1. Court Claim: Chimps Are People, Too

Comment #191164 by matlot on June 10, 2008 at 9:59 am

A Chimpanzee is not a human any more than a giraffe is. However, a chimp could be a person. Peter Singer defines a person as an entity conscious of a past and future. Research does seem consistent with chimpanzees displaying this capability. This is an interesting court case; it could mark the next step in broadening of consideration of the interests of other animals. If it does though, we may have to forgo bacon sandwiches in the near future.

2. Richard Dawkins Interview on TVOntario

Comment #181093 by matlot on May 16, 2008 at 12:21 pm

I think Richard was a little weak on altruism.

3. Life after Jehovah's Witnesses: website offers help to followers who lose their faith

Comment #175944 by matlot on May 6, 2008 at 9:08 am

For anyone interested. The Witness rejection of blood begins in The Old Testament and indeed uniformly describes 'eating' blood as prohibited.

However, in The New Testament, James, in Acts 15:19 and 20 states: "Hence my decision is not to trouble those from the nations who are turning to God, 20 but to write them to abstain from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood."

Note the subtle difference? The word 'abstain' appears in the New World translation (used by JWs).

An article appeared recently in The New Scientist claiming that blood transfusions may indeed be dangerous. Unfortunately, this can only serve to cement the Watchtowers, ludicrous scriptural rantings.

We need Hitchens to dismantle the Watchtower organisation as he did the Mormon faith in God is not great.

4. Was the new finger a 'natural' miracle?

Comment #174504 by matlot on May 2, 2008 at 2:10 pm

I have to agree with Solarium Solaris (comment 25);

The tone occasionally becomes quite shrill in the comments section. This is a shame because we are supposed to be the rational community.

Bad science reporting is bad science reporting, there's no sense in blaming religion for it. Bashing religion is fun, but deploying our salvos with greater precision is surely more effective.

5. The Great Tantra Challenge

Comment #144556 by matlot on March 16, 2008 at 10:29 am

Fantastic article. This type of thing should be carried out wherever there is irrationality. Let's call these charlatans out!!

6. Berlin gallery in Islam art row

Comment #136537 by matlot on March 1, 2008 at 11:27 am

I'm getting sick of this fucking religious bullying. I apologise for the malediction everyone, but this is getting way beyond worrying.

7. Are they running for President or Pastor-in-Chief?

Comment #134507 by matlot on February 27, 2008 at 11:08 pm

I mean no offense to our American friends on this website. However, the US deeply terrifies me. I have thought of the country in the same terms as Iran or Saudi for some time. At one point I found myself hoping China's ascension to world dominance would quicken. Times are indeed very hard when you're hoping for that!

8. THE FOUR HORSEMEN - Available Now on DVD!

Comment #99077 by matlot on December 15, 2007 at 12:53 pm

I have to agree with some of the other posters that Hitch came across as somewhat vacuous with his 'I don't really want rid of religion' digression. Dawkins seemed astounded, but I think Hitch just loves to debate and be controversial. In the absence of religious nutters to confront he unconsciously had to rile the atheists. I wouldn't change him for the world though - the diversity of approach and opinion is just another bonus of secularism.

9. Sam Harris seems like a nice fellow, but very confused

Comment #77286 by matlot on October 9, 2007 at 12:45 am

Ok, there are far more important things for Sam, Myers and Johnson to be talking about. Either Sam's thinking on this is off-base and some atheists are making a bigger meal out of it than they have to (you can see Sam's point (whether you agree with it or not, surely)). I personally disagree with Sam on this (although I understand his thinking) but surely this bickering over semantics is distracting from the effort of confronting ignorance and delusion in the world. Sam, we know you hate losing an argument, but, on this occasion, please shut the f*** up and move on - we still love you geezer.

10. Science of the Soul? 'I Think, Therefore I Am' Is Losing Force

Comment #53046 by matlot on June 29, 2007 at 4:47 am

Surely 'I think therefore I am' is more about a fundamental proof of existence than the soul. The notion that this 'truth' is under siege seems based in a misinterpretation to me.

After all, other than our own existence - logic and mathematics are arguably confined within our own 'strange loops' - what else can we definately say is true?

Not that I'm advocating anything that is certainly not true - like Yahweh

11. Consciousness Comes from DNA

Comment #39957 by matlot on May 12, 2007 at 11:40 am

[7. Comment #39936 by Thanny on May 12, 2007 at 10:43 am

I find myself irritated by this mirror test. Or, rather, by the lofty interpretations of it.

My cat recognizes its own reflection in the mirror, but doesn't care. It doesn't inspect itself, or meet any of those other criteria.

So how do I know that it knows the reflection is of itself? Because my cat is fiercely territorial, and would attack another cat on the spot.

If you actually think about it, *any* animal which, in nature, has occasion to visit a watering hole of some sort, will likely be equipped to recognize its own reflection. Most simply ignore it.

These mirror tests confirm only that the animals in question (including humans) are vain enough to be interested in looking at themselves.

Any animal that has no reaction whatsoever to its image in a mirror probably knows it's a reflection, and simply doesn't care. ]

Thanny makes a good point methinks

12. The New Atheists loathe religion far too much to plausibly challenge it

Comment #38155 by matlot on May 7, 2007 at 6:19 am

Unfortunately she makes a salient point. You've got to keep trying though eh?
I've always maintained a lurking suspicion that we beat ineffectually against the shield of religion while the real causes of strife - rampant inequality and scarcity of resources - remain protected. Certainly Chomsky makes a good case for the real source of misery in the world without considering religion at all.

13. 'God Is Not a Moderate'

Comment #22795 by matlot on February 22, 2007 at 3:37 pm

I thought Mr Sullivan's first paragraph contained some excellent points actually.
We do tend to be utterly biased on this site, but it's so hard not to be with the usual crap that's espoused by the theists.

14. Tolerating intolerance is still this country's besetting sin

Comment #20608 by matlot on February 5, 2007 at 4:44 am

I think the answer to all of this, and it's been mentioned here many times, is education. The classroom is, without doubt, the arena of ultimate importance for the future of humanity. The religious loons know this, we must accept it too.

15. Tolerating intolerance is still this country's besetting sin

Comment #20604 by matlot on February 5, 2007 at 2:37 am

Response to: 9. Comment #20601 by Luthien on February 5, 2007 at 12:53 am

I am tempted to agree with you, but, upon deeper deliberation - and thinking generally - you are replacing the autonomy of parents with state control. Even with noble intentions, saying that the state should have the authority to ban parents from taking their children to religious services is, on reflection, ludicrous. What's next, all children should not be allowed to watch advertisments (brainwashing); Children should not be taught ettiquette, and other social programming practises (brainwashing). When talking about removing liberties, even those that we do not like, we must tread with care. You may respond by saying, "What about the children's rights to freedom from parental control?" But, you are merely replacing parental control with a, potentially, more draconian state control.

16. Tolerating intolerance is still this country's besetting sin

Comment #20599 by matlot on February 5, 2007 at 12:04 am

I saw the channel 4 dispatches program and it tested my JS Mill inspired liberalism to the limit. Freedom of religion is an absolute right proclaimed in the European Consensus on Human Rights and is contained in the same article as freedom of thought, but I'm almost tempted to give up this right just to be rid of Islam.
I say almost because, on reflection, we have to let these medieval twats retain the freedom of speech that they march incessantly to refute.

17. Grandparents linked with church-going

Comment #13097 by matlot on December 15, 2006 at 11:41 am

JConnell at comment 10 points out the self-evident nature of the findings, but I suppose all data is useful.
The key is surely preventing the doctrination of the young, and keeping this nonsense out of our schools at all costs.

18. Blaming 'The God Delusion'

Comment #13096 by matlot on December 15, 2006 at 11:37 am

A very fair review. It raises some of the problems I also found in the book. It does worry me that Dawkins is beating inefectually at the world rulers' shield of religion, rather than going for their Machiavelian jugular as Chomsky does. But then, that just isn't Richard's fight I suppose.

19. E-Petition: Abolish Faith Schools

Comment #7062 by Matlot on November 17, 2006 at 12:06 am

Well, it's signed, but I can't help thinking we are wasting our time with that religious lunatic Blair in power!
Remember also Sennecca:
"Religion is regarded by the masses as true, the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful"