Him are truly worthy, we all need Mercy, but few turns from evil AND back to Him.
We all fall short, and no matter what, we all can turn back to God, but reject God enough times and He MIGHT harden your heart for you, because you did not want Him, so now He won't want you, but just because He did that, does not mean He won't shed a tear and did not like it, but He might give you a flower to see if you change your mind time to time, but even He has limits, He is all knowing, He always has a plan even if He does not tell you directly. If we can ask for forgiveness and repent, He is open to do so if it's genuine.
Those who are True Christian should be like Ambassadors of the Kingdom, should be like Christ, but Jesus also said the life we choose with Him will not get easy, we ourselves slip up, sometimes alot, but we should always get back up and keep running the race, just as Paul said. I appreciated that you saw something.
I also got a Playlist called "To You 3" if you want to know more.
@joshuagonzalezeducational7182 bro, I don't care that this comment was 6 years ago, I need an explanation. Wtf are you on
Yeah because the removal of religion worked wonders for the Eastern Bloc
Couldn't have said it better myself. I like this guy
As a Greek, this is the first time I watched a full video with H. Ellison and heard his actual voice - better late than never, I guess. Nevertheless, this was a monologue worthy of his fame and in many ways more rewarding than I initially expected (after having heard many things about how difficult his personality was). He proved to be a well-cemented philosophical guy, with a strong point of view (here, on God), distilled through his long occupation in literature. Needless to say, I was more than satisfied that I share many beliefs with him - which elevates HE a bit more in my eyes!
May you rest in peace, Mr. Ellison. You left us wait for the "Last Dangerous Visions" for an eternity - I hope someday will see it in its glory ("The Book on the Edge of Forever").
Great video! This guy is slowly becoming one of my heroes.
This is the first time I've seen Harlan this way. His speech reminds me of his short stories. I now understand how he writes the way he does. But, the points he made here are nothing short of genius. His speech patterns remind me alot of 2 The Ranting Gryphon (my alltime favorite comedian), except 2 Gryphon rehearses a script.
I do agree atheist and religious people should never fight each other for there beliefs because nobody has the answers I think everyone should just be chill and just get along.
It's deliberate rhetorical understatement.
Between this and George Carlin's views, it seems that particularly analytical people come to similar conclusions.
I mean, I wouldn't deny that "God" can add both a comforting sense of direction and security, and a comforting sense of absolution for one's wrongdoings.
But did he do so intentionally, or come to the conclusion independently?
I wouldn't be surprised if he came to it without Nietzche -- atheism is the flipside of "natural" or inferred religions, in that a person's experience is considered proof or disproof of God. All atheism is naturalism, arguments from the inference of no-God.
Anyway, there are analytical atheists and analytical theists. Belief in God has nothing to do with intelligence, though the unfortunately common Christian inability to give good answers has turned away many "analytical" people who have honest questions.
@@CaptainDoomsday I've not read Nitzsche and I'm with Ellison on this one 100%.
Yeah. If you look at the god question logically, you get the answer that there is no answer. There is no proof either way, so way argue over it?
Mark Twain wasn't even an atheist i don't know why he would bring him up.
"None of us can be as great as God, but any of us can be as good."
- Mark Twain's Notebook
He didn't claim that Twain was an atheist though. He doesn't have to only speak about atheists.
I love his final sentence in this, like a beautiful bloody cherry. What a Fucking Boss.
Good clip, but the second half of the Mark Twain quote is missing (it's complete in the full documentary). The quote ends with Twain referring to god as a 'malign thug'.
Great documentary, by the way. Have loved Ellisons writing for 25 years, and it was very heartening to discover he is a fellow atheist!
I wonder if Harlan and George Carlin ever met...
Castanza: wait, where you going?
Seinfeld: I wanna be this guys friend..
what a cheerful person :)
LOL why am knowing about this guy today!
im a big fan now.
Exactly. I have been thinking about that a lot lately. About how our tribal nature gives way to a hierarchy of individuals, and the next logical step is for someone or something to be at the very top of the hierarchy, i.e. a god. Of course there are a multitude of reasons people accept religion, but you are exactly right. Our complex thinking skills give rise to crazy ideas sometimes.
I love that last part because I share that philosophy. No matter what happened to you, nothing can justify you being a POS.
I don't think they are searching for justification. However, using a few of those tools Harlan mentioned, perhaps it would be possible to learn what went wrong and what to do about it? If there is a psychopath who could learn empathy were his brain differently wired for example. Or if there is an unseen mistake in parenting that leads to severe problems and could be corrected. Can't test it out when you've smacked them til their piss is red, to paraphrase Harlan. Of course you don't have to let dangerous people run free, or take shit from a shit head, but it doesn't have to be an either-or situation either. Minimize damage while searching for a different approach, or something like that.
He mentioned problem solving as one of our gifts, but doesn't seem to take it further than obviously mechanical applications.
@@metheiam5714 I'm right there with you. Yes, adults/people are responsible for their own actions. But the nuance there (and there's nuance if you're talking in real-world terms) is that, indeed, there is an environmental-programming and peer-programming element to it as well.
Babies have the mind of a sponge (not literally, but metaphorically) - everything the baby is perceiving and experiencing is integrating itself into its psyche to form and shape its long-term personality in real-time, all the time, in a sort of torrential feedback loop. That "sponge" nature decreases as the person grounds themselves into this world more and becomes used to living in this physical place (which is natural when growing older). What are you left with? The product of one's own environment and experience over time, formed into an ego, a persona; a personality that, somewhere along the way, started making self-aware decisions for itself.
If they grew and developed properly enough (where to draw that line has to be talked about with lots of careful nuance since there are infinite variations of complicated factors), then yes, they are fully responsible for their own actions; at the same time, it's probable (and that's being conservative) that they wouldn't be acting the way they are if, whatever experience that became frozen, or crystallized, into the relevant personality aspect(s), were changed significantly. Just one twist of fate can have a domino (not to mention butterfly) effect. I mean, haven't you ever had an experience you reflected on the buildup of, and thought, "wow, if that seemingly unimportant thing didn't happen, I wouldn't have this incredibly important and valuable part of my life right now"? Like a loved one or a passion. Anything.
Life is quite a thing to behold and appreciate.
i almost feel like these thoughts were running through his mind that night he wrote I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream
I like the quip "yeah, God comes over on Sunday, and we have loxs n bagels."
hey, at my house, it's only bacon and eggs with at least one cupa coffee, and if you are real lucky and I feel like it pancakes with some syrup n butter.
Thank you for stating that "people who do wrong should not whine about how they were mistreated as an EXCUSE!"
Did you ever hear Don Henley's "Get Over It!" . . . "All these people fussin and whinin and hissin a fit. . . I'd like to find their inner child and kick it's little ass! Get over it!"
. . . people should not be so arrogant. Total agreement on that Ellison! My children's book is a lesson about humility and having faith regardless.
I have a strong belief in God, and that is enough for me. I am not out to convince, nor de-convince anyone else of God's existence.
Harlan,
Oy my boy!
Shalom. you are a treasure, and your wife is a lucky lady.
God bless you, diligent fingers. try some capers and thin sliced red onion on the cream cheese. Don't ask me what you know who prefers. . . He can have whatever He pleases.
Personally, I was NOT aware of the passing of Harlan Ellison in June of this year (2018), and because of it, I have great respect and admiration for one of the greatest writers of the 20th Century. Aside from that, I remembered having written a fan letter to Mr. Ellison many years ago, and unfortunately, I NEVER got a reply from him ever since. I guess I find it very sad that Harlan Ellison had remained so preoccupied with his anger right to the end of his life. Not that there's anything wrong with it for sure.
Anger is an energy. It fueled, for better or worse.
@@bluemooninthedaylight8073 - I guess I will have to agree on that.
"Not that there's anything wrong with it for sure." Dwelling with anger for the rest of your life is in no way beneficial and just puts yourself through needless suffering both mentally and psychically.
@@AvoozlPlays - Oh, really? Would you tell that to Harlan Ellison or ANYBODY with alleged "anger issues"? I doubt it seriously! After all, with the way the world is these days, ANYBODY would have reasons to be ANGRY about anyway! So get a grip, will ya?
This is why I love Harlan Ellison. You da man bro! :)
As I first learned in "Deathbird Stories", Voltaire, a devout man, nonetheless made the observation that "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him."
Now there is the kind of religious person I can respect.
The idea that the universe doesn't care isn't some reaction to the notion that it does, in the form of God - it's an observation made by anyone who isn't so invested in religious 'needs' that they are blind.
Infinite punshiment, infinite reward - bah!
100% agree with him.
He didn't understand what the personal relationship means...and it shows. And it definitely does not mean that the person who has faith knows more than the person that doesn't, it only means we are willing to learn.
One can understand it, and still disagree with it. I grew up Christian and remained that way for half my life, but I simply came to the conclusion that it was false.
Well done Harlan!
You don't have to agree with him 100% (and if you did, he'd still be pissed off!). I think that he wanted you to think for yourself, and not accept anything at face value. It's a necessary art to provoke ideas, imagination. Find out for yourself. Start an argument just for the hell of it. Keep things going with controversey. Wake up the sleeping complacent cells. Wreak havoc! Pick up the pieces, then move on to the next battle.
I never knew that Harlan Ellison was so compassionate. No sarcasm.
That is indeed a generalization.
1. I am atheist and admit it.
2. I invite suggestion, discussion and differing opinions, but I think that I'm currently secure in my own belief. Mind you, I'm no zealot.
3.I acknowledge the fallibility of ALL people, even if their last names are "Dawkins" or "Hitchens".
4. I believe that insults and threats are the basest form of correspondence.
Generating an opinion based on TH-cam arguments can be dangerous. This place gathers the worst of every creed.
I didn't know this guy before the last couple of videos i've watched on youtube, he's a definite legend. Few people make more sense.
this cantankerous old man speaks to the very depths of my soul
"Ratiocination". Great word.
He wasn’t necessarily right. He was pretty cynical. But he tells it in an interesting way.
If you want to say he "wasn't right", you could at least have the courtesy to explain why you think so. Instead you just write him off as "cynical" and you're done with it.
@@esteemedyams Nobody is right, everybody is wrong. Everybody is right, nobody is wrong. Everyone is cynical sometimes. If you want to argue, perhaps you should find someone who wants to argue (not me) before you start.
@@esteemedyams this is a TH-cam comment section egghead not a debate class.
I love the way he just outright calls BS on Einstein
i did like his statement, "if Saint Thomas Aquinas can't figure out the universe, neither the hell will I..." btw has he written anymore books lately or planning too?
Right on, Harlan!
One thing we All know .... is that Nobody really knows
All we know isn't that Nobody really knows. All "we" know is exactly that. I know what I know and no one else knows it like I do. You know what you know and no one else knows what you know like you know what you know. We all have an intense desire for connection, but if Harlan Ellison is right and the atheists are right, there is no hope for a real connection and there never has been because every brain is cut off from every other brain by reality. Sure we can talk, we can write, we can even agree, but at the end of it all we only know what's in our own brains, and not even the full extent of that. No one can get into the brain or connect to the brain of another living being.
I don’t agree with Harlan but I can understand his rationale
He sounds just like AM
I suddenly really like this guy
if i had met him irl i would've asked for a hug
Be like hugging a cactus
While I don't agree with everything he says, he's one of the most interesting minds I've ever come across
I think I love this man...
Fantastic bloke
Hah. I'm pretty sure he was making a joke with the hanging and beating part, but I still agree with the first part of what he says. He acknowledges the rules, laws and regulations we have set for ourselves as humanity he doesn't down talk that. We he dislikes is the way some of us wash our hands of responsibility when we feel certain situations get out of hand and we shouldn't be blamed for them.
What. A. LEGEND.
I hope I'm this sharp and scathing when I'm in my 70s.
I love this guy.
I'm a mild person for sure
“It’s ridiculous that a football player thanks God!”
20 seconds later…
“Thank heavens there’s someone who thought the way I think”
Are you familiar with what an expression is? Did you also say "well I don't see why he'd call it a funny house, there's nothing funny about them"?
I love you Harlan
Love this guy!
All of these good qualities we ascribe to God... kindness, understanding, reason, creativity, these are qualities that we have within ourselves. We can be Godlike when we’re at our best. We have to take responsibility for being God, ourselves, and that can be a frightening prospect, because, what if we don’t measure up to our own standards?
I wonder if the creators of Rick and Morty took inspiration from him.
They may have, but if they did, it wasn't much. Rick and Morty espouses a shallow atheistic nihilism that doesn't go any further than "Life is meaningless and there is no God." In fact, I would argue that Ellison would probably disagree with the representation provided in Rick and Morty, because the crux of "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream", aside from post apocalyptic horror, is that of a society that abandoned it's moral responsibility of self preservation in the age of nuclear proliferation.
yeah i'm sure he's the first person in the history of the world to say "god no real"
@@dreggywegs you have a good point. It's settled. We must petition to have Rick Sanchez vs AM on the next deathbaaaaaaaatttttlllllllleeeee!
@Mr. X piss on you! The "autistic fan base" of Rick and Morty is 5 steps above anything you will ever equate to.
I could see it, but let's wait to see what they do with Rick and Morty now that they've gotten tons of exposure.
I love this guy.
Very interesting guy.
"I don't care"
*Proceeds to give a villain monologue explaining why he cares*
Those are pretty well-illustrated points. I'm utterly speechless at how remarkably simple he puts it.
Can i save this? Lol this my dude
Bravo!!!
Looks like a lot of anger for someone who doesnt't exist.
Where does he express any sort of hatred for God?
This is refreshing
Exactly. Also, God is often defined as supernatural. This means that God supposedly exists outside of the natural world. This means that even if God exists, we can't detect him because we can only detect things that are in the natural world.
He created time and it has no affect on Him, He created the laws of the universe even the science, to point to Him, but He does not have to obey those specific laws He created, what I mean by laws I mean how the Universe works, instead of up down left Right etc He could go into another direction unheard of, He could make Time go diagonal if He wanted to, He want His mark on creation in a way that is obvious to those who seek Him.
Err something like that, it's 4:05 AM for me, I feel fine but I know I'm only running on spare energy so this comment might not have the best words for what I'm trying to say.
What a brilliant man he was
What a nice man
🤣🤣
Harlan Ellison is very well spoken. He could very well be an actor, besides just voice actor.
+BuzzKill he was a voice actor once, for AM in the "I have no mouth and I must Scream" Videogame
@@SaibotPT he was also on The Simpsons and Scooby-Doo
I can't never hear this guy's voice without thinking that I'm hearing AM speaking.
Brilliant! 😁
Love Harlin Ellison but… he truly shows how rudimentary and silly his understanding of God and who/what his TRUE believers ACTUALLY understand. Wow! 🤦🏻♂️
This dude is legitimately the biggest drama queen I've ever seen in my life...
Why?
This sounds like AM but if he was able to plunge his arms into cold water on a hot day
What does he say at 1:50? "We have bagel locks cream"...?
I think he says "latte", as in coffee.
He says "lox" as in brined salmon. Ellison was Jewish, and lox is rather popular in Jewish cuisine. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lox
FINALLY! someone that feels the same as me!
He's just as spitefulas I could have hoped for. What an icon.
lol... this clip is funny as hell. 5 stars
I wonder if you could really give this five stars 11 years ago
@Nonamearisto: I think what Ellison is trying to point out is that all people can be irresponsibile, but that one common way to deflect responsibility for your good AND bad actions is to defer it to a higher being that you believe empowered you or forced your hand. It is no different than saying that History has done so or Rationality has done so or your own personal history of neglect or abuse.