Posted by Hemant Mehta in One of the most fascinating aspects of the New Humanism conference was getting the chance to listen to Salman Rushdie speak. Most of the students packed the balcony of the church at Harvard where the lecture was taking place. On the ledge of the balcony were numerous digital cameras and tape recorders trying to get a memento from the event. And afterwards, there was a mad rush for pictures and autographs. (I had to beat down 329849283 people to get through the line, but Rushdie autographed my copy of The Satanic Verses
Now, a high quality recording of his speech is available through the Humanist Network News podcast. If you’d like to just download the MP3, go for it.
My favorite sections are between the 15:30-16:00 minute marks as well as between 40:45-41:00 
Besides his speech, there is also an interview with Rushdie on the podcast. And excerpts from future podcasts which will feature E.O. Wilson, Dar Williams, and Alan Dershowitz, all of whom were at the conference.
[tags]atheist, atheism, New Humanism, Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses, Humanist Network News, podcast, E.O. Wilson, Dar Williams, Alan Dershowitz[/tags]
