1. Historian predicts the end of 'science superpowers'

Comment #218229 by Meerbat on July 25, 2008 at 5:09 am

Comment #217839 by Appleby

Past performance is no indication of future performance?

For a person, it is a good indication of future performance. But the analogy between a person and a nation is pretty weak. How is the history of the Byzantine Empire an indication of Greece's "performance" today?

2. Historian predicts the end of 'science superpowers'

Comment #217806 by Meerbat on July 24, 2008 at 4:57 pm

This is somewhat off-topic, but I am hung up on the title of the article.

A pet peeve of mine is the overemphasizing of history in discussions and debates. Often it comes with the paraphrased quote (by George Santayana according to Google) "Those who don't know their history are doomed to repeat it."
I see nothing wise in this (version of the) saying other than the trivial statement that information increases the chances of making a good decision.
Yet the same people who would argue that free-willed humans are incredibly complex and therefore inscrutable by science, would be the first to warn you about the dangers of non-belief, based on some atrocities in the past century falsely attributed to atheism. So now all of a sudden they can predict the future of whole states and nations of humans...

A couple of words here on "atheistic" indoctrination and the collapse of the "atheistic" regimes. I had the dubious honor of growing up under one myself and yes, they did tell us about evolution since we were little kids. Except in that version, it was the virtue of labor that caused monkeys to progress towards perfection and turn into humans. And listening to subversive radios or even the wrong kind of music could somehow make you go astray from the bright path towards the socialistic future. Oh, and all people were equal but some more equal than others. Though I didn't witness the events myself, close relatives have told me stories about the day Iosef Dzhugashvili died: adults would sincerely weep and mourn loudly on the streets the loss of the Father of Nations ... Talk about a society governed by reason.

So not only is the premise that the atrocities of the past century were caused by societies that have become too rational for their own good false, but the argument rests on the implicit unsupported assumption that history is deterministic and would repeat itself if we could rewind it. We now have some good evidence that natural history is governed by contingency, but people fail to acknowledge that this is also true of human history.
Finally, to say something about the article: just because a prediction is falsifiable, that doesn't make it scientific.

3. PLEASE WRITE IN SUPPORT OF PZ MYERS

Comment #217703 by Meerbat on July 24, 2008 at 2:44 pm

Moreover, we are also contacting Muslim groups nationwide.

No mention of contacting Richard Dawkins?

The resolution (?) of this saga has been a beautiful public lesson in demystification. Sadly, judging by the comments of the offended on Pharyngula, most Catholics have skimmed over the text and only registered the picture.

4. PLEASE WRITE IN SUPPORT OF PZ MYERS

Comment #209380 by Meerbat on July 12, 2008 at 4:37 am

I apologize if that has been posted before:

Source: http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/community_ucf_area/2008/07/ucf-catholics-m.html

The response to the article on that link follows:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"

As you hopefully know, this is the beginning of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Its general interpretation prohibits government from aiding religion in any way and from supporting a religious idea with no identifiable secular purpose. In a 1822 letter, James Madison called it a "perfect separation between ecclesiastical and civil matters".

Due to another part of our Constitution, known as the Supremacy Clause, the State of Florida is required to uphold this separation of church and state. All UCF Student Government Association funds are property of the State of Florida. Therefore, it is illegal to allocate funds to a religious organization, such as Catholic Campus Ministry.

I also oppose public funding for NORML and the Chocolate Club; however, it is actually legal for them to receive it.

This is only half of my problem with the Catholic Campus Ministry. If Sean Lavin was capable of broadcasting a complete and accurate story, you would know that the other half is their use of physical force against me.

A member of the church grabbed me after I took a mere three steps from the altar. This physical aggression continued until I loudly asked them to "STOP TOUCHING ME" three times. A member of the Catholic Campus Ministry told me I was attacked because they thought I was going to use the holy wafer to perform WITCHCRAFT or BLACK MAGIC. In fact, I was going to show it to my non-Catholic friend and then consume it. Although my friend attended the mass, non-Catholics are prohibited from receiving communion, explaining the need to delay consumption.

According to the organization, the Catholic Church mandates this policy of using physical intervention against people who fail to immediately consume the holy wafer. Therefore, the individuals who attacked me were enforcing the policies of their organization. This prompted me to file a student conduct violation against the Catholic Campus Ministry for personal abuse.

Their initiation of physical force was inappropriate and unnecessary in this situation. It is also the reason I did not eventually consume the holy wafer. I will keep the holy wafer until I receive a sufficient apology and a meeting with the bishop to discuss the Catholic Church's policies.

Now I need to address your conclusion that I am an idiot.

An idiot is someone who lacks intelligence, which is partially the ability to acquire and apply knowledge. Modern moral principles are a form of knowledge. I espouse moral principles that do not tolerate the use of physical force. Consuming or returning the holy wafer until I have addressed this violation of my moral principles, would constitute an inability to apply them, and therefore my knowledge.

Before you apply an insulting term to someone, think about what the word actually means.

This logic can also be used to create an argument for calling you an idiot. As I previously stated, intelligence is partially the ability to acquire and apply knowledge. As a journalism student at UCF, you are taught to write objectively using reliable information. Sean Lavin's news stories are far from reliable. Basing your writing, and your reputation, on his two minutes of information is highly unprofessional and displays an inability to your apply knowledge. Unlike you, however, I'll let the readers reach their own conclusion.

Webster F. Cook
Senator, Student Government Association
University of Central Florida

More comments by Webster F. Cook, including his apology from this link:

http://fratres.wordpress.com/2008/07/06/webster-f-cook-video-of-a-thief-and-his-excuses/

Dear members of the Catholic Campus Ministry,

I am returning the Eucharist to you in response to the e-mails I have received from Catholics in the UCF community. I still want the community to understand that the use physical force is wrong, especially when based on assumptions. However, I feel it is unnecessary to cause pain for those who are not at fault in this situation.

I want to thank the individuals who explained the emotional and spiritual pain my possession of the Eucharist caused them to experience. They have demonstrated that the use of reason is more effective than the use of force.

I was strongly assured by a woman that this action would help me obtain an apology and a meeting with the bishop. I hope her assurances were correct.

Sincerely,

Webster F. Cook

5. Dawkins warns of human extinction

Comment #155903 by Meerbat on April 6, 2008 at 9:19 am

fides:

So ideas are perfect but human beings aren't?
I would say that an ideology that ignores the reality of human behavior is broken by definition.

I also wonder what an unbroken human being could be like? And are humans advancing by reassembling their broken pieces? Advancing towards what goal??

6. Dawkins warns of human extinction

Comment #155843 by Meerbat on April 6, 2008 at 4:23 am

Time to mention another book: Akif Princci's Yin. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to have been translated in English, so here is a synopsis:
A deadly virus wipes out all men on Earth and prevents women from giving birth to boys. This leads to a total collapse of almost all modern industries, while a resourceful woman figures out a way to monopolize the fertility clinics and thus establish a dictatorship over all women by controlling birth privileges.

More relevant to this discussion is that there is this fertility researcher and medical doctor character in the book, who is heavily influenced by Dawkins' "Selfish Gene" and her collaboration is instrumental in the establishment of the dictatorship. It seems on first glance that the author implies that "Dawkins' Dangerous Idea" has lead this doctor to lose her moral values and respect for human life, but her character was multifaceted and as far as I remember interpreting it (it has been a couple of years since I've read the book), Dawkins was not even a "necessary condition" for the outrageous crimes she commits.

The author has been harshly criticized by feminists, but at least to me it didn't seem that he treats women unfairly: all the protagonists and antagonists in the book are women, but the most outrageously disgusting secondary character is a man. The gore and sexual contents of the book are among the highest I have encountered (and I was a big Stephen King fan as a teenager!). The culmination is very intense and manages to avoid the overt cliches, but it is still strongly reminiscent of a movie based on a Frank Miller comic book.
Overall, it is a very interesting book to read; it has a lot of suspense and strong, interesting characters, even though at times they come off as over caricatured.

7. Christian Founders 3D Adventure Computer Game

Comment #155480 by Meerbat on April 4, 2008 at 2:33 pm

This is the new Christian Rock.
Except it's obviously not targeted at the kids, but at their parents.
I also have some experience in indie adventure game production and would say that people who actually like playing adventure games don't pay too much attention to the graphics, as long as there is a good story to the game. A game with such a lame advertising and story synopsis can be safely called a flop without even giving it a try.
Interestingly enough, Jesus has made an appearance in adventure games, even in one of the most successful series, Gabriel Knight. The third installment of that game used the same source of inspiration that made Dan Brown so infamous among the Christians.

8. Dawkins warns of human extinction

Comment #155457 by Meerbat on April 4, 2008 at 2:07 pm

First time poster, long time yadda yadda yadda...

I just recently read a most interesting line of argument stating that even if there were a creator, we don't owe it anything, no fear, no love, no gratitude, "nothing in the province of obligation".

He who is almighty could have provided certainty. Since He did not provide it, if He exists, He must have deemed it unnecessary. Why unnecessary? One begins to suspect that maybe He is not almighty. A God not almighty would be deserving of feelings akin to pity, and indeed love as well; but this I think, none of our theodicies allow. And so we say; We serve ourselves and no one else.

The quotes are from a story by Stanislaw Lem, Non Serviam. Highly recommended. It beautifully demonstrates the inanity of miracles, worship and eternal damnation or bliss.