1. Why Science Will Triumph Only When Theory Becomes Law

Comment #88123 by MihaiC on November 14, 2007 at 6:54 pm

I think this is an awful idea, especially because of linguistic reasons.

I think 'law' means 3 things:
(1) Civil Law - gets its authority from Constitutions, is the formal expression of the social contract and can be modified and replaced by those it applies to (citizens)
(2) Divine Law and derivatives - same scope as Civil Law, but claims to be 'revealed' and 'endorsed' by God(s).
(3) Some seemingly universal and profound phisics theorems which are traditionally named 'laws' because at the time of their discovery there were thought to be Divine Laws by which God 'commanded' the Universe to work as he intends.

Evolution doesn't fit any of these 3 definitions of 'law'. It's more like a mathematical result from more fundamental notions.

2. Poll: Which religion do you associate with?

Comment #64843 by MihaiC on August 22, 2007 at 3:49 am

What, no Pastafarianism, Invisible Pink Unicornism or Discordianism option?!

3. Doctors Opposing Circumcision: An Appeal for Misha

Comment #32412 by MihaiC on April 17, 2007 at 3:10 am

I wonder if any circumcised male has ever sued their parents over that... Since the father is a lawyer he should probably consider it as well.

Yeah, I know suing their own parents may sound immoral to some, citing family values - but where the hell were family values when the circumcision was performed?!

4. Growing Up in the Universe: 2-Disc DVD Set

Comment #30886 by MihaiC on April 10, 2007 at 8:30 am

I agree with Yorker in that the recordings on youtube (even if they have the same content as the DVDs here) should not be 'pressed down', but we should provide links to them. The resolution I suppose is much lower, but they still are available especially to those who can't order, don't afford or simply wouldn't be bothered with ordering DVDs, but would spare a few minutes - then hours, as their curiosity is nourished - in front of an on-line video, in an accessible format.

I can't say whether I needed them or not but I stumbled across them on youtube last month and they were indeed impressive.

Let me be an evildoer and post the links here, for whoever might need them:

Part One: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlQcMRq0oug
Part Two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9SsxUX_NQc
Part Three: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjfW4kA_dOU
Part Four: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMfc3J1wX2U
Part Five: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmUJak3cYdI

5. Nigeria teacher dies 'over Koran'

Comment #27554 by MihaiC on March 25, 2007 at 9:13 am

Nigerian police say students beat the teacher to death outside the school compound after she had been invigilating an exam.

6. Germany Cites Koran in Rejecting Divorce

Comment #27030 by MihaiC on March 22, 2007 at 11:47 pm

In January, the judge turned down the wife's request for a speedy divorce, saying that the husband's behavior was not an unreasonable hardship because they were both Moroccan. "In this cultural background," she wrote, "it is not unusual that the husband uses physical punishment against the wife."

And she suggested that the wife's Western lifestyle would give her husband grounds to claim that his honor had been compromised.

7. Battle for Europe's secular values

Comment #22611 by MihaiC on February 19, 2007 at 11:05 pm

Worth is a meaningless concept unless there is a higher entity which exists to apply worth.