Tuesday, April 30, 2013
The Unbelievers!!!
I am anticipating the upcoming Dawkins/Krauss documentary: The Unbelievers!
Check out the trailer for the movie here, and a couple of interviews from CNN and Global News Canada.
On IMDB they show the full intellectual lineup, and it looks nice. I imagine the film will tickle people in all the right ways. As always, Dawkins does not exactly present the best public image for atheists during the interviews, and often fails to answer questions, but with Krauss by his side, things are going well.
It goes without saying that I wish there was always more time to express one's point of view, and to have my own voice in there as well, sometimes. Anyway, as the premier of the film gets underway, I will try to get it to come to the Fargo Theater!
Can't Wait!
Today Frans de Waal is presenting "The Bonobo and the Atheist: Morality, Religion, and Prosocial Primates" at the Fargo Theater. Excited and motivated, we are rallying the group to come and enjoy a good scientific presentation.
No doubt, there will be a number of people there who have a quarrel with the inclusion of Atheists. I expect many religious people will be there, entirely devoid of scientific understanding to push the idea of god as well. I hope there is no quarrel but good discussions. If you are in the Fargo area, feel free to come join.
http://www.ndsu.edu/news/view/article/16928/
No doubt, there will be a number of people there who have a quarrel with the inclusion of Atheists. I expect many religious people will be there, entirely devoid of scientific understanding to push the idea of god as well. I hope there is no quarrel but good discussions. If you are in the Fargo area, feel free to come join.
http://www.ndsu.edu/news/view/article/16928/
Monday, April 29, 2013
Why it is so important to not take topics of interest personally
Welcome back... After a much needed break to catch up on some lethargy, I have a new entry. Lately I have been in contact with some interesting people around Fargo, and in the process, seem to have made an unwarranted enemy.
To keep the subject of this entry concise, the topic of discussion will have to wait until later, but know this. A man who claims to be a scientist is quoted in saying that "creativity is more important than skepticism" in the scientific method. I drastically disagree with him on this subject, but more importantly, when his ideas were proposed, the web of conspiracy theory, ad hominem attacks, and personal defenses shot up immediately.
It is so important to understand that I respect people if they behave themselves, it is the IDEAS I am judging. A true scientist would revel in the opportunity to find skeptics and the possibility of being shown to be wrong. Dawkins often recants the tale of his influential professor who was quickly shown his lifework was ill founded and then thanked the man publicly for providing an answer.
You see, incredible ideas, extraordinary developments need to be supported by extraordinary amounts of evidence. Thus, when you present something that would shake the very foundations of our understanding of nature, then yes, I do expect extraordinary evidence.
When you do not have that, I do not care if you don't have the time or money to investigate. This is your problem, the possessor of the burden of proof. When you are not in possession of sufficient evidence, you should both not make any conclusions nor claims. Yet the claims have been made. More importantly, I, who should be your friend in this endeavor have been made into your foe because your desire to believe the idea is stronger than the evidence.
This man, who I used to call a gentleman, has resorted to verbal attacks and physical threats to defend his ideas. He has made it personal. Not only is this ineffective at determining truth from fiction, it serves to create drama. Emotions have no place in this objective process. I ask this man, please, drop this personal attachment to his ideas and approach it honestly and with humility.
To keep the subject of this entry concise, the topic of discussion will have to wait until later, but know this. A man who claims to be a scientist is quoted in saying that "creativity is more important than skepticism" in the scientific method. I drastically disagree with him on this subject, but more importantly, when his ideas were proposed, the web of conspiracy theory, ad hominem attacks, and personal defenses shot up immediately.
It is so important to understand that I respect people if they behave themselves, it is the IDEAS I am judging. A true scientist would revel in the opportunity to find skeptics and the possibility of being shown to be wrong. Dawkins often recants the tale of his influential professor who was quickly shown his lifework was ill founded and then thanked the man publicly for providing an answer.
You see, incredible ideas, extraordinary developments need to be supported by extraordinary amounts of evidence. Thus, when you present something that would shake the very foundations of our understanding of nature, then yes, I do expect extraordinary evidence.
When you do not have that, I do not care if you don't have the time or money to investigate. This is your problem, the possessor of the burden of proof. When you are not in possession of sufficient evidence, you should both not make any conclusions nor claims. Yet the claims have been made. More importantly, I, who should be your friend in this endeavor have been made into your foe because your desire to believe the idea is stronger than the evidence.
This man, who I used to call a gentleman, has resorted to verbal attacks and physical threats to defend his ideas. He has made it personal. Not only is this ineffective at determining truth from fiction, it serves to create drama. Emotions have no place in this objective process. I ask this man, please, drop this personal attachment to his ideas and approach it honestly and with humility.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Brought a tear to my eye.
When you see people coming together to overcome bigotry, to stand united for the happiness of others, and to encourage love and compassion in the world, it is hard not to be moved. Yesterday in New Zealand, the Parliament legalized Gay Marriage and the resulting celebration was beautiful.
People watching from the public gallery, and some lawmakers immediately broke into song after the result was announced, singing the New Zealand love song "Pokarekare Ana" in the local Maori language.
People watching from the public gallery, and some lawmakers immediately broke into song after the result was announced, singing the New Zealand love song "Pokarekare Ana" in the local Maori language.
What Can You Hope to Accomplish?
So every Wednesday, the only women's clinic in North Dakota capable of performing abortions opens for those in need of medical care, testing, immunization, surgery, and counselling. Downtown Fargo's streets are moderately busy and the sidewalks are filled with pedestrians, unlike most places in the city.
Along with those pedestrians, protesters line the sidewalk in front of the clinic, speaking against women's rights in favor of the sanctity of life. Dramatically misinformed by the pulpit, these religious voices use all kinds of dishonesty designed to make women feel uncomfortable. With doctored images on placards, messages of fear-based religiosity claiming demons, hell, and suffering, as well as shouting at, assaulting, and browbeating the clients at the women's clinic. This is their method to influence people who have already committed to professional help.
I guess I am not surprised, religions have used these tactics since the beginning to scare people into belief. But that is the end of it: belief. Their actions are dictated by their religion and the law does not reflect that; so they protest.
Many stand silently while praying. Others sprinkle holy water in front of the clinic. When put all together, all I have to ask is: What can you hope to accomplish??
Praying has not helped one iota, while harassing people has only created more animosity to Christians. Everyone driving by can see their motivations are religious and understand more and more every day that religion leads you to say and do horrible things.
Yet they continue. I asked many of them if they think their prayers are effective, and they seem to believe so. Every day I experience this delusion first hand, my passions have been rekindled to raise the alarm about religion. I hope you can see it too.
Along with those pedestrians, protesters line the sidewalk in front of the clinic, speaking against women's rights in favor of the sanctity of life. Dramatically misinformed by the pulpit, these religious voices use all kinds of dishonesty designed to make women feel uncomfortable. With doctored images on placards, messages of fear-based religiosity claiming demons, hell, and suffering, as well as shouting at, assaulting, and browbeating the clients at the women's clinic. This is their method to influence people who have already committed to professional help.
I guess I am not surprised, religions have used these tactics since the beginning to scare people into belief. But that is the end of it: belief. Their actions are dictated by their religion and the law does not reflect that; so they protest.
Many stand silently while praying. Others sprinkle holy water in front of the clinic. When put all together, all I have to ask is: What can you hope to accomplish??
Praying has not helped one iota, while harassing people has only created more animosity to Christians. Everyone driving by can see their motivations are religious and understand more and more every day that religion leads you to say and do horrible things.
Yet they continue. I asked many of them if they think their prayers are effective, and they seem to believe so. Every day I experience this delusion first hand, my passions have been rekindled to raise the alarm about religion. I hope you can see it too.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Familiarize yourself!
While discussing many topics with Christians in this country about topics like creationism, I hear the same old arguments over and over again, obviously taken from other sources and accepted wholeheartedly without a grain of thought to them.
Then again, what do you expect with a group of people who simply accept the Bible as the word of a deity.
listen to a few examples!
Friday, April 5, 2013
The Importance of Skepticism
It seems that I can never tire of reinforcing critical thinking and skepticism in society, simply because in every direction I can look, there is, like the bat-signal, a need to apply them.
From pseudoscience to religion, from alternative medicine to quack psychologists, to slack in out intellectual integrity, to remove the pressure for scientific rigor is to fall into the dark ages of snake-oil salesmen and shamanism.
Please try your best not to invoke special pleading or move the goal posts, but to apply skepticism and critical thinking to every aspect of life as needed. TheraminTrees has, on YouTube a new video explaining the need of skepticism and the imminent danger presented to our lives and our society without it.
Worth every second, a very informing video about the inner workings of quack science in the UK.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
State Religion?
Headline: North Carolina May Declare Official Religion Under New Bill
A new state religion? Wow, I hope it's Islam! Conservative politics are all about reducing federal control and allowing the populations choose what's right for them based on popular vote. At the very core of it, what the Tea Party and conservatives are trying for is to remove all those federal bans of religion and state to allow the majority faith to be allowed to ram itself down everyone's throats.
When people point to how domesticated Christianity has become since the middle ages, I have to point out that it is not through it's own volition, but rather through being muzzled by secularism that it conforms, if only to survive. Naturally, like any muzzled beast, it is trying to cast off it's bonds and return to it's roots.
It's roots being the point at which it had ultimate control, the dark ages.
Of course, the country will return to civil war before it allows such things, and Texas will run as soon as it gets a chance as well! But we must do what is best for ALL the people, ensuring rights and religious freedom for the entire population, not merely the majority religion.
From North Dakota's abortion ban to North Carolina's requirement of god for a position of office, there is much work to do to ensure we stop oppressing each other in the public square. Even Bill O'Reilly knows only bible thumpers stand between homosexuals and gay marriage.
A new state religion? Wow, I hope it's Islam! Conservative politics are all about reducing federal control and allowing the populations choose what's right for them based on popular vote. At the very core of it, what the Tea Party and conservatives are trying for is to remove all those federal bans of religion and state to allow the majority faith to be allowed to ram itself down everyone's throats.
When people point to how domesticated Christianity has become since the middle ages, I have to point out that it is not through it's own volition, but rather through being muzzled by secularism that it conforms, if only to survive. Naturally, like any muzzled beast, it is trying to cast off it's bonds and return to it's roots.
It's roots being the point at which it had ultimate control, the dark ages.
Of course, the country will return to civil war before it allows such things, and Texas will run as soon as it gets a chance as well! But we must do what is best for ALL the people, ensuring rights and religious freedom for the entire population, not merely the majority religion.
From North Dakota's abortion ban to North Carolina's requirement of god for a position of office, there is much work to do to ensure we stop oppressing each other in the public square. Even Bill O'Reilly knows only bible thumpers stand between homosexuals and gay marriage.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Dawkins Evolves
Richard Dawkins has always been the loudest of the 'New Atheists', and despite his magnificent advancements in our understanding of Evolutionary Biology, Dawkins has always been known as one who does not present himself as well as he might. It has been up to others, such as Krauss, Harris, or the late Hitchens to offer the more salient verbiage.
So when you hear Dawkins use the parlance of our times, it shocks you as much as your grandma might when she decides to slip out the occasional swear word. Please enjoy the following clip.
So when you hear Dawkins use the parlance of our times, it shocks you as much as your grandma might when she decides to slip out the occasional swear word. Please enjoy the following clip.
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