another goody via phil plait... a 5000MP photo of the entire night sky. 37440 exposures. zoomable. 360deg interactive. breathtaking.
by nick risinger.
Friday, April 29, 2011
photopic sky survey
another goody via phil plait... a 5000MP photo of the entire night sky. 37440 exposures. zoomable. 360deg interactive. breathtaking.
by nick risinger.
orion
by randy halverson.
loved the sequence with his camera mount, too.
almost always, via the baaaaaad astronomer
loved the sequence with his camera mount, too.
almost always, via the baaaaaad astronomer
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
greta christina: william lane craig defends genocide and infanticide
on alternet:
"
why did this story not make headlines?
in a recent post on his reasonable faith site, famed christian apologist and debater william lane craig published an explanation for why the genocide and infanticide ordered by god against the canaanites in the old testament was morally defensible. for god, at any rate -- and for people following god's orders. short version: when guilty people got killed, they deserved it because they were guilty and bad... and when innocent people got killed, even when innocent babies were killed, they went to heaven, and it was all hunky dory in the end.
no, really.
"
why did this story not make headlines?
in a recent post on his reasonable faith site, famed christian apologist and debater william lane craig published an explanation for why the genocide and infanticide ordered by god against the canaanites in the old testament was morally defensible. for god, at any rate -- and for people following god's orders. short version: when guilty people got killed, they deserved it because they were guilty and bad... and when innocent people got killed, even when innocent babies were killed, they went to heaven, and it was all hunky dory in the end.
no, really.
"
Sunday, April 24, 2011
easter for the greeks
yesterday (saturday), the greek paper, to vima, presented the results from a gallup poll conducted by kapa research on greek religiosity during easter. the statistics refute the mind-numbing myth that 98% of greeks are religious... figures most probably derived from records of the percentage of greeks who are baptized as infants.
i was baptized, but i'm not a christian.
i've attempted to (loosely) translate the original image from the website (please don't shoot the translator):
the article goes on to quote figures that signify a drop in religiosity as compared to 2008:
- for the question, do you believe in the resurrection of the dead? the drop was about 10 points (yay!):
yes / probably:
2008: 51.3%
2011: 41.8%
also:
no / probably not: 48.1%
don't know/no answer: 10.1%
- for the question, what is easter?, the answers were:
a period of greek humility: 36.0%
opportunity to attend church: 11.1%
a return to tradition: 42.5%
vacation, rest: 39.9%
an opportunity to visit my family: 15.1%
an opportunity to visit my home: 11.9%
- for the question, what do you expect from the church?, and given the ability to add multiple answers, the expected priorities are:
solidarity for the poor: 54.6%
protection for the poor: 40.9%
protection for the weak: 32.3%
spiritual support in important moments in life: 18.2%
support for the family: 18.2%
spread the word of christ 13.9%
dialogue between different cultures and religions: 10.8%
reinforcement of social peace: 7.3%
reform of greek society: 5.0%
humanization of capitalism: 4.1%
- given the more vague question, do you believe in god?, the results were:
yes: 56.3%
probably: 20.0%
no: 13.0%
probably not: 7.7%
don't know / no answer 3.1%
.... although i suspect that few people want to actually admit that they do not.
i was baptized, but i'm not a christian.
i've attempted to (loosely) translate the original image from the website (please don't shoot the translator):
the article goes on to quote figures that signify a drop in religiosity as compared to 2008:
- for the question, do you believe in the resurrection of the dead? the drop was about 10 points (yay!):
yes / probably:
2008: 51.3%
2011: 41.8%
also:
no / probably not: 48.1%
don't know/no answer: 10.1%
- for the question, what is easter?, the answers were:
a period of greek humility: 36.0%
opportunity to attend church: 11.1%
a return to tradition: 42.5%
vacation, rest: 39.9%
an opportunity to visit my family: 15.1%
an opportunity to visit my home: 11.9%
- for the question, what do you expect from the church?, and given the ability to add multiple answers, the expected priorities are:
solidarity for the poor: 54.6%
protection for the poor: 40.9%
protection for the weak: 32.3%
spiritual support in important moments in life: 18.2%
support for the family: 18.2%
spread the word of christ 13.9%
dialogue between different cultures and religions: 10.8%
reinforcement of social peace: 7.3%
reform of greek society: 5.0%
humanization of capitalism: 4.1%
- given the more vague question, do you believe in god?, the results were:
yes: 56.3%
probably: 20.0%
no: 13.0%
probably not: 7.7%
don't know / no answer 3.1%
.... although i suspect that few people want to actually admit that they do not.
amis on hitchens
presented in the guardian as 'he's one of the most terrifying rhetoricians the world has seen', martin amis hails the peerless intelligence and rhetorical ingenuity of his exceptional friend, christopher hitchens
image pinched from the guardian
the final paragraph [save for the previous two appealing to ignorance] is an indicator, not a climax, of a rewarding read to brighten my frustration at this day's all-seeping celebration of the lack of reason.
snip
anyway, we do know what is going to happen to you, and to everyone else who will ever live on this planet. your corporeal existence, o hitch, derives from the elements released by supernovae, by exploding stars. stellar fire was your womb, and stellar fire will be your grave: a just course for one who has always blazed so very brightly. the parent star, that steady-state h-bomb we call the sun, will eventually turn from yellow dwarf to red giant, and will swell out to consume what is left of us, about six billion years from now.
/snip
image pinched from the guardian
the final paragraph [save for the previous two appealing to ignorance] is an indicator, not a climax, of a rewarding read to brighten my frustration at this day's all-seeping celebration of the lack of reason.
snip
anyway, we do know what is going to happen to you, and to everyone else who will ever live on this planet. your corporeal existence, o hitch, derives from the elements released by supernovae, by exploding stars. stellar fire was your womb, and stellar fire will be your grave: a just course for one who has always blazed so very brightly. the parent star, that steady-state h-bomb we call the sun, will eventually turn from yellow dwarf to red giant, and will swell out to consume what is left of us, about six billion years from now.
/snip
desperately seeking symmetry
by everynone and radiolab. you may be interested in listening to the corresponding podcast.
video link
video via countess diaries
video link
video via countess diaries
Saturday, April 23, 2011
christopher hitchens: don't keep the faith
in his message to american atheists:
'dear fellow-unbelievers,
nothing would have kept me from joining you except the loss of my voice (at least my speaking voice) which in turn is due to a long argument i am currently having with the specter of death. nobody ever wins this argument, though there are some solid points to be made while the discussion goes on. i have found, as the enemy becomes more familiar, that all the special pleading for salvation, redemption and supernatural deliverance appears even more hollow and artificial to me than it did before. i hope to help defend and pass on the lessons of this for many years to come, but for now i have found my trust better placed in two things: the skill and principle of advanced medical science, and the comradeship of innumerable friends and family, all of them immune to the false consolations of religion. it is these forces among others which will speed the day when humanity emancipates itself from the mind-forged manacles of servility and superstitition. it is our innate solidarity, and not some despotism of the sky, which is the source of our morality and our sense of decency.'
read on...
'dear fellow-unbelievers,
nothing would have kept me from joining you except the loss of my voice (at least my speaking voice) which in turn is due to a long argument i am currently having with the specter of death. nobody ever wins this argument, though there are some solid points to be made while the discussion goes on. i have found, as the enemy becomes more familiar, that all the special pleading for salvation, redemption and supernatural deliverance appears even more hollow and artificial to me than it did before. i hope to help defend and pass on the lessons of this for many years to come, but for now i have found my trust better placed in two things: the skill and principle of advanced medical science, and the comradeship of innumerable friends and family, all of them immune to the false consolations of religion. it is these forces among others which will speed the day when humanity emancipates itself from the mind-forged manacles of servility and superstitition. it is our innate solidarity, and not some despotism of the sky, which is the source of our morality and our sense of decency.'
read on...
Friday, April 22, 2011
a cross to bare
like it? click it!
view in the dark
there's probably no god, so relax and enjoy your spring.
many thanks to julia baracco for the title!
license: creative commons. (you may use this, but not change it, as long as you credit me by name or link to my website: www.helensotiriadis.com.)
blog post: ©2011 helen sotiriadis
Thursday, April 21, 2011
richard dawkins in melbourne, march 2010
at the global atheist convention
an impressive appearance... but i was especially floored by this exchange at the Q&A:
Q: when do you think we will be able to criticize islam without threatening our very existence?
A: on the face of it, it's a remarkably effective tactic -- isn't it -- to say, ok, i've lost the argument; therefore, if you try to argue against me, i'll cut your head off. it's really an admission of defeat. i am not one of those who thinks that we should go out of our way to insult islam recklessly or foolishly because it doesn't do any good to get your head cut off. what we should say is something like this: i may give way to you, i may refrain from -- what should we say -- publishing a cartoon of your prophet, but it's because i fear you. don't for one moment think it's because i respect you.
via RDFRS
an impressive appearance... but i was especially floored by this exchange at the Q&A:
Q: when do you think we will be able to criticize islam without threatening our very existence?
A: on the face of it, it's a remarkably effective tactic -- isn't it -- to say, ok, i've lost the argument; therefore, if you try to argue against me, i'll cut your head off. it's really an admission of defeat. i am not one of those who thinks that we should go out of our way to insult islam recklessly or foolishly because it doesn't do any good to get your head cut off. what we should say is something like this: i may give way to you, i may refrain from -- what should we say -- publishing a cartoon of your prophet, but it's because i fear you. don't for one moment think it's because i respect you.
via RDFRS
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
love, dashed
like it? click it!
view in the dark.
image license: creative commons.
blog post: ©2011 helen sotiriadis
Sunday, April 17, 2011
it wasn't august (a re-post)
this is a repost. goodbye to niko.
----------
i had gone to chios island for some errands for family. but the office in athina was impatient and my birthday, as always, irrelevant.
so i needed a ticket on the ferry but funds were low -- i'd have to spend the night out in the open, on some unused corner of the deck.
i don't remember how many hours lay ahead and my spirits were low. i dug deep into my sleeping bag. the ship hummed and the breeze was warm. i was disoriented by the twilight between the bright ferry lights and the black sea. the only stability was from the cool july full moon magnified by the horizon.
i am still amazed by how easily i was able to sleep way back then. but even then, i woke easily.
chairs scraped the deck and i rubbed my dried-out contacts. i didn't recognize my intruder.
but he had friends.
and musical instruments of torture.
so i sighed because, more often than not, greek music conspires with the full moon to plague me with lunatic migraines.
i didn't know of papazoglou then -- i'm still not a fan. but chios had just enjoyed his music in a concert that i had disinterestedly missed.
the deck was no stage. it was just a floor -- and the furniture was worn. the mezedakia were served on paper plates and plastic cups and plainly labeled bottles held the wine. and a relaxed group of friends chatted in a mixed language of stories, jokes and, alien to me, combinations of notes.
and i received my best-ever birthday concert.
yet.
μα γιατί το τραγούδι να 'ναι λυπητερό
με μιας θαρρείς κι απ' την καρδιά μου ξέκοψε
κι αυτή τη στιγμή που πλημμυρίζω χαρά
ανέβηκε ως τα χείλη μου και με 'πνιξε
φυλάξου για το τέλος θα μου πεις
σ' αγαπάω μα δεν έχω μιλιά να στο πω
κι αυτό είναι ένας καημός αβάσταχτος
λιώνω στον πόνο γιατί νιώθω κι εγώ
ο δρόμος που τραβάμε είναι αδιάβατος
κουράγιο θα περάσει θα μου πεις
πώς μπορώ να ξεχάσω τα λυτά της μαλλιά
την άμμο που σαν καταρράχτης έλουζε
καθώς έσκυβε πάνω μου χιλιάδες φιλιά
διαμάντια που απλόχερα μου χάριζε
θα πάω κι ας μου βγει και σε κακό
σε ποιαν έκσταση απάνω σε χορό μαγικό
μπορεί ένα τέτοιο πλάσμα να γεννήθηκε
από ποιο μακρινό αστέρι είναι το φως
που μες τα δυο της μάτια πήγε κρύφτηκε
κι εγώ ο τυχερός που το 'χει δει
μες το βλέμμα της ένας τόσο δα ουρανός
αστράφτει συννεφιάζει αναδιπλώνεται
μα σαν πέφτει η νύχτα πλημμυρίζει με φως
φεγγάρι αυγουστιάτικο υψώνεται
και φέγγει από μέσα η φυλακή
πώς μπορώ να ξεχάσω τα λυτά της μαλλιά
την άμμο που σαν καταρράχτης έλουζε
καθώς έσκυβε πάνω μου χιλιάδες φιλιά
διαμάντια που απλόχερα μου χάριζε
θα πάω κι ας μου βγει και σε κακό
----------
i had gone to chios island for some errands for family. but the office in athina was impatient and my birthday, as always, irrelevant.
so i needed a ticket on the ferry but funds were low -- i'd have to spend the night out in the open, on some unused corner of the deck.
i don't remember how many hours lay ahead and my spirits were low. i dug deep into my sleeping bag. the ship hummed and the breeze was warm. i was disoriented by the twilight between the bright ferry lights and the black sea. the only stability was from the cool july full moon magnified by the horizon.
i am still amazed by how easily i was able to sleep way back then. but even then, i woke easily.
chairs scraped the deck and i rubbed my dried-out contacts. i didn't recognize my intruder.
but he had friends.
and musical instruments of torture.
so i sighed because, more often than not, greek music conspires with the full moon to plague me with lunatic migraines.
i didn't know of papazoglou then -- i'm still not a fan. but chios had just enjoyed his music in a concert that i had disinterestedly missed.
the deck was no stage. it was just a floor -- and the furniture was worn. the mezedakia were served on paper plates and plastic cups and plainly labeled bottles held the wine. and a relaxed group of friends chatted in a mixed language of stories, jokes and, alien to me, combinations of notes.
and i received my best-ever birthday concert.
yet.
μα γιατί το τραγούδι να 'ναι λυπητερό
με μιας θαρρείς κι απ' την καρδιά μου ξέκοψε
κι αυτή τη στιγμή που πλημμυρίζω χαρά
ανέβηκε ως τα χείλη μου και με 'πνιξε
φυλάξου για το τέλος θα μου πεις
σ' αγαπάω μα δεν έχω μιλιά να στο πω
κι αυτό είναι ένας καημός αβάσταχτος
λιώνω στον πόνο γιατί νιώθω κι εγώ
ο δρόμος που τραβάμε είναι αδιάβατος
κουράγιο θα περάσει θα μου πεις
πώς μπορώ να ξεχάσω τα λυτά της μαλλιά
την άμμο που σαν καταρράχτης έλουζε
καθώς έσκυβε πάνω μου χιλιάδες φιλιά
διαμάντια που απλόχερα μου χάριζε
θα πάω κι ας μου βγει και σε κακό
σε ποιαν έκσταση απάνω σε χορό μαγικό
μπορεί ένα τέτοιο πλάσμα να γεννήθηκε
από ποιο μακρινό αστέρι είναι το φως
που μες τα δυο της μάτια πήγε κρύφτηκε
κι εγώ ο τυχερός που το 'χει δει
μες το βλέμμα της ένας τόσο δα ουρανός
αστράφτει συννεφιάζει αναδιπλώνεται
μα σαν πέφτει η νύχτα πλημμυρίζει με φως
φεγγάρι αυγουστιάτικο υψώνεται
και φέγγει από μέσα η φυλακή
πώς μπορώ να ξεχάσω τα λυτά της μαλλιά
την άμμο που σαν καταρράχτης έλουζε
καθώς έσκυβε πάνω μου χιλιάδες φιλιά
διαμάντια που απλόχερα μου χάριζε
θα πάω κι ας μου βγει και σε κακό
i didn't fuck it up
katie goodman
plus... these are the things i can't fucking remember: an ode to the 40-yr old brain (oops -- that was 9 years ago already?)
via the unfucked radula
plus... these are the things i can't fucking remember: an ode to the 40-yr old brain (oops -- that was 9 years ago already?)
via the unfucked radula
collapse
on national geographic, based on the book by jared diamond.
i'm listening to the audiobook now: collapse: how societies choose to fail or survive
i'm listening to the audiobook now: collapse: how societies choose to fail or survive
Saturday, April 16, 2011
hitch in confidence
christopher hitchens interviewed by laurie taylor, broadcast april 14, 2011, in 6 parts.
i'm embedding now, and will watch tonight.
via daily hitchens.
i'm embedding now, and will watch tonight.
via daily hitchens.
Friday, April 15, 2011
ricky gervais' easter card
unveiled on the second part of the daily show extended interview and shown in full on his piece, 'why i'm a good christian':
'the title of this one is a little misleading, or at least cryptic. i am of course not a good christian in the sense that i believe that jesus was half man, half god, but i do believe i am a good christian compared to a lot of christians.
it's not that i don't believe that the teachings of jesus wouldn't make this a better world if they were followed. it's just that they are rarely followed.'
read on...
on the daily show, part 1:
on the daily show, part 2
'the title of this one is a little misleading, or at least cryptic. i am of course not a good christian in the sense that i believe that jesus was half man, half god, but i do believe i am a good christian compared to a lot of christians.
it's not that i don't believe that the teachings of jesus wouldn't make this a better world if they were followed. it's just that they are rarely followed.'
read on...
on the daily show, part 1:
on the daily show, part 2
Thursday, April 14, 2011
paula kirby: religion lies about women
at the washington post's on faith.
'religion is one lie after another: the lie of original sin, the lie of eternal life, the lie of hell, the lie of answered prayer, the lie that life can have no meaning without religion, the lie that religion is the source of morality, the lie of creationism, the lie of a spy-in-the-sky who hears your every word and reads your every thought. and to this list we must add the lie that it views men and women as equal. it has got away for so long with the kind of lunatic word-games that allow death-by-torture to be presented as an act of love, and eternal torment in the flames of hell to be seen as a necessary act of justice, that we should perhaps not be surprised that it has also managed to dupe its followers into seeing the systematic suppression and silencing of women as an act of liberation and equality. nevertheless, it is a lie, like all the others: a cynical and wicked lie. it is time women everywhere woke up to it.'
the full piece here.
via RDFRS
'religion is one lie after another: the lie of original sin, the lie of eternal life, the lie of hell, the lie of answered prayer, the lie that life can have no meaning without religion, the lie that religion is the source of morality, the lie of creationism, the lie of a spy-in-the-sky who hears your every word and reads your every thought. and to this list we must add the lie that it views men and women as equal. it has got away for so long with the kind of lunatic word-games that allow death-by-torture to be presented as an act of love, and eternal torment in the flames of hell to be seen as a necessary act of justice, that we should perhaps not be surprised that it has also managed to dupe its followers into seeing the systematic suppression and silencing of women as an act of liberation and equality. nevertheless, it is a lie, like all the others: a cynical and wicked lie. it is time women everywhere woke up to it.'
the full piece here.
via RDFRS
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
happy birthday, christopher hitchens.
photographed at home in washington, DC.
photograph: jamie james medina for the observer
να τα χιλιοστήσεις!
zoom to blue
like it? click it!
view in the dark
image license: creative commons. blog post: ©2011 helen sotiriadis
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Saturday, April 09, 2011
Friday, April 08, 2011
Thursday, April 07, 2011
sunset hippie with ukelele
like it? click it!
view in the dark.
catching the last rays of the sun, with style.
©2011 helen sotiriadis
debtocracy
i understand that this will be translated into english. i'll post information on that as soon as i see it.
if you understand greek, please visit debtocracy.gr for more information. if you don't, perhaps google translate can help with the text.
on vimeo, duration 01:13:11.
if you understand greek, please visit debtocracy.gr for more information. if you don't, perhaps google translate can help with the text.
on vimeo, duration 01:13:11.
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
envying peter yang
not just because he's an excellent photographer with a fabulous career -- but because he's taken cool pictures of three of the four horsemen, for wired [previously linked to here].
i wish there was some way i could take portraits of all four.
i wish there was some way i could take portraits of all four.
Tuesday, April 05, 2011
lawrence krauss on his debate with william lane craig
on a guest post on pharyngula
'it sometimes surprises me, although it shouldn't, how religious devotees feel the need to regularly reinforce their own convictions in groups of like-minded individuals. i suppose this is the purpose of regular sunday church services, for example, to reinforce the community of belief in between the rest of the week when the real world may show no evidence of god, goodness, fairness, or purpose.
nevertheless i was not prepared for the self-congratulatory hype that i have seen spouted on the web, and have received in emails, including a typically disingenuous email from wiliam lane craig to his followers regarding a debate i had with him in north carolina last week. while carrying out the debate in the first place was something that broke my normal rules--as i said during the debate, i far prefer civil conversation and discourse as a way of illuminating knowledge and reality--i will break another rule and write this blog-like note on my own perspectives, in the hope that it may circulate and counter some of the nonsense that has propagated in the fundamentalist and religious blogs of late. perhaps craig will post this on his blog and send it out as well.'
read on...
i wish people would quit debating these crackpots.
you can watch the debate here.
'it sometimes surprises me, although it shouldn't, how religious devotees feel the need to regularly reinforce their own convictions in groups of like-minded individuals. i suppose this is the purpose of regular sunday church services, for example, to reinforce the community of belief in between the rest of the week when the real world may show no evidence of god, goodness, fairness, or purpose.
nevertheless i was not prepared for the self-congratulatory hype that i have seen spouted on the web, and have received in emails, including a typically disingenuous email from wiliam lane craig to his followers regarding a debate i had with him in north carolina last week. while carrying out the debate in the first place was something that broke my normal rules--as i said during the debate, i far prefer civil conversation and discourse as a way of illuminating knowledge and reality--i will break another rule and write this blog-like note on my own perspectives, in the hope that it may circulate and counter some of the nonsense that has propagated in the fundamentalist and religious blogs of late. perhaps craig will post this on his blog and send it out as well.'
read on...
i wish people would quit debating these crackpots.
you can watch the debate here.
once
like it? click it!
view in the dark
image license: creative commons.
blog post: ©2011 helen sotiriadis
Monday, April 04, 2011
aris @ imizbiz live @ passport april 2, 2011
like it? click it!
view in the dark.
the brightest superstar at saturday's concert, posted after obtaining permission from his mother.
©2011 helen sotiriadis
Sunday, April 03, 2011
pz myers: shades of gray
a very moving piece by pz myers. just read it.
i'm an extremist in this debate, i will freely confess. i hold an absolute view that no killing is ever justified, that individuals have the necessity to defend themselves against assailants, but that even that does not grant moral approval to snuffing out the life of another. don't even try to pull out a scale and toss a copy of the koran on one side and the life of a single human being on the other — the comparison is obscene. do not try to tell me that some people are 'moderates' when they tolerate or even support and applaud war and death and murder for any cause, whether it is oil, or getting even, or defending the honor of wood pulp and ink.
the bone is bleached white. the flesh is burnt black. the blood splashes scarlet. you can't render it in grays and pastels without losing sight of the truth.
i'm an extremist in this debate, i will freely confess. i hold an absolute view that no killing is ever justified, that individuals have the necessity to defend themselves against assailants, but that even that does not grant moral approval to snuffing out the life of another. don't even try to pull out a scale and toss a copy of the koran on one side and the life of a single human being on the other — the comparison is obscene. do not try to tell me that some people are 'moderates' when they tolerate or even support and applaud war and death and murder for any cause, whether it is oil, or getting even, or defending the honor of wood pulp and ink.
the bone is bleached white. the flesh is burnt black. the blood splashes scarlet. you can't render it in grays and pastels without losing sight of the truth.
imiskoumbria concert - april 2, 2011
click to enlarge them all
view in the dark
last night i went to an imiskoumbria (on facebook) concert -- a greek hiphop band (mithridatis, mentzelos and pritanis) -- one of mr.G's favorites. sexpyr opened for them, with djvanilla.
all images ©2011 helen sotiriadis
helen keller and anne sullivan
1930 newsreel footage
i read about helen keller as a teenager and i struggled, but failed, to feel what keller must have experienced. unfortunately, my mind's eye has been skewed by patty duke and anne bancroft in the miracle worker. how wonderful it is to see the real women in this rare clip of keller and sullivan!
many thanks to scott glancy.
i read about helen keller as a teenager and i struggled, but failed, to feel what keller must have experienced. unfortunately, my mind's eye has been skewed by patty duke and anne bancroft in the miracle worker. how wonderful it is to see the real women in this rare clip of keller and sullivan!
many thanks to scott glancy.
william lane craig vs lawrence krauss
evidence for god
EDIT: lawrence krauss wrote an excellent review of this debate as a guest post on pharyngula.
i wish people would quit debating these crackpots.
via debunking christianity
EDIT: lawrence krauss wrote an excellent review of this debate as a guest post on pharyngula.
i wish people would quit debating these crackpots.
via debunking christianity
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Friday, April 01, 2011
sam harris blogs
sam harris has a blog!
here's a snip from one of his post, but will the dead walk again?, with afterthoughts from a recent debate:
snip
like all such theology, augustine’s account of the resurrection was simply a dark age confabulation. in other words, it was bullshit—a concept that has since been given a much need technical analysis by the philosopher harry frankfurt in his wonderful essay, on bullshit. what is the difference between bullshit and lies? bullshitting often entails lying, of course, but frankfurt shows that they are not the same. when a person is merely lying, he must still keep the truth in view. he must at least give the appearance of intellectual honesty. the bullshitter knows no such constraints. he takes no notice of the truth, or of the reasonable expectations others might have about it. the bullshitter just keeps talking.
and that is what religion has done: it has just kept talking, down through the ages, in utter defiance of common sense.
/snip
the blog: sam harris
here's a snip from one of his post, but will the dead walk again?, with afterthoughts from a recent debate:
snip
like all such theology, augustine’s account of the resurrection was simply a dark age confabulation. in other words, it was bullshit—a concept that has since been given a much need technical analysis by the philosopher harry frankfurt in his wonderful essay, on bullshit. what is the difference between bullshit and lies? bullshitting often entails lying, of course, but frankfurt shows that they are not the same. when a person is merely lying, he must still keep the truth in view. he must at least give the appearance of intellectual honesty. the bullshitter knows no such constraints. he takes no notice of the truth, or of the reasonable expectations others might have about it. the bullshitter just keeps talking.
and that is what religion has done: it has just kept talking, down through the ages, in utter defiance of common sense.
/snip
the blog: sam harris
roger ebert's journal: a quintessence of dust
sometimes i hit a piece like this and i feel glad to be alive.
snip
'but what good does it do me to think of the universe as an unthinking mechanism vast beyond comprehension? it gives me the consolation of believing i conceive it as it really is. it makes me thankful that i can conceive it at all. i could have been a pair of ragged claws, scuttling across the floors of silent seas. in this connection i find the theory of evolution a great consolation. it helps me understand how life came about and how i came to be. it reveals a logical principle i believe applies everywhere in the universe and at all levels: of all the things that exist, animate and inanimate, some will be more successful than others at continuing to exist. of those, some will evolve into greater complexity. this isn't "progress," it is simply the way things work. on this dot of space and in this instant of time, the human mind is a great success story, and i am fortunate to possess one. no, even that's not true, because a goldfish isn't unfortunate to lack one. it's just that knowing what i know, i would rather be a human than a goldfish.'
/snip
read it -- it's all good.
snip
'but what good does it do me to think of the universe as an unthinking mechanism vast beyond comprehension? it gives me the consolation of believing i conceive it as it really is. it makes me thankful that i can conceive it at all. i could have been a pair of ragged claws, scuttling across the floors of silent seas. in this connection i find the theory of evolution a great consolation. it helps me understand how life came about and how i came to be. it reveals a logical principle i believe applies everywhere in the universe and at all levels: of all the things that exist, animate and inanimate, some will be more successful than others at continuing to exist. of those, some will evolve into greater complexity. this isn't "progress," it is simply the way things work. on this dot of space and in this instant of time, the human mind is a great success story, and i am fortunate to possess one. no, even that's not true, because a goldfish isn't unfortunate to lack one. it's just that knowing what i know, i would rather be a human than a goldfish.'
/snip
read it -- it's all good.
IQ2 greece: athens mosque debate
in collaboration with the british council, last month (february 28th). the motion: only good can come out of building a mosque in athens.
there's quite a lot of greek, as in the introductions, the final speaker and the Q/A -- however, most of it is in english.
there's a 1/2 hour highlight video here.
prior to the debate:
236 for
33 against
24 no opinion
following the debate:
179 for
71 against
43 no opinion
this is the kind of trouble that a country without a separation of church and state inevitably gets into. the state should not be in the business of funding any kind of religious buildings, as it currently does.
there's quite a lot of greek, as in the introductions, the final speaker and the Q/A -- however, most of it is in english.
there's a 1/2 hour highlight video here.
prior to the debate:
236 for
33 against
24 no opinion
following the debate:
179 for
71 against
43 no opinion
this is the kind of trouble that a country without a separation of church and state inevitably gets into. the state should not be in the business of funding any kind of religious buildings, as it currently does.
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