Comments by Zaphod

1. Atheists Sue to Get Prayer, God Out of Obama's Swearing-In

Comment #310857 by Zaphod on January 2, 2009 at 9:26 am

If Obama changed "God" to "Allah" in the inauguration. That would be amusing. I somehow doubt the fundie loons would approve.

2. Irreligion & Scandinavian Society - An interview with Phil Zuckerman

Comment #310855 by Zaphod on January 2, 2009 at 9:13 am

I bet the least religious places in the world are still totally irrational and infected with all sorts of new age beliefs and cults.

3. The New Atheism, a definition and a quiz

Comment #308625 by Zaphod on December 30, 2008 at 5:56 am

"New Atheism" is a term created by the media. Perhaps they can tell us what it is.

4. Christopher Hitchens and Douglas Wilson Debate

Comment #298363 by Zaphod on December 7, 2008 at 11:50 am

Wilson's opening statement is ridiculous. It sounds like he has no knowledge of cosmology, evolution or human psychology and perception.

5. President Obama: Bad News For the New Atheists and Other Fundamentalists

Comment #281189 by Zaphod on November 10, 2008 at 12:12 am

"...the Religious Right and the so-called New Atheists."

So called by tools like you in the media.

6. Hitchens Debates Rabbi Wolpe on God

Comment #281183 by Zaphod on November 9, 2008 at 11:31 pm

All of Wolpe's arguments are weak. Sometimes I would like to refine Hitchens' arguments when he talks about scientific concepts. Of the two I think Hitchens is a better speaker/debater.

Scientific research hasn't shown that there is a religious gene. Nonsense.

Free will is an illusion. Wolpe asks a dumb question "Where do you get your free will from?"

Seriously? Free will is two words made up of human language. It is something humans define. You may as well ask "Where did you get happiness from?" it is nonsensical. The brain creates the perception of "free will" but experiments have shown that the motor cortex fires before you are even aware of making the choice to move your arm. The only choice you seem to have is veto power.

7. Quentin Letts ranks Dawkins 30th on list of 'people who have wrecked Britain'

Comment #280899 by Zaphod on November 8, 2008 at 7:48 pm

Reading the title of this article I already know it is far too silly to waste my time.

Letts is a buffoon.

8. Bill Heine interviews Richard Dawkins

Comment #272115 by Zaphod on October 27, 2008 at 2:32 am

With regards to the woman who called to say her mother changed into a believer even though she is scientifically literate I think human nature is inherently irrational and comes with many cognitive foibles. Combine this with emotions and its a cauldron or crazy waiting to bubble over lol.

Silly guy trying to link Darwin to Hitler. Gott Mit Uns on Nazi belt buckles might give that moron a clue. http://www.claremontmckenna.edu/hist/jpetropoulos/church/tamerpage/buckle.jpg

Also Richard I don't think that Muslim guy tried to get Sony to recall their game. I think they did it voluntarily. Perhaps I am wrong. Does anyone know?

9. Dawkins: a theologian's perspective

Comment #262837 by Zaphod on October 9, 2008 at 2:24 pm

Theologians make as much sense as post modernists. Perhaps even less.

10. Two new fleas are discovered!

Comment #262829 by Zaphod on October 9, 2008 at 2:14 pm

Wow

TGD has produced a massive ecological niche for fleas hasn't it.

11. Which science book should the next US president read?

Comment #258350 by Zaphod on October 1, 2008 at 9:58 pm

Idiot's guide to living in the real world version of Mad Max?

12. Why There Almost Certainly Is a God, By Keith Ward

Comment #258332 by Zaphod on October 1, 2008 at 8:30 pm

@ Diacanu

You are right.

*double facepalm*

13. Debate: Would We Be Better Off Without Religion?

Comment #258331 by Zaphod on October 1, 2008 at 8:30 pm

I often find these debates annoying because I think I have better answers myself. Logical fallacies are often not pointed out.

Is this one worth watching?

14. 'God as Science Fiction'. Richard Dawkins at the Edinburgh Book Festival

Comment #258328 by Zaphod on October 1, 2008 at 8:22 pm

I like the crane and sky hook metaphors and think the suite what Dennett is trying to show very well. I don't think Richard did a great job explaining why they are good metaphors.

Cranes are built from the ground up. Sky hooks are just dangling from the sky with no explanation of how they got there.

15. Which science book should the next US president read?

Comment #258310 by Zaphod on October 1, 2008 at 7:43 pm

Honestly I'd expect the future 'leader of the supposed free world' to have read many books on science.

16. Sherri Shepherd, Bill Maher Spar Over God: Bill Tells Sherri She Should Go To Psych Ward

Comment #258306 by Zaphod on October 1, 2008 at 7:30 pm

Ah the blonde woman is Elisabeth Hasselbeck. A bit of a right wing nut but still hot and lets face it, I would probably bang a hot racist nazi serial killer. Evolutionary imperative beats standards every day of the year.

17. Sherri Shepherd, Bill Maher Spar Over God: Bill Tells Sherri She Should Go To Psych Ward

Comment #258302 by Zaphod on October 1, 2008 at 7:16 pm

Sherri Shepherd is not an intelligent person.

18. Sherri Shepherd, Bill Maher Spar Over God: Bill Tells Sherri She Should Go To Psych Ward

Comment #258300 by Zaphod on October 1, 2008 at 7:05 pm

I was too busy checking out the blonde chicks legs. What were these clips about?

In all seriousness the women on the view are mental.

Bill Maher is funny sometimes but when he talks about medicine he turns into a loony tunes nut bag.

19. How Anecdotal Evidence Can Undermine Scientific Results

Comment #217007 by Zaphod on July 23, 2008 at 7:28 pm

Articles of note

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?cat=36
http://www.theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=339
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=174

20. How Anecdotal Evidence Can Undermine Scientific Results

Comment #217003 by Zaphod on July 23, 2008 at 7:25 pm

Kirsten is looking for a plant pot to spit that stuff into lol.

Michael looks like he has swallowed it and seriously regretted it.

Steven is trying to keep composure but you can tell he doesn't like it.

21. Richard Dawkins on Al Jazeera English

Comment #215423 by Zaphod on July 21, 2008 at 9:16 pm

When confronted with a theist making claims about their holy book (which isn't magic) I respond by quoting passages of any fictional book within reach. I particularly like using The Odyssey or the Iliad for obvious reasons.

@Spinoza. I often feel the same and when I do feel like this I tend to mock them.

:-D

22. Richard Dawkins Public Lecture - Liverpool 08

Comment #197888 by Zaphod on June 22, 2008 at 8:32 pm

I also think it's way too complicated to be right. Occums razor. "

Occam's razor isn't a law of nature. It basically states that you shouldn't make unnecessary assumptions. It is a heuristic for producing the most parsimonious hypothesis or theory. Quantum Theory isn't simple but it is highly accurate.

String theory could be correct but could never be testable. How amusing would that be. We would never be amused though because we would never know.

Occam's razor doesn't mean SIMPLE=BETTER. If you have two hypotheses that both explain observations then you should keep the hypothesis with the least assumptions.

23. Logical Proof of the Existence of a Divine Creator, Why Atheism is Not Logically Sound

Comment #191530 by Zaphod on June 11, 2008 at 6:28 am

I got this stupid article from Google alert. I only clicked it because it said logical proof. Boy was I disappointed.

The guy doesn't even know what logic is. What a tool. Same old bullshit.

24. Physicist Claims First Real Demonstration of Cold Fusion

Comment #187860 by Zaphod on June 2, 2008 at 9:53 pm

I haven't even read this article yet and my bullshit detector is in over drive.

25. Put a Little Science in Your Life

Comment #187857 by Zaphod on June 2, 2008 at 9:52 pm

The Joy of Science.

I feel this in every book, article and talk that Brian gives.

He has a spark of Carl Sagan in him me thinks.

:-D

26. We happy hooligans

Comment #185830 by Zaphod on May 28, 2008 at 6:14 pm

We few. We happy few.

27. Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'

Comment #183009 by Zaphod on May 21, 2008 at 8:15 am

He should have cheekily change the C into a K

KULT.

:-D

28. MPs reject calls to cut abortion limit

Comment #183008 by Zaphod on May 21, 2008 at 8:11 am

Who gives a shit what cardinals think in this day and age. Being an elderly virgin does not give you privileged knowledge regarding the abortion issue.

29. Gimme that Old-Time Irreligion

Comment #181643 by Zaphod on May 17, 2008 at 6:52 pm

I think I read this book in about 1.5 hrs. It is quite short and didn't really provide me with any knowledge I didn't already have. I enjoyed the book when I was reading it but I get the impression that in a few months I will remember very little of it's content. My overall impression was that the second half was much better than the first half of the book.

I would have liked it if he talked more about the cognitive foibles humans have when it comes to statistics which we are all intuitively bad at and have to learn. Case in point being the Monty Hall problem which I read even some mathematicians had been confused by.

30. Texas Megachurch Minister Busted in Internet Sex Sting

Comment #181594 by Zaphod on May 17, 2008 at 3:35 pm

Not surprised.

31. These dim-wits believe in anything but God

Comment #181593 by Zaphod on May 17, 2008 at 3:33 pm

I remember finding religious education at school to be quite interesting. I treated it as mythology though, which I also found very interesting.

Never believed any of it was a true reflection of reality though, other than the fact that people actually believed in or believe it.

32. Pelosi, Reid shunning Ten Commandments?

Comment #181591 by Zaphod on May 17, 2008 at 3:31 pm

"Thou shall not kill"

Yes this statement takes a really sophisticated moral theory to work out. It's not like it's totally obvious to most of us or anything.

Also, aren't most of the ten commandments stupid.

About 6, at least, are totally bonkers.

Additionally aren't their several versions of the 10 commandments? Which version does the credulous proponent want to use?

33. The amazing intelligence of crows

Comment #181070 by Zaphod on May 16, 2008 at 11:40 am

Me and my crow army will destroy you all!

34. 3QD interviews Richard Dawkins

Comment #178954 by Zaphod on May 12, 2008 at 9:51 am

Very interesting interview. I found all the topics discussed to be fascinating. Ideas that I have thought about myself. A nice break from Richard giving the similar responses to the daft religious questions he always gets asked. 47 minutes well spent.

It was amusing at the end when the guy started to gush a bit over meeting Richard and the video ended abruptly.

35. Richard Dawkins interviewed by John Humphrys on Cardinal Murphy O'Connor

Comment #178233 by Zaphod on May 11, 2008 at 1:22 am

3 minutes, but it got down to the real issue.

Statements like:

I believe it because I believe it.

Or

Why do you believe it god? eh, eh because.

Are ridiculous and should be ridiculed by anyone of intellectual integrity and honesty.

36. An Atheist Goes Undercover to Join the Flock of Mad Pastor John Hagee

Comment #177091 by Zaphod on May 8, 2008 at 2:30 pm

I wrote this

How you can reason someone out of a position that they haven't reasoned themselves into? I hope you can though, else we might be fucked.

Mphil wrote

I don't think that's a good phrase

I stated it as a question and not a phrase.

I don't know what you mean by good.

Additionally, the people Matt talks about in the article don't even value reason, logic and evidence. You (Mphil) are obviously someone who values these concepts and therefore are able to be influenced by them.

37. An Atheist Goes Undercover to Join the Flock of Mad Pastor John Hagee

Comment #176743 by Zaphod on May 7, 2008 at 11:43 pm

Matt shows that it really is absurd to ask folks like this to be rational, to accept logic and evidence for claims. To even understand what logic and evidence is. They have such a simplistic view of the world and it is deeply tied up with emotions. How can you help someone who doesn't want to help themselves as they saying goes? How you can reason someone out of a position that they haven't reasoned themselves into? I hope you can though, else we might be fucked.

38. An Atheist Goes Undercover to Join the Flock of Mad Pastor John Hagee

Comment #176742 by Zaphod on May 7, 2008 at 11:40 pm

45. Comment #176702 by Spinoza

The Pentecostals love to bust out their acoustic guitar and get everyone to sing terrible, catchy songs (not unlike the "Leader" song from that episode of The Simpsons where they join the cult)... people start closing their eyes, raising their hands in the air, crying, etc etc.

TRUE BELIEVERS : "NANANANANA LEADER, LEADER LEADER"
HOMER: "BATMAN!, I MEAN LEADER"

39. Dumb and Dumber: A discussion between Ben Stein and Glenn Beck

Comment #175793 by Zaphod on May 6, 2008 at 3:33 am

81. Comment #175691 by Diacanu on May 5, 2008 at 9:58 pm

Lotta people getting sick off this video.

It's like Ben Stein is the human equivalent of one of those poison arrow frogs.

I think we have our supervillain.

If by supervillain you mean someone so retarded that it almost makes me think some supernatural source of retardation exists that he has sole access too.

40. Dumb and Dumber: A discussion between Ben Stein and Glenn Beck

Comment #175738 by Zaphod on May 6, 2008 at 12:26 am

@ Diacanu

And how exactly does that shit work?

Where does God get all these souls?

Does he pull 'em out of his pocket?

And where does he restock that pocket?

A supply closet?

Now now to question the logistics of gods plan would show a lack of faith, or is it a lack of thinking? I forget which.

41. Dumb and Dumber: A discussion between Ben Stein and Glenn Beck

Comment #175735 by Zaphod on May 6, 2008 at 12:23 am

I realized something quite quickly, so after explaining all this, I mentioned: "Oh, but the reason you don't like him is that you're a Christian, right?... you believe in a soul put in the person by God at conception?"

And her reply: "Yes."

Me: "Oh. Well that explains why you don't like philosophy."

... conversation over. So stupid.

With philosophy you actually have to think for yourself. I can see that being a problem for someone who prefers that others think for her.

Pathetic.

42. Dumb and Dumber: A discussion between Ben Stein and Glenn Beck

Comment #175723 by Zaphod on May 5, 2008 at 11:52 pm

Comment #175483 by Spinoza on May 5, 2008 at 1:43 pm

Mr. Beck clearly hasn't actually READ anything Peter Singer has written.

I would be surprised if he has read anything of substance. The vast majority of these fools have only read reviews of works. They think they have the answer to the question they don't even ask.

43. The Neanderthal Debate

Comment #175185 by Zaphod on May 4, 2008 at 6:56 pm

@ debbyo

Did Neanderthals have a soul?

If you can provide any evidence that the human imagined concept of the soul actually even exists, then you can ask the above question.

If not you may as well be asking if Neanderthal's had pet dragons.

44. Shaw TV Interview with Richard Dawkins

Comment #175182 by Zaphod on May 4, 2008 at 6:43 pm

It wasn't that I didn't understand that an argument can be logical but based on a false premise. I was simply wondering if this was what brought Pascal to put forward his infamous wager (i.e. a false premise).

His famous wager is part of a larger work and supposedly it isn't as stupid (I'm told) when in its larger context. Also it was written in a different time.

I am guessing he did have a false premise, after all he was a believer but when he sculpted his argument I don't know if he was using his own biased false premise when regarding an atheist. The wager sounds like the argument of a huckster to me. As if an omnipotent being couldn't tell if you just pretended to believe.

45. Shaw TV Interview with Richard Dawkins

Comment #175166 by Zaphod on May 4, 2008 at 5:39 pm

I imagine that, as Sam Harris has pointed out, if you already accept certain premises (e.g. in this case, God = God of Christianity), it might follow logically.

An argument can be logical but based on a false premise. I mean you can have internally consistent arguments regarding any type of palpable nonsense.

46. Shaw TV Interview with Richard Dawkins

Comment #175165 by Zaphod on May 4, 2008 at 5:37 pm

In regards to intelligent people believing stupid stuff. I understand Richards feelings of why anyone intelligent would believe something to obviously stupid. He is sceptical that they are in fact intelligent. I think it is about rational, critical thinking. Logic and thinking in a scientific manner. Someone can be intelligent but just not in a discipline that trains them to be sceptical and think critically. Even scientists aren't always great critical thinkers. This is stuff you have to learn. Humans aren't really born to be sceptical or particularly rational. The sceptical and scientific mind set have to be learned. Teaching people how to think critically, making them aware of cognitive foibles and human psychology. Teaching them logic and how to examine arguments, claims and evidence. Most people just aren't taught these things.

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

Comment #174598 by Zaphod on May 2, 2008 at 10:18 pm

Images can be fabricated and anecdote is almost useless.

Anyone watch this TED talk about tissue regeneration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tijEl8I38mo

48. Bill Good Interviews Richard Dawkins

Comment #174207 by Zaphod on May 1, 2008 at 9:56 pm

KEEEEE-RIST

A guy calls and actually brings up the debunked argument regarding the irreducible complexity of the bacterial flagellum. Something that has been shown to be totally false. It made me cringe when that guy brought up this patently false argument. I mean a quick internet search will inform him that the bacterial flagellum is not irreducibly complex. I watched a talk by Ken Miller and he tore Behe's argument about 10 new ass holes.

It just shows how intellectually lazy IDiots and Creotards are. They don't even spend two minutes doing an internet search. They parrot from their favourite cdesign proponentsist website or book and don't check the arguments that debunk them.

49. Is religion a threat to rationality and science?

Comment #171493 by Zaphod on April 28, 2008 at 2:20 pm

Viktor Frankl, in the midst of the extreme deprivation, dehumanisation and despair of Auschwitz observes how, in his assessment, only those with some spirituality - not necessarily a belief in God - survived the depravity of the camp.

What about Primo Levi?

50. Science leads to killing people

Comment #171476 by Zaphod on April 28, 2008 at 2:09 pm