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POPSSeeing and Believing: Jerry A. Coyne Interesting read. --Via Sam Harris who says a heated comment debate over the article has started here: http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/coyne09/coyne09_index.html#tnr-coyne
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POPSI'm not atheist Written by one of my agnostic myspace friends. To me, this sounds reasonable. It is way more interesting than all the blatant nonsense and hostile anti-religiousness of the new atheists. And by the way, she's a scientist. Maybe too young to be perverted by Sam Harris? http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=57799362&blogID=450976369
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POPSDoes Religion Make You Nice?Does atheism make you mean? It is at this point that the "We need God to be good" case falls apart. Countries worthy of consideration aren't those like North Korea and China, where religion is savagely repressed, but those in which people freely choose atheism. In his new book, Society Without God, Phil Zuckerman looks at the Danes and the Swedes—probably the most godless people on Earth. They don't go to church or pray in the privacy of their own homes; they don't believe in God or heaven or hell. But, by any reasonable standard, they're nice to one another. They have a famously expansive welfare and health care service. They have a strong commitment to social equality. And—even without belief in a God looming over them—they murder and rape one another significantly less frequently than Americans do.
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POPSIgnorance and confidence - all wrapped up Sam Harris expresses my concerns perfectly... but I'd also add that by choosing her, McCain has demonstrated he wants to win far more than he is worried about the future of this country.
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POPSMediocre Leadership... Sam Harris points out the fact that we love our politicians... but we love them to be like the "average guy" -- pretty dumb.
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POPSThe Boogey Man is Gonna Get Ya! According to the review of this new book it seems the author is rehashing the same old discounted arguments over what he dubs the "New Atheism". Using fear and misdirection it seems once again to be a weak attempt to defend the indefensible by a christian apologist.
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POPSTo believe or not to believe? , contrasting disbelief and belief showed increased brain response in the left inferior frontal gyrus, the anterior insula and the dorsal anterior cingulate, all associated with responses to negative stimuli, pain perception and disgust. Finally, contrasting uncertainty with both belief and disbelief revealed elevated neural action in the anterior cingulate cortex, a region associated with conflict resolution. What do these results tell us? “Several psychological studies appear to support Spinoza’s conjecture that the mere comprehension of a statement entails the tacit acceptance of its being true, whereas disbelief requires a subsequent process of rejection”
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POPSWAR ON WAR music video contest
This video was my entry into a contest by Sam Harris. He wrote a powerful song with a strong message against war. The USA government is always declaring war on something i.e. War on drugs, war on terrorism, war on poverty... How about a war on war? Says, Sam Harris... You can view link... http://www.youtube.com/groups_videos?name=waronwar Contest here: http://www.samharris.com/waronwar/ thinkingblue.blogspot.com --- A SPECIAL COMMENT FROM THETHINKINGBLUE CHANNEL Some of the nasty comments on thethinkingblue channel illustrate how sad we Americans are as a people. There is so much ignorant hatred bristling, that a complete coming together as one commonality is almost impossible. Barack Obama is our only hope. He can soothe the pain of hatred and rage by not embracing it like so many other political bodies have (yes even Hillary Clinton stooped so low) and he will demonstrate to us, through example that we really can come together as one. YES WE CAN! thinkingblue.blogspot
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POPSFor those touched most by 9/11, a turning point in faith
rest of article: Brian Jordan, a Franciscan priest who ministered to rescue and recovery workers, says there were no atheists at Ground Zero — suddenly everyone had a spiritual life, no matter how tortured or confused. Jay Rosenbaum, a Long Island rabbi, says he was almost overwhelmed when he arrived at Ground Zero on Sept. 12. But later, he conducted a simple prayer service in vestments that included a hard hat, combat boots and a prayer shawl. “Our mission is to look not only at the devastation there,” he said in his impromptu sermon, pointing to the shell of one tower, “but the devotion here” — the dusty, exhausted, rescue workers around him. “It was one of the most affirming moments of my life,” he says now. “I felt this was something I was worthy of doing.” To others, 9/11 seems to belie the notion of an all-loving, all-powerful God. Sam Harris began writing The End of Faith, his best-selling attack on religion, the day after the attacks. Jonathan Miller, who wrote
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POPSChris Hedges: (I) Don't Believe (in) Atheists The bestselling author of The New Fascists speaks out against religious and secular fundamentalism as he explores the New Atheists: those who attack religion to advance the worst of global capitalism, intolerance and imperial projects. Hedges claims that those who have placed blind faith in the morally neutral disciplines of reason and science create idols in their own image — a sin for either side of the spectrum. He makes an impassioned, intelligent case against religious and secular fundamentalism, which seeks to divide the world into those worthy of moral and intellectual consideration and those who should be condemned, silenced and eradicated. Hedges shatters the new atheists' assault against religion in America, and in doing so, makes way for new, moderate voices to join the debate. This is a book that must be read to understand the state of the battle about faith. ISBN: 9781416567950 Author: Hedges, Chris Publisher: Free Press
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POPSAmis and Islam Good read about the spat involving Amis over comments he made re: islam Enjoy:)
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POPSThe Reason Project needs Volunteers! Sam Says "For the moment, we are only looking for volunteers to collect archive materials, but there will undoubtedly be many other ways to assist the work of The Reason Project in the future. Our website will offer more information about such opportunities as they arise, as well as provide ways for you to network with like-minded people in your own communities. All submissions should be sent to the following email address: archive@reasonproject.org Many thanks, in advance, for your help" Best, Sam Harris and Annaka Harris
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POPSMath + religion = Trouble
Count John Allen Paulos among the non-believers. A mathematician who teaches at Temple University in Philadelphia and who has popularized his subject in bestselling books such as Innumeracy and A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper, Paulos's latest offering is a slim but explosive volume whose title is self-explanatory: Irreligion: A Mathematician Explains Why the Arguments for God Just Don't Add Up (Hill & Wang). This newest addition to the neo-atheist field crowded by the likes of Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris and others emboldened by the recent transformation of non-belief from a 97-pound weakling into a he-man, Paulos thankfully employs little math, preferring to see things, as he tells us, in the stark light of "logic and probability." Deploying "a lightly heretical touch," he dissects a playlist of "golden oldies" that includes the first-cause argument (sometimes tweaked as the cosmological argument, which hinges on the Big Bang), the argument for intelli
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